Astera Labs Inc.

Optical Test Engineer, Principal

San Jose, California, United States · Principal

Sponsorship not specified$205k-$255kDetected 5 days ago

PythonC#Thermal AnalysisElectrical EngineeringLabVIEWLeadershipCommunicationCollaborationProblem Solving

About the role

Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) provides rack-scale AI infrastructure through purpose-built connectivity solutions.
This is a high-impact technical leadership position at the forefront of silicon photonics and co-packaged optics innovation.
Salary range is $205,000 to $255,000 depending on experience, level, and business need.

Lead the definition, development, and qualification of comprehensive test solutions for CPO optical engines, including wafer-level, die-level, package-level, and system-level testing.
Design and implement optical test hardware and automation systems (e.g., active alignment, fiber array attachment, high-speed optical I/O characterization).
Develop test programs and methodologies for key photonic parameters: insertion loss, eye diagrams, BER, PAM4 signaling, optical power, wavelength, thermal performance, and reliability stress testing.
Collaborate closely with Silicon Photonics design, package engineering, product engineering, and manufacturing teams to optimize design-for-test (DFT) and manufacturability.
Drive yield improvement, failure analysis, and root-cause investigations for complex electro-optical failures in CPO assemblies.
Support qualification, reliability testing (e.g., HTOL, temperature cycling), and customer audits for CPO products.
Proven track record developing optical test solutions for wafer, package, or module-level testing in high-volume environments.

Hands-on experience with CPO-specific challenges: active alignment, thermal management, laser integration, fiber attach, and co-packaged ASIC testing.

8+ years (Senior Staff) to 12+ years (Principal) of relevant experience in optical/photonic test engineering.
Strong background in Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), silicon photonics, or high-speed optical transceivers (800G/1.6T+).
Deep expertise in optical test instrumentation (e.g., optical spectrum analyzers, BER testers, oscilloscopes, tunable lasers, power meters, fiber alignment systems).
Experience with automated test equipment (ATE), Python/LabVIEW/C# test development, and statistical process control (SPC).
Knowledge of PAM4 signaling, signal integrity, mixed-signal testing, and reliability standards for data center optics.
Preferred Skills and Experience

Salary range is $205,000 to $255,000 depending on experience, level, and business need.

Education: MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits.

This listing is sourced directly from Astera Labs Inc.'s careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.