Principal Engineer Jobs in Irvine, CA

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.

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

Astera Labs is redefining the connectivity that powers rack-scale AI infrastructure, and analog design is at the heart of it. As a Principal Analog Design Engineer, you will architect and design the high-performance analog and mixed-signal circuits that anchor our SerDes, PHY, and high-speed I/O — the silicon building blocks that move data at the speed AI demands. Your work directly shapes the performance, power, and reliability of products deployed in the world's most advanced data centers.

This is a high-impact, hands-on role at a hyper-growth company purpose-built for AI connectivity. You will own designs from concept through silicon bring-up, set the technical bar for the analog team, and mentor engineers as we scale. If you want your circuits to enable the next generation of AI compute, this is where that happens.

Key Responsibilities

• Analog & Mixed-Signal Design

  • Architect and design high-speed analog and mixed-signal circuits including PLLs, LDOs, references, high-speed SerDes building blocks, ADCs/DACs, and clocking.

  • Drive circuit design from specification and architecture through schematic, layout supervision, and verification across PVT corners.

  • Develop robust designs in advanced FinFET process nodes with attention to power, area, and performance trade-offs.

• Silicon Execution & Validation

  • Lead silicon bring-up, characterization, and debug, partnering with validation and product engineering to root-cause and resolve issues.

  • Define and execute test plans to correlate silicon performance against design targets.

• Technical Leadership

  • Set analog design methodology, review standards, and best practices across the team.

  • Partner cross-functionally with digital, physical design, systems, and architecture teams to deliver full-chip solutions.

  • Mentor and guide junior engineers, elevating the technical capability of the analog organization.

Basic Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering or a related field.

• 8+ years of experience in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design.

• Proven track record designing high-speed analog circuits such as PLLs, SerDes front-ends, data converters, references, or regulators in advanced CMOS/FinFET nodes.

• Strong understanding of physical-layer design principles, signal integrity, and high-speed I/O.

• Proficiency with industry-standard design and simulation tools (e.g., Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre) and solid layout/parasitic-aware design skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience taking multiple analog/mixed-signal designs through full production tape-out and high-volume manufacturing.

• Expertise in high-speed serial link design (PCIe, Ethernet, UALink, UCIe) and associated PHY architectures.

• Familiarity with silicon debug, ATE test development, and design-for-test techniques.

• Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical design reviews.

• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative, ownership-driven mindset.

Salary range is $170,000 to $210,000 depending on experience, level, and business need. This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits.

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.