Product Applications Engineer NCG (Sco 1)

About the role

As an Astera Labs Product Applications Engineer, you will tackle complex debugging challenges that span from low-level firmware configuration to PCB hardware design and full system-level integration. You will be responsible for root-causing issues that cut across multiple layers simultaneously-for example, determining whether an issue is caused by a firmware bug, a board design problem, or a system configuration mismatch-and then driving those issues to resolution.

You will work directly with cutting-edge PCIe Gen6 fabric switches and connectivity products deployed in real data center environments, collaborating with firmware, board design, and system architecture teams. This role is for candidates who want to understand how an entire system works from chip to rack and are motivated by problems that do not have obvious answers.

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field, completed or expected by the start date.
• Strong coursework or foundation in digital logic design, computer architecture, analog/mixed-signal circuits, or embedded systems.
• GPA of 3.5 or higher, or equivalent demonstrated excellence in technical coursework.

Strong Candidates Will Have One or More of the Following Technical Skills:

Firmware and Embedded Programming

• Proficiency in C for bare-metal or embedded firmware development.
• Understanding of register-level hardware interaction, memory-mapped I/O, bit manipulation, and interrupt-driven programming.

Circuit Design and Analog Fundamentals

• Understanding of basic circuit analysis, op-amp circuits, power supply design, signal conditioning, or mixed-signal concepts.
• Ability to reason about voltage levels, impedance, noise, and how digital signals behave as analog waveforms at high speeds.

Scripting and Automation

• Strong Python skills.
• Experience writing test automation scripts, parsing hardware logs, processing data, and interfacing with hardware over serial, I2C, or SMBus protocols.

Lab and Measurement Skills

• Hands-on experience with oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, logic analyzers, multimeters, function generators, JTAG debuggers, or serial terminal interfaces.
• Comfort taking real measurements and correlating them with expected circuit and system behavior.

Digital Systems and Computer Architecture

• Understanding of bus protocols, state machines, link-layer concepts, clock domain crossings, and how hardware and firmware interact at the register level.

Technical Communication

• Ability to clearly document findings, write bug reports, and produce concise technical summaries for internal engineering teams and external customers.

Preferred Technical Experience

• PCIe or high-speed serial protocols: Coursework or project experience involving PCIe, USB, Ethernet, SPI, UART, or I2C. Understanding of how data moves between ICs and how link negotiation and training work.
• Signal integrity fundamentals: Exposure to transmission line theory, impedance matching, S-parameters, eye diagrams, or PCB stack-up design through coursework or projects in electromagnetics or high-speed digital design.
• Firmware development and debugging: Experience building or modifying embedded firmware, flashing and debugging via UART/JTAG, reading register dumps, and correlating firmware state with hardware behavior.
• PCB and schematic reading: Ability to read hardware schematics and board layouts, with an understanding of power delivery, decoupling, high-speed trace routing, and via structures.
• FPGA or HDL experience: Verilog/VHDL coursework or project experience, with an understanding of RTL design, simulation, and synthesis.
• Linux proficiency: Comfort working in Linux command-line environments, including SSH, shell scripting with Bash, remote system management, file systems, and basic system administration.

What Sets the Best Candidates Apart

• Prior internship, co-op, or significant project experience involving silicon bring-up, embedded systems debugging, FPGA-based prototyping, or hardware/firmware co-development.
• Demonstrated ability to independently diagnose complex problems where the root cause is unclear and could span multiple engineering domains.
• Evidence of being a fast, self-directed learner who is comfortable picking up proprietary tools, unfamiliar codebases, and new hardware platforms with minimal guidance.
• Passion for understanding how things work at every level of the stack.

Pay and benefits

Salary range is $140,000 to $150,000 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.