Principal Hardware Applications Engineer – PCIe Switches (Scorpio)

The role

You will lead customer system design-in and Scorpio-related debug. You will guide hyperscalers and AI system builders from evaluation through production deployment using Scorpio Smart Fabric Switches.

What you will do

• Lead technical engagements with hyperscalers, ODMs, and AI system partners.
• Own on-site and remote bring-up, debug, and performance tuning of Scorpio-based platforms at customer sites.
• Translate customer requirements into actionable feedback for product, silicon, and firmware teams.
• Influence post-silicon validation plans and execute system-level integration on next-generation switching platforms.
• Debug complex multi-domain issues spanning protocol, signal integrity, firmware, and software stacks.
• Partner with hardware, firmware, and SI/PI teams to root-cause issues.
• Serve as the go-to Scorpio applications expert across sales, marketing, product, and engineering.
• Mentor junior applications engineers.
• Represent Astera Labs at industry forums, standards bodies, and customer executive reviews.
• Author white papers, technical collateral, and training materials.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience in product applications, systems engineering, or post-silicon validation on high-speed connectivity or networking silicon
• Strong understanding of the physical layer and high-speed serial interfaces (PCIe, Ethernet, UALink, UCIe, or similar)
• Hands-on experience with lab bring-up, debug, and system-level integration including scopes, BERTs, and protocol analyzers
• Proven track record engaging directly with hyperscaler, cloud, or Tier-1 OEM/ODM customers on complex technical deployments
• Excellent communication skills

Nice to have

• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
• Direct experience with PCIe Gen 6 / Gen 7, UALink, or UCIe protocols and compliance testing
• Familiarity with AI/ML rack-scale architectures, GPU fabrics, and accelerator interconnects
• Scripting and automation experience (Python, shell) for validation and diagnostics
• Background contributing to standards bodies (PCI-SIG, UALink Consortium, UCIe) or authoring technical publications

Benefits

• Discretionary bonuses
• Incentives
• Benefits

About the company

Astera Labs provides rack-scale AI infrastructure through purpose-built connectivity solutions. The company's Intelligent Connectivity Platform integrates semiconductor-based technologies with the COSMOS software suite.