Principal Engineer - Validation Engineering

Role Overview

As a Principal Engineer in Hardware Engineering's Validation Engineering organization, you will define and lead validation strategies for Astera Labs' next-generation connectivity products. You will turn complex silicon, board, and system requirements into rigorous plans, scalable automation, and clear release decisions—ensuring products perform reliably in the demanding environments of modern AI infrastructure.

This role combines deep hands-on technical leadership with broad cross-functional influence. You will partner with design, firmware, software, product, applications, and customer teams to bring up platforms, isolate issues, and accelerate qualification. Your work will directly support Astera Labs' hyper-growth mission to enable purpose-built, rack-scale AI connectivity and help customers deploy high-performance systems with confidence.

Key Responsibilities

• Validation Strategy and Planning
  • Define validation methodologies, coverage goals, schedules, dependencies, and exit criteria for complex hardware and connectivity products.
  • Translate product requirements and architecture specifications into comprehensive validation plans, test cases, and measurable quality objectives.
  • Identify technical risks early, prioritize validation investments, and communicate readiness, gaps, and tradeoffs to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Lab, Automation, and Execution
  • Lead silicon, board, and system bring-up, including test environment definition, instrumentation selection, configuration, and execution.
  • Architect scalable lab infrastructure and automated test frameworks that improve coverage, repeatability, debug efficiency, and time to qualification.
  • Develop, review, and maintain Python-based automation and data analysis tools in Linux-based validation environments.
• Debug, Qualification, and Technical Leadership
  • Drive root-cause analysis of functional, performance, interoperability, reliability, and system-level issues across hardware, firmware, and software boundaries.
  • Partner with design, firmware, software, product, applications, and customer teams to resolve issues and deliver high-quality releases.
  • Mentor engineers, establish validation best practices, and represent validation status and technical recommendations in design and launch reviews.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 8-12 years of experience in hardware, silicon, system, or product validation engineering.
• Proven experience leading validation for semiconductor, networking, connectivity, or data center products.
• Hands-on experience creating validation plans, test cases, automation, coverage metrics, and release criteria.
• Strong debugging skills across hardware, firmware, software, and laboratory instrumentation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence technical decisions across functions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's or PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience validating high-speed connectivity interfaces such as PCIe, CXL, Ethernet, or comparable technologies.
• Understanding of physical-layer fundamentals, signal integrity, protocol analysis, compliance, and interoperability testing.
• Proficiency with Python, Linux, laboratory equipment, data analysis, and Microsoft Azure DevOps or comparable validation infrastructure.
• Experience scaling validation labs, working with hyperscalers or ODMs, and mentoring engineers in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

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.