Principal Product Applications Engineer, Astera Labs

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience in product applications, systems engineering, or post-silicon validation on high-speed connectivity or networking silicon
• Strong understanding of the physical layer and high-speed serial interfaces (PCIe, Ethernet, UALink, UCIe, or similar)
• Hands-on experience with lab bring-up, debug, and system-level integration — including scopes, BERTs, and protocol analyzers
• Proven track record engaging directly with hyperscaler, cloud, or Tier-1 OEM/ODM customers on complex technical deployments
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate deep technical detail into clear customer-facing narratives

Desirable

• Astera Labs is redefining the fabric of AI infrastructure with our Scorpio Smart Fabric Switches — purpose-built silicon that connects GPUs, CPUs, and accelerators at rack scale
• As a Principal Product Applications Engineer on the Scorpio team, you will be the technical face of our switching portfolio to the world's leading hyperscalers, AI system builders, and platform partners, guiding them from first evaluation through production deployment
• This is a high-impact, customer-facing role at the center of one of the fastest-growing categories in semiconductors
• You will lead customer system design-in and Scorpio-related debug, develop customer-facing collateral, lead cross-functional Scorpio-related initiatives, and drive and validate new features across PCIe Gen 6 / Gen 7 & UALink platforms — directly influencing the roadmap of a hyper-growth company powering the next generation of AI compute
• Lead technical engagements with hyperscalers, ODMs, and AI system partners from architecture discussions through design-in and evaluation
• Own on-site and remote bring-up, debug, and performance tuning of Scorpio-based platforms at customer sites
• Translate customer requirements into actionable feedback for product, silicon, and firmware teams
• Influence post-silicon validation plans and execute system-level integration on next-generation switching platforms
• Debug complex multi-domain issues spanning protocol (UALink, UCIe, PCIe Gen 6/7), signal integrity, firmware, and software stacks
• Partner with hardware, firmware, and SI/PI teams to root-cause issues and deliver production-ready solutions
• Serve as the go-to Scorpio applications expert across sales, marketing, product, and engineering
• Mentor junior applications engineers and represent Astera Labs at industry forums, standards bodies, and customer executive reviews
• Author white papers, technical collateral, and training materials that scale the team's impact