{"id":2049185,"url":"https://alion.io/job/astera-labs-principal-product-applications-engineer-3","title":"Principal Product Applications Engineer – Scorpio","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":51,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.549,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":73,"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"}},"role":"Product","role_family":"Product","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":207000,"max":230000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":230000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"NVLink","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-07T21:02:54Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-17","last_verified_at":"2026-11-01T02:28:06Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":24,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":24},"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.\nRole Overview \nAs a Principal Engineer on the Scorpio Product Applications team, you will help customers and internal teams deploy high-performance PCIe fabric solutions for rack-scale AI infrastructure. You will translate complex system requirements into practical architectures, lead platform bring-up, and guide the integration of Scorpio switches across demanding CPU, GPU, NIC, storage, and accelerator designs. \nThis role connects product strategy, firmware, and real-world system behavior. You will work across hardware, firmware, validation, and customer-facing teams to solve interoperability challenges, accelerate adoption, and shape the next generation of PCIe Gen 6/Gen 7 connectivity. Your work will directly influence how AI systems scale using purpose-built fabrics, UALink, and UCIe. \nKey Responsibilities \nProduct Applications and Customer Enablement \nLead technical engagements with customers and ecosystem partners to define Scorpio-based PCIe Firmware architectures and deployment requirements. \nDevelop reference designs, application guidance, technical presentations, and system-level collateral that accelerate customer adoption. \nTranslate customer use cases into clear Scorpio Firmware requirements, integration plans, and prioritized technical actions. \nPCIe and Firmware Bring-Up \nDrive system bring-up, debug, and interoperability across PCIe hosts, BMCs, GPUs, NICs, storage devices, and other high-performance endpoints. \nPartner with firmware teams to define, implement, and validate device configuration, traffic routing, boot flows, telemetry, recovery mechanisms, and field-debug capabilities. \nAnalyze link training, enumeration, performance, error handling, data traffic and system stability issues using protocol traces, logs, and lab instrumentation. \nBuild and maintain firmware, validation, and automation workflows that improve debug efficiency and product readiness. \nCross-Functional Product Leadership \nPartner with firmware, architecture, design, validation, and FAE teams to resolve complex issues from prototype through mass production. \nLead root-cause analysis, communicate risks and recommendations, and drive issues to closure with clear ownership and measurable outcomes. \nInfluence customer decisions on product enhancements and ecosystem interoperability plans for next-generation AI infrastructure connectivity. \nBasic Qualifications \nBachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field. \n8-12 years of experience in product applications, firmware development, systems engineering, platform validation, or a related semiconductor domain. \nStrong understanding of PCIe Switch Firmware, PCIe architecture (including link training, enumeration, configuration space, error handling, performance, and system interoperability). \nExperience with firmware development or debug, including the ability to read code, interpret logs, and collaborate effectively with firmware developers. \nHands-on experience with system bring-up, lab debug, protocol analysis, and root-cause investigation across complex hardware and software stacks. \nStrong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues to both engineering teams and customers. \nPreferred Qualifications \nExperience with PCIe Gen 5, Gen 6 or Gen 7, PCIe fabric switches, retimers, or other high-speed connectivity products. \nFamiliarity with UALink, UCIe, or emerging scale-up and scale-out interconnect architectures is a plus. \nExperience developing validation plans, firmware test strategies, lab automation, or customer-facing technical collateral. \nBackground supporting AI servers, accelerator platforms, hyperscale infrastructure, or high-performance computing systems. \nDemonstrated ability to lead ambiguous, cross-functional technical challenges in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. \nSalary range is $207,000 to $230,000 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":5142,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"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":"2026-10-07T21:05:52Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"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":"2026-10-29T16:27:21+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":63,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.632,"p_room":1,"age_days":23,"expected_fill_days":73,"reasons":["conf:1","stale_co","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":230000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/astera-labs-principal-product-applications-engineer-3","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/astera-labs-principal-product-applications-engineer-3.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-01T05:44:04Z","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":8849,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-02T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"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-principal-product-applications-engineer-3"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"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-principal-product-applications-engineer-3"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"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-principal-product-applications-engineer-3"},{"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-principal-product-applications-engineer-3\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fastera-labs-principal-product-applications-engineer-3"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":2049185}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"asteralabs.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":2049185},"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. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}