Principal Digital RTL Engineer

Posted 2 Days Ago
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San Jose, CA, USA
In-Office
185K-240K Annually
Senior level
Big Data • Information Technology
The Role
Lead architecture and hands-on design of high-speed analog/mixed-signal blocks (SerDes, PLLs, ADC/DACs, references). Define specifications, run PVT/Monte Carlo simulations, drive layout and floorplanning, lead silicon bring-up and characterization, and mentor engineers while collaborating with digital, system, product, and packaging teams.
Summary Generated by Built In

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.

Principal Digital Digital RTL Engineer

 

Location: San Jose, CA (Onsite)

Role Overview

As a Principal Engineer on our Analog/Mixed-Signal (AMS) Design team, you will architect and deliver the high-performance analog building blocks at the heart of Astera Labs' purpose-built connectivity silicon. From high-speed SerDes and PLLs to data converters and precision references, your circuits will directly enable the bandwidth, signal integrity, and power efficiency that rack-scale AI infrastructure demands.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role at a hyper-growth company defining the connectivity backbone of the AI era. You'll own designs from specification through silicon bring-up, set the technical direction for complex AMS blocks, and mentor engineers across the team — turning ambitious architecture into production-proven products that ship at scale.

Key Responsibilities
  • Circuit Design & Architecture
    • Architect, design, and optimize high-speed analog/mixed-signal circuits such as SerDes, PLLs/clocking, ADCs/DACs, LDOs, and bias/reference blocks
    • Define block-level specifications and trade-offs for performance, power, area, and yield in advanced process nodes
    • Drive design methodology, reuse, and best practices across the AMS team
  • Verification & Validation
    • Develop and execute simulation plans across PVT, Monte Carlo, and reliability corners to ensure first-pass silicon success
    • Partner with layout designers to guide floorplanning, matching, parasitics, and physical implementation
    • Lead silicon bring-up, characterization, and debug, correlating measured results to models and specifications
  • Technical Leadership & Collaboration
    • Provide technical direction and mentorship to design engineers, elevating the capabilities of the broader team
    • Collaborate cross-functionally with digital, system, product, and packaging teams to deliver integrated solutions
    • Contribute to IP roadmaps, design reviews, and continuous improvement of the AMS design flow
Basic Qualifications
  • MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering or a related field
  • 8+ years of experience in analog/mixed-signal integrated circuit design
  • Proven track record designing high-speed AMS blocks (e.g., SerDes, PLLs, data converters, references/regulators) through production silicon
  • Strong command of transistor-level design, device physics, and analog design fundamentals in advanced CMOS nodes
  • Proficiency with industry-standard design and simulation tools (e.g., Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre) and scripting for design automation
  • Demonstrated ability to take designs from specification through tape-out and silicon validation
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with high-speed I/O and SerDes for connectivity standards such as PCIe, Ethernet, or UALink
  • Deep understanding of physical-layer signal integrity, channel modeling, and equalization
  • Hands-on lab experience with high-speed measurement and characterization equipment
  • Familiarity with mixed-signal verification methodologies and analog/digital co-design
  • Excellent communication skills and a collaborative, mentorship-driven approach in a fast-paced 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.

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.

Skills Required

  • MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field
  • 8+ years of experience in analog/mixed-signal integrated circuit design
  • Proven track record designing high-speed AMS blocks (SerDes, PLLs, data converters, references/regulators) through production silicon
  • Strong command of transistor-level design, device physics, and analog design fundamentals in advanced CMOS nodes
  • Proficiency with industry-standard design and simulation tools (e.g., Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre) and scripting for design automation
  • Demonstrated ability to take designs from specification through tape-out and silicon validation
  • Experience with high-speed I/O and SerDes for connectivity standards such as PCIe, Ethernet, or UALink
  • Deep understanding of physical-layer signal integrity, channel modeling, and equalization
  • Hands-on lab experience with high-speed measurement and characterization equipment
  • Familiarity with mixed-signal verification methodologies and analog/digital co-design
  • Excellent communication skills and a collaborative, mentorship-driven approach
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The Company
HQ: San Jose, CA
148 Employees
Year Founded: 2017

What We Do

Astera Labs Inc., a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, is a leader in purpose-built connectivity solutions for data-centric systems throughout the data center. Partnering with leading processor vendors, cloud service providers, seasoned investors, and world-class manufacturing companies, Astera Labs is helping customers remove performance bottlenecks in data-intensive systems that are limiting the true potential of applications such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. The company’s product portfolio includes system-aware semiconductor integrated circuits, boards, and services to enable robust CXL, PCIe, and Ethernet connectivity.

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