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Astera Labs

Tech Lead Optical Test Engineer

Astera Labs · San Jose, California, United States

Posted about 3 months ago · $185,000 to $240,000

or apply directly on Astera Labs's site. We never take the application ourselves.

Is this posting real?

This role has been open
86 days
Astera Labs's roles stay open a median of 87 days
Reposted
No
Salary listed
Yes
43% of Astera Labs's roles list one
Ghost-job risk at Astera Labs
high
160 stale, 8 reposted of 160 open
Hiring momentum
218 roles opened in the last 90 days
↑ up vs. the prior 90 days
Last confirmed on the employer's board
2026-10-29

Measured from postings appearing on and disappearing from Astera Labs's own greenhouse board since 2026-08-03. Full hiring picture for Astera Labs.

About this role

The Tech Lead Optical Test Engineer at Astera Labs will be responsible for developing and deploying optical test solutions for silicon photonics devices and optical modules. This includes defining test methodologies, executing characterization testing, designing optical test stations, and developing test automation software. The role requires collaboration with various teams to optimize performance and ensure testability of designs.

Our read on this posting3.2out of 5
benefits
1/5
freshness
1/5
career value
4/5
role clarity
5/5
pay transparency
5/5

Scored from the posting itself — how clearly the role is described, how much it says about pay and benefits, and how recently it was listed. Not a judgement of Astera Labs as an employer.

What you need

  • M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, or a related discipline
  • 5–7+ years of experience in optical testing, photonic device characterization, or optical transceiver development
  • Strong understanding of silicon photonics devices (modulators, photodetectors, multiplexers, grating couplers, edge couplers)
  • Hands-on experience with optical test equipment: OSA, OMA, tunable lasers, polarization controllers, power meters, high-speed real-time oscilloscopes, BERT/pattern generators
  • Proficiency in high-speed optical link testing (100G/lane and above, PAM4, NRZ)
  • Programming skills in Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or C/C++ for test automation

Nice to have

  • Experience specifically with co-packaged optics or on-board optics architectures
  • Experience with wafer-level optical probing and testing tool hardware & software as well as automated photonics test platforms
  • Experience in transitioning test processes from lab/prototype to high-volume manufacturing (HVM)

What you get

  • Salary range is $185,000 to $240,000 depending on experience, level, and business need
  • This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits

Worth weighing

  • No specific information on company culture or team dynamics is provided
  • The role involves a significant amount of hands-on work, which may not suit all candidates
  • The salary range is quite broad, which may indicate variability based on negotiation or experience level

Summarised from Astera Labs's posting. Read the full original.

Listed by Astera Labs on their greenhouse job board, last confirmed open on 2026-10-29. PitchMeAI is not the employer.

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