SerDes Validation Leader

Openkrill; United States; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Openkrill is seeking a SerDes Validation Lead to own the physical-layer implementation and bring-up of ultra-high-speed links in a mixed remote/on-site environment across the U.S. and Canada.

You will tune equalization, verify stability, and collaborate with SI/PI, hardware, and firmware teams to ensure robust performance. Ideal candidates bring hands-on experience with 56G/112G/224G PAM4 links, advanced lab instrumentation, and Python-based automation, contributing to scalable validation

Qualifications

• Hands-on SerDes bring-up and validation experience.
• Deep understanding of PAM4 and high-speed link behavior.
• Experience with lab characterization and debugging across silcon, board, and system.

Responsibilities

• Drive implementation and register-level configuration of high-speed SerDes IP blocks across custom hardware systems.
• Own transceiver equalization tuning, CTLE/FFE/DFE taps to maximize eye margin and BER.
• Lead post-silicon physical-layer bring-up, characterization, and debugging of 112G and 224G PAM4 links.
• Use high-bandwidth test equipment to validate link performance and isolate issues.
• Collaborate with SI/PI, hardware, firmware for lab measurements vs layouts and models.
• Work with firmware teams to support real-time link monitoring and automated validation.
• Develop and run Python-based test, measurement, and characterization workflows.
• Help define best practices for SerDes bring-up and validation across platforms.

Skills

SerDes experience

PAM4 tuning

TX/RX equalization

Lab equipment proficiency

Python scripting

Automated testing

Tools

Oscilloscopes

BERTs

Pattern generators

Protocol analyzers

Job description

SerDes Validation Lead

Who we are

We are a startup building foundational technology to address performance, scalability, and resiliency challenges in large-scale AI data center clusters. We are backed by top-tier VC firms and notable angel investors.

The company is led by experienced builders and operators who have founded companies, taken them to scale, and exited successfully. We work with a strong sense of unity and shared responsibility, and we expect trust, integrity, and respect in how we collaborate and make decisions. We hold ourselves accountable to one another and to the quality of the work we deliver.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we operate across a mix of remote and on-site locations in the U.S. and Canada. We aim to create an environment where people are treated fairly, supported in their growth, and empowered to do meaningful work alongside others who take the craft seriously.

About the role

We are seeking a SerDes Implementation Lead to own the physical-layer implementation, configuration, tuning, and post-silicon validation of ultra-high-speed data links, including 112G and 224G PAM4.

This is a hands-on technical role for someone who has taken SerDes IP macros from integration through bring-up, tuned equalization parameters in real systems, and driven links to stable operation across challenging physical channels. You will work closely with signal integrity, power integrity, hardware, and firmware teams to correlate real-world channel behavior with transceiver settings and system-level performance.

What you’ll do

• Drive implementation and register-level configuration of high-speed SerDes IP blocks across custom hardware systems.
• Own transceiver equalization tuning, including CTLE, FFE, and DFE tap optimization, to maximize eye margin and minimize bit error rates across cable, backplane, and board-level topologies.
• Lead post-silicon physical-layer bring-up, characterization, and debugging of 112G and 224G PAM4 links.
• Use high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, BERTs, pattern generators, and protocol analyzers to validate link performance and isolate issues.
• Collaborate closely with SI/PI engineers to correlate lab-measured link behavior with layout, simulation, and channel models.
• Work with firmware teams to support real-time link monitoring, configuration control, and automated validation flows.
• Develop and run script-based lab automation, including Python-based test, measurement, and characterization workflows.
• Help define best practices for SerDes bring-up, tuning, debug, and validation across the company’s hardware platforms.

What we’re looking for

• Proven hands-on experience bringing up and validating physical 56G, 112G, or 224G PAM4 links, or high-speed PCIe Gen5/Gen6 interfaces.
• Deep practical understanding of SerDes implementation, configuration, equalization, and physical-layer debug.
• Strong knowledge of how TX/RX equalization settings affect signal integrity, jitter profiles, eye margin, and BER.
• Advanced proficiency with high-speed lab equipment, including BERTs, real-time or sampling oscilloscopes, pattern generators, and protocol analyzers.
• Experience with automated, script-based testing and lab characterization, preferably using Python.
• Ability to debug complex link issues across silicon, board, cable, backplane, firmware, and system-level interactions.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work closely with SI/PI, hardware, firmware, and systems teams in a fast-moving engineering environment.

Nice to have

• Experience with 112G or 224G PAM4 links in data center, networking, switch, accelerator, or high-performance compute environments.
• Familiarity with Ethernet, PCIe, CXL, or other high-speed protocols.
• Experience working with SerDes IP from major commercial IP providers or custom in-house SerDes teams.
• Exposure to channel modeling, compliance testing, and production validation flows.

Compensation:

Target base salary for this role is $180,000 – $260,000 per year, plus meaningful equity, benefits, and 401(k). Salary ranges are determined by role, level, experience, and location.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We value a range of perspectives and experiences and make employment decisions based on merit and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of legally protected characteristics.

Agency Note:

We do not accept resumes from agencies or search firms. Please do not forward candidate profiles through our careers page, email, LinkedIn messages, or directly to company employees. Any resumes submitted will be deemed the property of the company, and no fees will be paid in the event the candidate is hired.