Firmware/Software Tech Lead Organization

We are looking for an Optical FW/SW Engineer, Tech Lead for design, development, and validation of embedded firmware and supporting software for Astera Labs’ next-generation optical products. You will build software for optical engines, optical modules, and emerging near-packaged optics (NPO) and co-packaged optics (CPO) solutions, spanning real-time control, calibration, telemetry, diagnostics, and high-speed link optimization., * Optical Firmware Architecture and Development

• Architect, develop, optimize, and maintain production-quality embedded firmware for optical engines, PIC/EIC platforms, and optical modules.
• Implement software in C on embedded processors using bare-metal or RTOS-based designs.
• Develop Python scripts and tools for unit-testing, configuration, automation, characterization, manufacturing test, and data analysis.
• Optical Control and Performance Optimization
• Develop control algorithms for modulator operation, automatic power control, temperature compensation, calibration, and link adaptation.
• Implement telemetry, diagnostics, monitoring, and fault-handling features that improve optical-link health, reliability, and serviceability.
• Optimize firmware for latency, power efficiency, control stability, and performance across evolving optical architectures.
• Hardware Bring-Up, Product Validation, and Quality
• Lead firmware and hardware bring-up, including board initialization, peripheral integration, lab debugging, and root-cause analysis.
• Integrate firmware with photodetectors, TIAs, ADCs, DACs, sensors, drivers, DSPs, and hardware control interfaces such as I2C and SPI.
• Partner with optical, electrical, DSP, systems, and validation teams to characterize, tune, and qualify optical products.
• Establish unit-testing strategies and maintain automated tests that improve firmware quality, coverage, and release confidence.
• Apply disciplined version-control, code-review, documentation, and release practices throughout the development lifecycle.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related technical field.
• 5-8 years of experience developing embedded firmware or software for optical, photonics, communications, semiconductor, or other high-reliability products.
• Strong programming skills in C and Python, with experience developing software for microcontroller platforms.
• Experience with RTOS-based embedded development, embedded programming methods, hardware interfaces, and low-level device control.
• Proven experience with unit testing, version control, debugging, and hardware bring-up.
• Ability to analyze and resolve complex problems across firmware, hardware, optical control algorithms, and system-level behavior., * Experience with optical module management, CMIS, telemetry, diagnostics, or control requirements.
• Experience with optical engines, pluggable optics, silicon photonics, PIC/EIC integration, NPO, or CPO.
• Knowledge of lasers, modulators, photodetectors, TIAs, thermal tuning, wavelength control, calibration, and high-speed optical link behavior.
• Familiarity with JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, optical test equipment, and protocol analyzers.
• Demonstrated technical leadership, strong cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to drive an ambiguous problem from concept to production.

Salary range is $160,000 to $200,000 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., Algorithms, Analysis Skills, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation, Boundary Scan, C Programming Language, Calibration, Code Reviews, Computer Engineering, Computer Firmware, Computer Programming, Computer Science, Cross-Functional, Data Analysis, Debugging Skills, Device Drivers, Digital Signal Processing (DSP), Diversity, Documentation, Ecosystems, Electrical Engineering, Electricity, Embedded Processors, Embedded Programming Languages, Embedded Software, Embedded Systems, Ethernet, Hardware Debugging, High Reliability, I2C, Logic Analyzer, Manufacturing Systems, Manufacturing/Production Testing, Microcontroller, Optics, Oscilloscope, PCI Express (PCI-E), Performance Tuning/Optimization, Photonics, Physics, Problem Solving Skills, Product Lifecycle, Product Testing, Protocol Analysis, Python Programming/Scripting Language, Quality Management, Realtime Operating System, Root Cause Analysis, Scripting (Scripting Languages), Semiconductors, Silicon Bringup, Software Administration, Software Development, Software Engineering, Source Code/Configuration Management (SCM), System Validation, Team Player, Technical Leadership, Technical/Engineering Design, Telemetry, Test Automation, Test Data, Test Equipment, Test Strategy, Test Tools, Unit Test

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.