Senior Hardware Architect - High-Speed Cable Modules

Astera Labs; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Astera Labs seeks a Principal Electrical Engineer to own the Smart Cable Module hardware platform and define the electrical architecture for OSFP, QSFP-DD and future form-factors in support of 400G/800G data-center applications.

You will lead architecture, drive design rules, oversee bring-up and validation, and mentor engineers while collaborating with suppliers and hyperscale customers to deliver high-reliability, scalable solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in electrical engineering or closely related field.
• 10–12+ years of progressive electrical engineering experience, with at least 5 years focused on high-speed SerDes-based interconnect, active copper cable, or optical/pluggable module products
• Demonstrated track record of architecting and delivering production hardware with 56G / 112G and faster SerDes interfaces (Ethernet, PCIe, or InfiniBand)
• Expert-level understanding of signal integrity principles - impedance control, differential pair management, eye mask budgeting, channel loss allocation - sufficient to author design rules and review layout without performing full SI simulation
• Proficiency with EDA tools: Cadence Allegro / OrCAD
• Deep familiarity with OSFP, QSFP-DD800, and SFP-DD MSA mechanical, electrical, and management specifications
• Hands-on experience with CMIS 5.x / SFF-8636 module management and I2C/MDIO interface design
• Proven ability to lead hardware bring-up and debug complex mixed-signal failures using high-bandwidth oscilloscopes and protocol analyzers
• Strong PDN design fundamentals: multi-rail sequencing, transient response, decoupling strategy, and thermal-electrical co-analysis
• Experience interfacing with silicon vendors/teams on customizing reference design, silicon errata management, and platform bring-up

Responsibilities

• Define and own the end-to-end electrical architecture for smart cable modules, including SerDes channel topology, power delivery strategy, and thermal budgeting for muti-Gig (112G PAM4 and 56G NRZ ) designs
• Establish and maintain internal electrical design standards, PCB layout rules, and SI/PI guidelines that the broader hardware team
• Lead technical reviews (architecture, schematic, layout, DVT) and provide authoritative sign-off on high-speed digital designs
• Contribute to the module hardware roadmap in alignment with host ASIC platform generations, MSA form-factor evolution, and customer requirements
• Evaluate and select components; engage directly with supplier engineering teams on reference design adaptation and silicon bring-up support.

Skills

High-speed SerDes expertise

Hardware bring-up & debug

Cross-functional leadership

Mentoring engineers

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in electrical engineering

Tools

Cadence Allegro / OrCAD

Job description

Astera Labs seeks a Principal Electrical Engineer to own the Smart Cable Module hardware platform and define the electrical architecture for OSFP, QSFP-DD and future form-factors in support of 400G/800G data-center applications.

You will lead architecture, drive design rules, oversee bring-up and validation, and mentor engineers while collaborating with suppliers and hyperscale customers to deliver high-reliability, scalable solutions.