Senior Principal Test Engineer

Astera Labs; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 205,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Astera Labs is seeking a Senior Principal Test Engineer to act as the technical authority for test engineering across mixed-signal silicon and high-speed connectivity products. You will define test strategies for SCM high-volume manufacturing and lead from early engagement through mass production.

This role influences product quality, coverage, yield, test cost, and time to market while partnering with design, DFT, product engineering, operations, and manufacturing teams in a fast-moving

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field.
• 12–20 years of experience in Test engineering or Product Engineering from development through high-volume manufacturing.
• Experience with high-speed, mixed-signal test solutions for high-volume manufacturing.
• Knowledge of PCIe, Ethernet, DDR, NVMe, or USB.
• Experience with test software development, production debug, and test-time optimization.
• Experience designing custom Test Hardware for PCBA high-volume manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Define and own test strategies, specifications, and plans from product definition through high-volume production.
• Establish coverage, quality, yield, test-time, and cost objectives, and drive measurable improvements across the product lifecycle.
• Partner with design and product engineering teams to identify testability requirements and make effective design-for-test tradeoffs.
• Architect tester solutions and guide development of Tester HW design to meet specific and roadmap of products
• Validate Tester Designs and characterize before implementing into Mass Production.
• Apply understanding of physical-layer behavior to investigate failures, interpret lab and production data, and resolve complex performance issues.
• Lead root-cause analysis and yield improvement using protocol analyzers, oscilloscopes, manufacturing data, and structured failure analysis.

Skills

Test engineering

High-speed protocols

Test automation

Mentorship

Python

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Master's or PhD (preferred)

Tools

Test HW design

PCBA manufacturing

I2C/I3C/SPI/JTAG

C/C++/Python for ATE

Job description

Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) provides rack-scale AI infrastructure through purpose-built connectivity solutions. By collaborating with hyperscalers and ecosystem partners, Astera Labs enables organizations to unlock the full potential of modern AI. Astera Labs’ Intelligent Connectivity Platform integrates CXL®, Ethernet, NVLink, PCIe®, and UALink™ semiconductor-based technologies with the company’s COSMOS software suite to unify diverse components into cohesive, flexible systems that deliver end-to-end scale-up, and scale-out connectivity. The company’s custom connectivity solutions business complements its standards-based portfolio, enabling customers to deploy tailored architectures to meet their unique infrastructure requirements. Discover more at www.asteralabs.com.

Role Overview

Astera Labs is seeking a Senior Principal Test Engineer to serve as a technical authority for test engineering across complex mixed-signal silicon and high-speed connectivity products. You will define Test strategies for SCM High Volume Manufacturing and Validation Boards shipped to customer development and own execution from early product engagement through high-volume manufacturing.

This role is central to delivering reliable, scalable connectivity for rack-scale AI infrastructure. You will influence product quality, coverage, yield, test cost, and time to market while partnering with design, DFT, product engineering, operations, and manufacturing teams in a fast-moving, hyper-growth environment.

Key Responsibilities

Test Strategy and Product Ownership

• Define and own comprehensive test strategies, specifications, and plans from product definition through high-volume production.
• Establish coverage, quality, yield, test-time, and cost objectives, and drive measurable improvements across the product lifecycle.
• Partner with design and product engineering teams to identify testability requirements and make effective design-for-test tradeoffs.
• Architect tester solutions and guide development of Tester HW design to meet specific and roadmap of products
• Validate Tester Designs and characterize before implementing into Mass Production.
• Apply understanding of physical-layer behavior to investigate failures, interpret lab and production data, and resolve complex performance issues.
• Lead root-cause analysis and yield improvement using protocol analyzers, oscilloscopes, manufacturing data, and structured failure analysis.

Technical Leadership and Cross-Functional Execution

• Serve as a senior technical advisor across test, DFT, design, operations, quality, and external manufacturing organizations.
• Establish best-known methods, scalable test processes, and automation practices that improve engineering effectiveness and manufacturing readiness.
• Mentor engineers, influence technical decisions, and communicate risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations to cross-functional stakeholders.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 12–20 years of experience in Test engineering or Product Engineering from development through high-volume manufacturing.
• Strong experience developing custom test solutions for high-speed, mixed-signal products for high volume manufacturing.
• Working knowledge of high-speed protocols and physical-layer behavior, including PCIe, Ethernet, DDR, NVMe, or USB.
• Experience with Test SW development, production debug, and test-time optimization.
• Proven experience developing and designing custom Test Hardware for PCBA High volume manufacturing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with Electrical HW board design on complex Test HW implementation.
• Strong knowledge of DFT techniques such as SCAN, MBIST, SerDes, and functional test, along with control interfaces such as I2C, I3C, SPI, MDIO, and JTAG.
• Proficiency in C/C++ or Python for ATE programming, data processing, and test automation; familiarity with databases and yield analytics.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, influence cross-functional decisions, and deliver results in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Proficient in Mandarin Chinese.

The base salary range is $205,000 USD - $260,000 USD. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions.

We know that creativity and innovation happen more often when teams include diverse ideas, backgrounds, and experiences, and we actively encourage everyone with relevant experience to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities.