Principal Product Manager, Fiber Connectivity

Principal Product Manager, Fiber Connectivity 

San Jose, California, United States

Job Summary:

Astera Labs is redefining the connectivity fabric of rack-scale AI infrastructure, with optical connectivity becoming increasingly important to the next generation of scale-up and scale out systems.

As a Principal Product Manager for Fiber Connectivity, you will own the link between AI system architecture and commercial product adoption. You will define a portfolio of passive optical connectivity solutions, set customer-driven product requirements, and drive products from concept through qualification, deployment, and production.

Optical connectivity is becoming a system-level architecture decision in AI infrastructure, not simply a component choice. This role spans optical performance, system integration, manufacturing scale, supply chain, customer qualification, and commercial execution. You will work with hyperscalers, AI infrastructure companies and optical ecosystem partners.

Responsibilities 

•  Define the product strategy and multi-year roadmap for passive optical connectivity at the fiber-to-chip and system interfaces of high-density AI infrastructure.
•  Identify target applications, market opportunities, technology transitions, and competitive threats, serving as the voice of the customer for hyperscalers, AI infrastructure companies, system OEMs and ecosystem partners. 
•  Set customer-driven product attribute targets and make clear tradeoffs across optical performance, density, cost, manufacturability, reliability, supply chain, adoption, and time to market. 
•  Develop go-to-market strategy and launch plans, including market assessment, competitive analysis, positioning, technical content, and sales enablement. 
•  Execute product development from concept through requirements, development, qualification, customer deployment, production ramp, and sustaining support.
•  Lead cross-functional relationships across optical, mechanical, electrical, systems, manufacturing, operations, quality, supply chain, applications, sales, and finance. 
•  Establish manufacturing, supplier, automation, quality, reliability, test, yield, capacity, and cost-reduction strategies for high-volume production.
• Partner with sales and applications teams to secure design wins, support customer commitments, and drive adoption.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, materials science, business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in product management, product line management, engineering, applications, business development, or a related function. 
•  Experience developing and commercializing complex hardware products. 
•  Experience in optics, photonics, fiber optics, optical connectivity, optical packaging, or a related technology. 
•  Experience working across engineering, manufacturing, operations, supply chain, sales, and commercial organizations.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and cross-functional leadership skills. 
•  Willingness to travel internationally as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MBA or advanced technical degree.
• Market knowledge of AI, cloud, networking, data center, server, and high performance computing infrastructure. 
•  Strong understanding of passive optical connectivity, optical coupling, fiber assemblies, connectors, alignment, and optical and mechanical tolerances. 
•  Experience with co-packaged optics, near-package optics, optical I/O, scale-up optical interconnects, or related emerging architectures.
• Experience with high-volume manufacturing, supplier qualification, new product introduction, or production ramp.
• Proven ability to work directly with hyperscalers, major system companies and optical ecosystem partners

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.

Base salary range is $185,000 to $240,000 depending on experience, level, and business need. This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits.