Optical / Photonics Validation Engineering, Senior Director - San Jose, California, United States
$260,000 - $295,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 31 July 2026 by the employer — open 41 days.
Astera Labs provides connectivity solutions that integrate CXL®, Ethernet, NVLink, PCIe®, and UALink™ semiconductor-based technologies.
About the role
This role involves driving the characterization, validation, and qualification of near-packaged optics (NPO) and co-packaged optics (CPO) systems. You will define and implement the validation approach ensuring optical, electrical, and thermal performance of advanced photonic interconnects.
What you'll do
- Lead a team focused on the optical validation strategy and roadmap for optical connectivity products.
- Develop and execute comprehensive validation and test plans for optical coupling, insertion loss, signal integrity, thermal stability, and reliability metrics.
- Define optical test methodologies for integrated systems involving photonic, electrical, and mechanical interfaces.
- Establish automated test frameworks for high-throughput optical and electrical validation (instrument control, data analysis, and reporting).
- Analyze measurement data to identify performance trends, failure modes, and root causes.
- Lead design-of-experiments (DOE) initiatives to optimize system performance and yield.
What you'll need
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or equivalent field.
- 8+ years of experience in optical module testing, photonic component validation, or high-speed interconnect qualification.
- Deep understanding of optical measurements (IL, RL, BER, eye diagrams, mode coupling), optical alignment, and signal characterization.
- Hands-on experience with optical instrumentation (optical spectrum analyzers, BERTs, network analyzers, power meters, interferometers).
- Strong background in data analysis, automation scripting (Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB), and statistical validation methods.
- Familiarity with packaging-related optical performance dependencies (thermo-mechanical stress, optical coupling efficiency).
Nice to have
- Experience with co-packaged optics, silicon photonics assemblies, and near-packaged optical interfaces.
- Knowledge of industry standards and compliance testing (IEEE 802.3, OIF, or custom CPO protocols).
- Understanding of reliability qualification (HTOL, TC, mechanical shock/vibration for optical components).
- Familiarity with system-level validation for networking and hyperscale data center environments.
This role has been open 40 days — below the 44-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
794
|
Median days open
44 d
|
Median salary
$159k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Astera Labs | All employers we track in this specialty (794 roles · 100 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 9 | 794 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 18 | 5650 · 142 employers |
| Median days open | 92 d | 44 d (+48 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $159k |
Who's hiring in this category
- NVIDIA · 59 open roles · median 52 d
- Applied Materials · 47 open roles · median 49 d
- AMD · 42 open roles · median 50 d
- KLA Corporation · 42 open roles · median 39 d
- Intel Corporation · 36 open roles · median 28 d
- Qualcomm · 35 open roles · median 43 d
How we counted: 794 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 100 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 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.