Applications Engineering Manager - Ethernet - San Jose, California, United States
$158,400 - $230,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 20 May 2026 by the employer. Relisted by the employer on 21 May 2026.
Leading applications engineering for Taurus Ethernet Signal Conditioners and Smart Cable Modules across data center deployments.
About the role
Astera Labs is seeking an Applications Engineering Manager to join the Taurus Ethernet team and manage a team of technical experts supporting customer deployment of connectivity solutions. The role focuses on Taurus Ethernet Signal Conditioners and Smart Cable Modules across high-speed fabric connections in data centers.
What you'll do
- Lead a team of product applications engineers supporting customer evaluation and deployment of Taurus Ethernet Signal Conditioners and Smart Cable Modules. - Deliver technical presentations, product training, and hands-on demonstrations to customer engineering teams. - Lead root cause analysis and debugging of complex Ethernet physical layer and link issues in customer systems. - Support customer lab bring-up, characterization, and system validation activities, developing test plans to reproduce and resolve customer-reported issues. - Create application notes, integration guides, best practices documentation, datasheets, and user guides. - Partner with product management, engineering, and sales teams to translate customer feedback into product requirements and support pre-sales and post-sales engagements. - Travel for work within the US and to Asia as needed.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field. - 8+ years of experience in applications engineering, technical support, or system engineering roles. - Hands-on experience with lab equipment including oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, and BER test tools. - Experience debugging high-speed serial interfaces and signal integrity challenges. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills to convey complex technical concepts.
Nice to have
- Strong understanding of Ethernet physical layer specifications (200G/400G/800G/1.6T). - Experience with optical modules, active cables, or similar high-speed connectivity components. - Familiarity with AI/ML system architectures, GPU clusters, or data center networking. - Background in signal integrity analysis and simulation. - Scripting proficiency (Python, TCL) for test automation and data analysis. - Prior experience working with hyperscale or enterprise data center customers. - Knowledge of Ethernet consortium specifications and industry standards.
Skills: applications engineer, Ethernet, physical layer challenges, product integration, customer support, AI infrastructure connectivity
This role has been open 206 days — well above the 61-day median for Applications FAE roles.
Applications FAE · Serdes Highspeed
|
Open roles in category
92
|
Median days open
61 d
|
Median salary
$183k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Astera Labs | All employers we track in this specialty (92 roles · 23 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 16 | 92 |
| Median days open | 72 d | 61 d (+11 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $183k |
Skills observed across this category: applications engineer, Ethernet, physical layer challenges, product integration, customer support, AI infrastructure connectivity
Who's hiring in this category
- Astera Labs (this employer) · 16 open roles · median 72 d
- Synopsys · 15 open roles · median 40 d
- Keysight Technologies · 11 open roles · median 47 d
- Qualcomm · 9 open roles · median 55 d
- Microchip Technology · 7 open roles · median 46 d
- Marvell Technology · 5 open roles · median 184 d
How we counted: 92 open Applications FAE (Serdes Highspeed) roles from 23 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 26 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there. Figures refresh nightly.