Jobs / United States / Astera Labs INC
Principal Hardware Validation Engineer
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).
A verdict summarises public evidence; it is not legal advice and never a guarantee — the employer and the immigration authority decide. Sign in to factor in where you can already work.
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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 . As a Principal Hardware Validation Engineer you will join the Hardware Electrical Validation team at Astera Labs, linking between the Hardware Electrical Design teams and Post-Silicon Electrical Validation teams, among others. Note: This role is not post-silicon electrical validation; it is electrical validation of PCBAs and related hardware products. Key Responsibilities • Support the Hardware Electrical Design teams with de-risking circuits and modules from project kick-off to gerber out. • Develop comprehensive hardware electrical validation plans using correct test methods and processes. • Bring up the PCBAs upon arrival in the lab, and execute the electrical validation plans to validate all circuits on the board. • Debug complex multi-point failures in hardware - power regulators, DPMs, clock synthesizers, digital control paths, I2C, SPI, etc. • Rework components on the PCBAs to unblock debugging activities. • Pre-empt and de-risk system validation architectures - collaborate with the System Validation teams. • Support hardware activities in auxiliary teams - Post-Silicon Electrical Validation, Product Apps, System Validation, FAEs, etc. • Support the new designs using knowledge of existing products to de-risk new features and requirements. • Self-informed of new industry test standards and equipment to introduce modern testing methodologies. • Specify test equipment, develop test fixtures, help improve hardware lab functions. Required Skills • Demonstrated strong skills in electronic circuit analysis, comprehensive testing and debug • Bachelor degree in EE with 3+ years of experience in hardware test or design • Expert understanding of design and test for power regulators, PDNs, Bode, clock generators • Ability to produce test description from a schematic design, and execute and document results • Demonstrated knowledge of the full hardware product lifecycle from Project Kick-off to RTM • Lab equipment for hardware test - oscilloscopes, e-loads, VNA, TDR, environmental chambers, etc. • Automating lab equipment to optimize test processes, Python preferred Preferred Skills • Measurements of high-speed interfaces - PCIe, DDR, 25/50G/100G SERDES, etc. • EMI/EMC compliance • Technical writing skills - ECOs, Bug Reports, Rework WIs, MCOs, etc. • PLM, Arena or equivalent • Understanding of the ASIC/silicon product development process The base salary range is $185,000 USD - $240,000 USD. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. We 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.