Optical FW/SW Engineer – Tech Lead - San Jose, California, United States
$160,000 - $200,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 21 August 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves architecting and delivering connectivity silicon for AI clusters. The position focuses on PCIe, CXL, Ethernet, and emerging rack-scale interconnect technologies.
What you'll do
- Own RTL design for assigned blocks from microarchitecture through synthesis sign-off.
- Develop high-quality, synthesizable Verilog/SystemVerilog with attention to PPA.
- Drive design reviews, lint, CDC, and timing closure activities.
- Partner with architecture to translate specifications into implementation-ready microarchitecture.
- Collaborate with verification on testplans, coverage closure, and bug triage.
- Debug complex pre-silicon and post-silicon issues across RTL, gate-level, and emulation environments.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
- 5+ years of digital design experience, including at least one full chip from spec to tapeout.
- Strong proficiency in Verilog/SystemVerilog, RTL coding, and synthesis flows.
- Hands-on experience with timing closure, CDC, lint, and low-power design techniques.
- Solid understanding of high-speed serial interfaces (PCIe, Ethernet, or similar) and SoC integration.
Nice to have
- MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering.
- Experience with PCIe Gen5/Gen6, CXL, UALink, UCIe, or Ethernet MAC/PCS designs.
- Familiarity with formal verification, emulation, or assertion-based methodologies.
- Background in advanced process nodes (7nm, 5nm, or below).
- Strong debug skills across pre-silicon and post-silicon environments.
This role has been open 37 days — well below the 60-day median for Embedded Firmware Engineering roles.
Embedded Firmware Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
708
|
Median days open
60 d
|
Median salary
$176k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Astera Labs | All employers we track in this specialty (708 roles · 77 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 3 | 708 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 12 | 5858 · 143 employers |
| Median days open | 37 d | 60 d (−23 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $176k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 116 open roles · median 68 d
- Micron Technology · 62 open roles · median 75 d
- NVIDIA · 59 open roles · median 52 d
- AMD · 52 open roles · median 27 d
- Lattice Semiconductor · 43 open roles · median 19 d
- NXP Semiconductors · 27 open roles · median 67 d
How we counted: 708 open Embedded Firmware Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 77 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 28 Sept 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.