Jobs / United States / Astera Labs INC
Principal Engineer - Validation Engineering
Astera Labs INC · 🇺🇸 San Jose, California, United States
Sponsorship verdict
Sponsorship possible
One solid signal, not two — worth applying, and worth asking about sponsorship early.
- Employer is on a government sponsor recordThe US Department of Labor certified 63 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 10 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
- The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
- No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- What Astera Labs INC paid sponsored hires in similar roles11 certified filings for “Tech Lead System Validation Engineer” (Industrial Engineers) in CA: $155k–$176k, median $170k. Most were filed at wage level IV (55%) — 4 lottery entries, ≈61% projected selection odds for cap-subject employers. Source: US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data (Oct 2025 – Jun 2026).
- Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
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Sponsor Radar — Astera Labs INC
The US Department of Labor certified 63 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 10 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
Past sponsorship or register membership never guarantees sponsorship for this vacancy or for you. Full Sponsor Radar for Astera Labs INC →
About the role
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 . Role Overview As a Principal Engineer in Hardware Engineering's Validation Engineering organization, you will define and lead validation strategies for Astera Labs' next-generation connectivity products. You will turn complex silicon, board, and system requirements into rigorous plans, scalable automation, and clear release decisions—ensuring products perform reliably in the demanding environments of modern AI infrastructure. This role combines deep hands-on technical leadership with broad cross-functional influence. You will partner with design, firmware, software, product, applications, and customer teams to bring up platforms, isolate issues, and accelerate qualification. Your work will directly support Astera Labs' hyper-growth mission to enable purpose-built, rack-scale AI connectivity and help customers deploy high-performance systems with confidence. Key Responsibilities • Validation Strategy and Planning • Define validation methodologies, coverage goals, schedules, dependencies, and exit criteria for complex hardware and connectivity products. • Translate product requirements and architecture specifications into comprehensive validation plans, test cases, and measurable quality objectives. • Identify technical risks early, prioritize validation investments, and communicate readiness, gaps, and tradeoffs to cross-functional stakeholders. • Lab, Automation, and Execution • Lead silicon, board, and system bring-up, including test environment definition, instrumentation selection, configuration, and execution. • Architect scalable lab infrastructure and automated test frameworks that improve coverage, repeatability, debug efficiency, and time to qualification. • Develop, review, and maintain Python-based automation and data analysis tools in Linux-based validation environments. • Debug, Qualification, and Technical Leadership • Drive root-cause analysis of functional, performance, interoperability, reliability, and system-level issues across hardware, firmware, and software boundaries. • Partner with design, firmware, software, product, applications, and customer teams to resolve issues and deliver high-quality releases. • Mentor engineers, establish validation best practices, and represent validation status and technical recommendations in design and launch reviews. Basic Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field. • 8-12 years of experience in hardware, silicon, system, or product validation engineering. • Proven experience leading validation for semiconductor, networking, connectivity, or data center products. • Hands-on experience creating validation plans, test cases, automation, coverage metrics, and release criteria. • Strong debugging skills across hardware, firmware, software, and laboratory instrumentation. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence technical decisions across functions. Preferred Qualifications • Master