Tech Lead Engineer, Design Verification

Asteralabs; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Astera Labs is seeking a Tech Lead Engineer, Design Verification to define and deliver robust verification for next-generation connectivity silicon for rack-scale AI infrastructure. You will partner with RTL, architecture, firmware, and post-silicon teams to build verification strategies proving high-bandwidth protocol behavior.

In CCE2, lead verification challenges from planning to coverage closure, contributing to reliable PCIe and UALink connectivity products enabling AI accelerators, memory,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 5–8 years of design verification experience for ASICs/SoCs.
• Hands-on SystemVerilog and UVM-based verification.
• Experience creating verification plans, testbenches, assertions, scoreboards, and coverage models.
• Familiarity with simulation, waveform debugging, regression and coverage tools.

Responsibilities

• Develop verification strategy and planning for RTL and features.
• Build and enhance UVM-based testbenches, sequences, monitors, and reference models.
• Define test scenarios, coverage models, checkers, and scoreboards for complex switching functionality.
• Lead verification planning, risk tracking, and milestone achievement.
• Debug simulation failures using waveform analysis and cross‑functional collaboration.
• Communicate verification status, risks and recommendations to stakeholders.

Skills

SystemVerilog

UVM

Debugging

Leadership

Communication

Python

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering

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

As a Tech Lead Engineer, Design Verification, you will define and deliver robust verification for next‑generation connectivity silicon that enables rack‑scale AI infrastructure. You will partner closely with RTL, architecture, firmware, and post‑silicon teams to build verification strategies that prove complex switching behavior across high‑bandwidth protocols and demanding system environments.

Within CCE2, you will lead meaningful verification challenges from planning and testbench architecture through coverage closure and silicon learning. You will contribute to Astera Labs’ hyper‑growth mission by helping deliver highly reliable PCIe and UALink connectivity products that keep AI accelerators, memory, and compute resources operating at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Verification Strategy and Planning
• Develop block‑and subsystem‑level verification plans from specifications, architecture, and design requirements.
• Define test scenarios, coverage models, checkers, assertions and scoreboards for complex switching functionality.
• Review designs and verification plans with architecture and RTL teams to identify corner cases early.
• Lead verification planning and execution for assigned features, tracking risks, milestones and quality metrics.
• Environment Development and Execution
• Build and enhance reusable UVM‑based SystemVerilog testbenches, agents, sequences, monitors and reference models.
• Create directed, constrained‑random, and power‑on‑reset scenarios spanning PCIe Gen 6/Gen 7, UALink, and UCIe behavior.
• Debug simulation failures using waveform analysis, logs, assertions and cross‑functional collaboration.
• Partner with RTL and firmware teams to refine interfaces, improve observability, and resolve functional issues.
• Coverage, Quality, and Silicon Readiness
• Drive functional and code coverage analysis, identify verification gaps, and close coverage to agreed milestones.
• Develop regression strategies and automation to improve test quality, turnaround time and failure triage.
• Partner with design and post‑silicon teams on issue isolation, root‑cause analysis, and silicon bring‑up readiness.
• Communicate verification status, risks and recommendations to technical stakeholders and project leadership.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5–8 years of experience in design verification for complex ASICs or SoCs.
• Hands‑on experience with SystemVerilog and UVM‑based verification environments.
• Experience developing verification plans, testbenches, assertions, scoreboards and functional coverage models.
• Familiarity with simulation, waveform‑debug, regression and coverage tools.
• Strong technical leadership, debugging, communication and collaboration skills in a fast‑paced product development environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience verifying PCIe, UALink, UCIe, or other high‑speed connectivity and switching protocols.
• Knowledge of protocol checkers, formal verification, emulation, or hardware acceleration methodologies.
• Experience with Python, PowerShell, or Tcl for verification automation and regression infrastructure.
• Understanding of AI or data‑center system architectures, including accelerator, memory, and fabric connectivity.

Salary range is $175,500 to $195,000 depending on experience, level, and business need. This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits.

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.