{"id":462389,"url":"https://alion.io/job/astera-labs-senior-embedded-software-engineer-ethernet-retimers","title":"Senior Embedded Software Engineer - Ethernet Retimers","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":"A","score":87,"open_postings":53,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.302,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":78,"computed_at":"2026-10-19T05:45:15Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"senior","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":133200,"max":185000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":185000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Embedded C","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"NVLink","optional":false},{"name":"BERT","optional":true},{"name":"C","optional":true},{"name":"Python","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-06-05T22:38:56Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-23","last_verified_at":"2026-10-19T23:46:09Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":136,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":[],"days_open":135},"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\nAstera Labs' Taurus product line includes Ethernet retimers and gearboxes deployed in active electrical cables and in-system applications at the heart of AI infrastructure. As AI clusters scale to tens of thousands of GPUs connected by high-speed Ethernet fabrics, the firmware running on these connectivity devices is mission-critical - and so is the ability to debug it fast when something breaks.\nWe're looking for a Firmware Engineer who can bridge our system validation team and firmware development organization. When something goes wrong in the lab or in the field, you won't be waiting on others to dig into the firmware. You'll be the person in the room who understands both sides - can pull up the code, identify the problem, and fix it. If you've worked at a networking company, know how Ethernet actually works from the MAC down through the PHY, have debugged real link failures, and have written or modified firmware or low-level drivers, this role was designed for you.\nYour primary focus will be debug and system integration. You will be an integral part of the firmware team and work on new feature development, but you will be the point person in the lab helping to unblock other teams - triaging failures, understanding what the firmware is doing, and making targeted fixes without requiring a long handoff loop. Beyond that, you'll contribute to feature development and help bring new products from initial bringup into customer deployment.\nKey Responsibilities\nDebug & System Integration\nWork directly with the system validation team to debug firmware behavior across different Ethernet configurations, link states, and failure modes\nInvestigate and fix firmware issues in embedded C, leveraging deep understanding of how Layer 1 PHY, SERDES, FEC/PCS, MAC, and retimer components interact\nServe as the connective tissue between firmware and system validation teams, triaging issues and driving them to resolution without long handoff loops\n\nCustomer Bring-Up & Field Support\nSupport customer bring-up and integration activities, including triaging field issues and coordinating fixes with internal teams\nPartner with field applications engineers to diagnose and resolve deployment issues quickly\n\nFirmware Feature Development\nContribute to firmware feature development for SERDES configuration, link training, equalization, and diagnostics\nPartner with SoC, field applications, and platform teams across the full product lifecycle\nHelp bring new Taurus products from initial silicon bringup through customer deployment\n\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field\n5+ years of experience in firmware development or embedded systems engineering\nHands-on experience with Ethernet at the system or device level: Layer 1 PHY, SERDES, retimers, gearboxes, NICs, switches, or related devices\nSolid embedded C/C++ skills and comfort working in a firmware codebase on real hardware\nAbility to debug across the hardware/software boundary: register accesses, embedded SDKs, link state machines, PHY telemetry, debug print logs\nFamiliarity with Linux development tools: gcc/clang, make, bash, gdb, git\nStrong communication skills and comfort working in a fast-moving environment where the problem in front of you may not have a clean solution\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience with switch or NIC management software, SAI, or OpenBMC\nKnowledge of PMA, FEC, or other PHY-layer subsystems beyond the SERDES\nBackground with retimer or gearbox firmware or SDK/API development\nPython scripting for debug, test automation, or data analysis\nExperience with lab equipment: BERT, oscilloscopes, Viavi/Lecroy/Exfo/Keysight/Tektronix or similar\nUnderstanding of signal integrity: equalization, jitter, eye diagrams, link margin\nPrior experience mentoring engineers or leading debug efforts across teams\nSalary range is $133,200 to $185,000 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":5138,"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":"2026-09-06T11:26:14Z"}],"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":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+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":54}],"liveness":{"score":25,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.704,"p_room":0.36,"age_days":135,"expected_fill_days":78,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:tail","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-19T05:45:15Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":185000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/astera-labs-senior-embedded-software-engineer-ethernet-retimers","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/astera-labs-senior-embedded-software-engineer-ethernet-retimers.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-20T02:30:40Z","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":2766,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-21T00:00:00Z"}},"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-senior-embedded-software-engineer-ethernet-retimers"},{"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-senior-embedded-software-engineer-ethernet-retimers"},{"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-senior-embedded-software-engineer-ethernet-retimers"},{"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-senior-embedded-software-engineer-ethernet-retimers\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fastera-labs-senior-embedded-software-engineer-ethernet-retimers"}]}