Principal Hardware Validation Engineer

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.