Director of Optical Test

We are seeking a visionary and execution-focused Senior Director of Optical Test to lead end-to-end optical test strategy, development, and high-volume manufacturing readiness across our photonics product portfolio. This role will define and drive a comprehensive test roadmap spanning silicon photonics, optical engines, and optical modules, ensuring best-in-class performance, scalability, and cost efficiency., * Define and execute a comprehensive end-to-end optical test roadmap, including Silicon photonics wafer probe testing, Photonics package test, Optical engine characterization, Optical module production test and Reliability testing.

• Own and lead overall test strategy, balancing test coverage, tester throughput, test cost, capital expenditure planning and product quality.

• Build, lead, and scale a high-performing global organization with full ownership of end-to-end test platforms.

• Drive manufacturing readiness, including ownership of factory yield KPIs, production test bring up and volume ramp execution.

• Architect and deploy high-volume automated test equipment (ATE) for optical and photonics products.

• Develop and implement yield-learning frameworks to accelerate defect detection, root cause analysis, and yield improvement.

• Lead initiatives to reduce cost of test through automation, architecture optimization, and test time reduction.

• Scale test infrastructure and methodologies from engineering samples to high-volume manufacturing.

• Partner across cross-functional organizations including photonics design, packaging, validation, operations and quality & reliability to plan and execute production testing.

• Collaborate with foundries, OSATs, and global manufacturing operations to ensure robust test deployment and execution.

• Drive continuous improvement in yield, test coverage, test time and production efficiency.

• Provide technical leadership in design reviews, DfT strategy, and product qualification

The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in photonics and semiconductor test with proven leadership in scaling products from R&D to high-volume production while driving yield, quality, and cost optimization., * MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optics, Physics, Semiconductor Engineering, or related field

• 15+ years of experience in semiconductor and/or photonics test engineering. 10+ years of experience leading complex test development programs and engineering organizations

• Strong experience with silicon photonics production testing, optical module test, and high-speed optical systems.

• Hands-on experience testing 100G / 200G / 400G PAM4 optical modules and optical engine sub-assemblies.

• Demonstrated expertise in developing production-scale photonics test systems. Experience building and deploying high-volume ATE platforms.

• Deep understanding of yield engineering, statistical process control (SPC), reliability qualification and design-for-test (DFT) principles.

• Experience working with foundries, OSATs, and global manufacturing ecosystems.

• Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with silicon photonics or co-packaged optics (CPO) testing.

• Expertise in test automation, data infrastructure, and analytics-driven yield optimization.

• Familiarity with industry standards (e.g., Telcordia, IEC).

Base salary range is $260,000 to $295,000 depending on experience, level, and business need. This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits.

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.