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Astera Labs

Optical FW/SW Engineer – Tech Lead

Astera Labs · San Jose, California, United States

Posted 26 days ago · $160,000 to $200,000

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

Is this posting real?

This role has been open
26 days
Astera Labs's roles stay open a median of 45 days
Reposted
No
Salary listed
Yes
43% of Astera Labs's roles list one
Ghost-job risk at Astera Labs
high
116 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
2026-09-17

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 Optical FW/SW Engineer, Tech Lead at Astera Labs will focus on the design, development, and validation of embedded firmware and software for next-generation optical products. This role involves building software for optical engines and modules, optimizing performance, and collaborating with various teams to ensure reliable connectivity for AI infrastructure. Responsibilities include firmware architecture, control algorithm development, hardware bring-up, and maintaining quality through testing and version control.

Our read on this posting3.8out of 5
benefits
1/5
freshness
4/5
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

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related technical field
  • 5–8 years of experience developing embedded firmware or software for optical, photonics, communications, semiconductor, or other high-reliability products
  • Strong programming skills in C and Python, with experience developing software for microcontroller platforms
  • Experience with RTOS-based embedded development, embedded programming methods, hardware interfaces, and low-level device control
  • Proven experience with unit testing, version control, debugging, and hardware bring-up
  • Ability to analyze and resolve complex problems across firmware, hardware, optical control algorithms, and system-level behavior

Nice to have

  • Experience with optical module management, CMIS, telemetry, diagnostics, or control requirements
  • Experience with optical engines, pluggable optics, silicon photonics, PIC/EIC integration, NPO, or CPO
  • Knowledge of lasers, modulators, photodetectors, TIAs, thermal tuning, wavelength control, calibration, and high-speed optical link behavior
  • Familiarity with JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, optical test equipment, and protocol analyzers
  • Demonstrated technical leadership, strong cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to drive an ambiguous problem from concept to production

What you get

  • Salary range is $160,000 to $200,000 depending on experience, level, and business need
  • This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits

Worth weighing

  • No specific mention of remote work or flexible hours
  • The role requires deep technical expertise in optics and embedded systems, which may limit candidates without this background
  • The salary range is relatively 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 2026-09-17. PitchMeAI is not the employer.

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