Principal Digital Design Engineer

Astera Labs
San Jose, CA

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have 8+ years of experience in high-speed protocol design and full chip/block ownership.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 8+ years of experience in SoC design and proven front-end expertise in high-speed protocols
    — “+8 years’ experience supporting or developing complex SoC/silicon products”
  • Individuals with a track record of driving multiple complex designs from architecture to production
    — “Full chip or block level ownership from architecture to GDS, driving multiple complex designs to production”

Things to consider

  • The role demands immediate availability in the US, which may require relocation or local presence
    — “Authorized to work in the US and start immediately”
  • This position requires a high level of independence and minimal supervision
    — “Professional attitude with the ability to prioritize a dynamic list of multiple tasks, plan and prepare for customer meetings in advance, and work with minimal guidance and supervision”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your end-to-end ownership of chip/block designs in your resume and interviews
    — “Full chip or block level ownership from architecture to GDS”
  • Emphasize experience with Synopsys and/or Cadence digital design tools in your application materials
    — “Experience with Synopsys and/or Cadence digital design tools/flows”
  • Demonstrate your familiarity with UVM-based verification through specific project examples
    — “Familiarity with UVM based design verification”
  • Showcase your silicon bring-up and debug expertise with measurable outcomes
    — “Silicon bring-up and debug expertise”
  • Include specific examples of your work with high-speed protocols like PCIe and Ethernet
    — “Hands-on, thorough knowledge of high-speed protocols like PCIe, Ualink, Esun, Ethernet, etc.”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • full chip or block level ownership from architecture to GDS
  • driving multiple complex designs to production
Typical background
electrical engineering backgroundexperience in semiconductor industry

Skills & requirements

Required

Digital DesignHigh-speed ProtocolsRTLSynthesisBlock-level VerificationPcieUalinkEthernetSynopsysCadenceDFTUVMSmall-geometry CMOS

Preferred

Firmware DevelopmentScripting With PythonPcie Or Ethernet Switch Products

Stack & domain

Pci-expressUalinkEthernetRTLSynopsysCadenceDFTUVMSilicon Bring-upDebugSmall-geometry CMOSLeadershipCommunicationProblem-solvingTeamworkSemiconductorNetworkingASIC

About the role

Original posting from Astera Labs via Greenhouse

Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) provides rack-scale AI infrastructure through purpose-built connectivity solutions. By collaborating with hyperscalers and ecosystem partners, Astera Labs enables organizations to unlock the full potential of modern AI. Astera Labs’ Intelligent Connectivity Platform integrates CXL®, Ethernet, NVLink, PCIe®, and UALink™ semiconductor-based technologies with the company’s COSMOS software suite to unify diverse components into cohesive, flexible systems that deliver end-to-end scale-up, and scale-out connectivity. The company’s custom connectivity solutions business complements its standards-based portfolio, enabling customers to deploy tailored architectures to meet their unique infrastructure requirements. Discover more at www.asteralabs.com.

Job Description

We are looking for Principal Digital Design Engineers with experience developing micro-architecture and implementation of the front-end circuit design, including RTL, synthesis, IP integration, and block-level verification for high performance network controllers. The candidate must have good knowledge of communication/interface protocols such as PCI-Express (Gen-3 and above), Ualink, Esun, Ethernet etc.

Basic Qualifications:

Strong academic and technical background in electrical engineering. A Bachelor’s degree in EE is required, and a Master’s degree is preferred.

+8 years’ experience supporting or developing complex SoC/silicon products for Switch ASIC, Networking applications and/or Server, Storage.

Professional attitude with the ability to prioritize a dynamic list of multiple tasks, plan and prepare for customer meetings in advance, and work with minimal guidance and supervision.

Entrepreneurial, open-mind behavior and can-do attitude. Think and act fast with the customer in mind!

Authorized to work in the US and start immediately.

Required Experience:

Hands-on, thorough knowledge of high-speed protocols like PCIe, Ualink, Esun, Ethernet, etc.

Proven front end design expertise – architecture, RTL, simulations, synthesis, timing closure, GLS, DFT etc.

Full chip or block level ownership from architecture to GDS, driving multiple complex designs to production

Experience with Synopsys and/or Cadence digital design tools/flows

Good knowledge of design for test (DFT), stuck-at and transition scan test insertion

Familiarity with UVM based design verification

Silicon bring-up and debug expertise

Small-geometry CMOS (≤28nm) design

Preferred Experience:

Firmware development with C-language, scripting with Python or other equivalent programming languages.

Development/support for PCIe or Ethernet Switch products.

The base salary range is $185,000.00 USD – $240,000.00 USD. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. 

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.

Source: Astera Labs careers (Greenhouse)

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