Astera Labs Inc.
Optical / Photonics Validation Engineering, Senior Director
San Jose, California, United States · Director
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About the role
- We are looking for an Optical Validation Engineering, Senior Director to drive the characterization, validation, and qualification of near-packaged optics (NPO) and co-packaged optics (CPO) systems.
Responsibilities
- Lead a team that owns the optical validation strategy and roadmap for optical connectivity products.
- Develop and execute comprehensive validation and test plans covering optical coupling, insertion loss, signal integrity, thermal stability, and reliability metrics.
- Collaborate with design, packaging, and system architecture teams to translate product specifications into measurable validation criteria.
- Lead design-of-experiments (DOE) initiatives to optimize system performance and yield.
- In this role, you will define and implement the validation approach that ensures the optical, electrical, and thermal performance of advanced photonic interconnects used in next-generation data center and networking platforms.
- You will work at the intersection of silicon photonics, packaging, electrical design, and systems engineering to ensure robust product performance from prototype to production.
Requirements
- 8+ years of experience in optical module testing, photonic component validation, or high-speed interconnect qualification.
- Hands-on experience with optical instrumentation (optical spectrum analyzers, BERTs, network analyzers, power meters, interferometers).
- Familiarity with packaging-related optical performance dependencies (thermo-mechanical stress, optical coupling efficiency, etc.).
- Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with a proven ability to align across multidisciplinary hardware teams.
- Experience with co-packaged optics, silicon photonics assemblies, and near-packaged optical interfaces.
- Knowledge of industry standards and compliance testing (IEEE 802.3, OIF, or custom CPO protocols).
- Familiarity with system-level validation for networking and hyperscale data center environments.
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or equivalent field.
- Deep understanding of optical measurements (IL, RL, BER, eye diagrams, mode coupling), optical alignment, and signal characterization.
- Strong background in data analysis, automation scripting (Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB), and statistical validation methods.
- Understanding of reliability qualification (HTOL, TC, mechanical shock/vibration for optical components).
- Base salary range is $260,000 to $295,000 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.
Nice to have
- Preferred Experience
Compensation
- Base salary range is $260,000 to $295,000 depending on experience, level, and business need.
This listing is sourced directly from Astera Labs Inc.'s careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.