{"id":3981173,"url":"https://alion.io/job/astera-labs-active-electrical-cable-module-fw-engineer-tech-lead","title":"Active Electrical Cable Module FW Engineer – Tech Lead","company":{"id":178069,"name":"Astera Labs","domain":"asteralabs.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/astera-labs-2","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":81,"open_postings":49,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.571,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":77,"computed_at":"2026-11-09T06:03:00Z"}},"role":"Leadership","role_family":"Leadership","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Jose, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":169000,"max":200000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":200000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"NVLink","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"RTOS","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-28T17:15:41Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-09","last_verified_at":"2026-11-09T19:47:19Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":73,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":73},"description":"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.\nActive Electrical Cable Module FW Engineer - Tech Lead\nWe are looking for a Tech Lead Engineer to lead the design, development, and validation of embedded firmware for Astera Labs’ AEC and ACC smart cable modules used to extend connectivity in rack-scale AI systems.\nThis role combines low-level embedded software, hardware integration, and system-level debug. You will drive technical execution from firmware architecture and STM32 bring-up through validation and production release, partnering with ASIC firmware, systems, validation, manufacturing, and platform software teams. Your work will help customers deploy reliable, scalable interconnects as AI infrastructure expands beyond the limits of conventional cabling.\nKey Responsibilities\nSmart Cable Module Firmware\nArchitect, develop, optimize, and maintain production-quality MCU firmware for smart cable modules.\nImplement firmware in C on ARM-based STM32 or comparable microcontroller platforms using RTOS-based designs.\nDevelop Python scripts and tools for test automation, configuration, characterization, manufacturing test, and data analysis.\nModule Control, Telemetry, and Link Management\nImplement firmware for module power, thermal behavior, device configuration, signal conditioning, calibration, and upgrade.\n\nDevelop management, telemetry, diagnostics, fault-handling, and health-monitoring features for manufacturing and field deployments.\nIntegrate firmware with retimers or signal-conditioning devices, drivers, ADCs, DACs, sensors, and hardware control interfaces such as I2C and SPI.\nBring-Up, Debugging, Validation, and Quality\nLead MCU, board, and module bring-up, including boot-sequence development, peripheral initialization, hardware diagnostics, and root-cause analysis.\nDebug firmware and system behavior to resolve issues across hardware, firmware, control algorithms, and high-speed links.\nPartner with electrical, systems, validation, ASIC FW, and manufacturing teams to characterize, tune, and qualify smart cable modules.\nEstablish unit-testing strategies and maintain automated tests that improve firmware quality, coverage, and release confidence.\nApply disciplined version-control, code-review, documentation, and release practices throughout the development lifecycle.\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.\n5-10 years of experience developing embedded firmware or software for smart cables, networking, communications, semiconductor, or other high-reliability products.\n\nStrong programming skills in C and Python, with experience developing software for ARM-based STM32 or comparable microcontroller platforms.\nExperience with RTOS-based embedded development, embedded programming methods, hardware interfaces, and low-level device control.\nProven experience with unit testing, version control, debugging, and hardware bring-up.\nUnderstanding of high-speed electrical physical-layer concepts, including signal integrity, channel behavior, equalization, and link training.\nAbility to analyze and resolve complex problems across firmware, hardware, control algorithms, and system-level behavior.\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience with active electrical cables, active copper cables, retimers, signal conditioners, optical modules, or related connectivity products.\nExperience with CMIS or other module-management standards, including telemetry, diagnostics, monitoring, and control requirements.\nKnowledge of high-speed link behavior, equalization, thermal management, power sequencing, and module calibration.\nFamiliarity with JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and high-speed electrical test equipment.\nDemonstrated technical leadership, strong cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to drive an ambiguous problem from concept to production.\nAbility to work effectively with geographically diverse teams across different time zones.\nBase salary range is $169,000 to $200,000 depending on experience, level, and business need. This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits.\nWe 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.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5206,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Processors, MCUs & AI Chips","Servers & Data Center Hardware"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-09T19:47:19Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"adverts_offering_sponsorship_24m":0,"sanctioned_now":false,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 77 · green card filings: 7","filings_12m":77,"filings_prev_12m":50,"green_card_filings_12m":7,"median_offered_wage_usd":168155,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-11-09T07:32:21+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":48,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.802,"p_room":0.6,"age_days":73,"expected_fill_days":78,"reasons":["conf:1","win:late","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-09T20:54:53Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":200000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/astera-labs-active-electrical-cable-module-fw-engineer-tech-lead","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/astera-labs-active-electrical-cable-module-fw-engineer-tech-lead.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-09T20:54:53Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":8654,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-10T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":178069},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=178069"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fastera-labs-active-electrical-cable-module-fw-engineer-tech-lead"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fastera-labs-active-electrical-cable-module-fw-engineer-tech-lead"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fastera-labs-active-electrical-cable-module-fw-engineer-tech-lead"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/astera-labs-active-electrical-cable-module-fw-engineer-tech-lead\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fastera-labs-active-electrical-cable-module-fw-engineer-tech-lead"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3981173}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"asteralabs.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3981173},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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