Principal / Senior Principal Design Verification Engineer- CXL / PCIe / Ethernet

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.

Principal / Senior Principal Design Verification Engineer – CXL / PCIe / Ethernet:

Role Overview 

We are seeking an experienced Principal / Senior Principal Design Verification Engineer to lead the verification of next-generation connectivity IPs and SoCs powering AI and cloud infrastructure. This is a highly visible technical leadership role where you will define verification strategies, drive methodology improvements, mentor engineering teams, and collaborate across architecture, RTL, firmware, validation, and silicon teams to ensure first-pass silicon success. 

The ideal candidate is passionate about building world-class verification environments, has deep expertise in protocol verification, and enjoys solving complex architectural challenges. 

Key Responsibilities 

Technical Leadership 

• Lead the verification strategy for complex IPs and SoC subsystems from architecture through silicon. 

• Define verification methodologies, reusable verification frameworks, and best practices across multiple programs. 

• Drive verification planning, execution, coverage closure, and sign-off. 

• Identify verification risks early and proactively drive mitigation plans. 

• Lead technical reviews including architecture, RTL, verification, and tape-out readiness reviews. 

Design Verification 

• Architect and develop scalable UVM/System Verilog verification environments. 

• Develop constrained-random, coverage-driven verification methodologies. 

• Design scoreboards, protocol monitors, checkers, assertions (SVA), and functional coverage models. 

• Debug complex RTL, protocol, timing, and integration issues. 

• Drive regression planning, automation, and continuous integration improvements. 

• Develop reusable VIP and verification infrastructure across multiple product lines. 

Protocol Verification 

Lead verification efforts involving one or more of: 

• Compute Express Link (CXL 2.x / 3.x) 

• PCI Express (Gen4/Gen5/Gen6) 

• Ethernet (10G–800G) 

• AXI, APB, AHB 

• High-speed SerDes interfaces 

• Memory interfaces including DDR/LPDDR/HBM (preferred) 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Work closely with Architecture teams to influence design for verification. 

• Partner with RTL designers during implementation and debug. 

• Collaborate with Firmware, Emulation, FPGA, Post-Silicon Validation, and System Engineering teams. 

• Support customer issue analysis and silicon bring-up when required. 

Technical Mentorship 

• Mentor and coach verification engineers across multiple experience levels. 

• Establish verification standards and engineering excellence across the organization. 

• Drive innovation in automation, verification productivity, and quality metrics. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field. 

• Minimum10+ years (Principal) or 15+ years (Senior Principal) of experience in Design Verification. 

• Strong expertise in System Verilog and UVM. 

• Extensive experience in verification planning, execution, and sign-off. 

• Deep understanding of constrained-random verification and coverage-driven methodologies. 

• Strong experience with assertions (SVA), functional coverage, and protocol compliance. 

• Excellent debugging skills involving RTL, simulation, protocol analysis, and waveform debugging. 

• Experience with industry-standard simulators such as Synopsys VCS, Cadence Xcelium, or Siemens Questa. 

Preferred Technical Expertise 

Strong experience in several of the following areas: 

• CXL Cache, Memory, and I/O protocols 

• PCIe Transaction, Data Link, and Physical Layers 

• Ethernet MAC/PCS/PMA architecture 

• Coherency protocols 

• High-speed interconnects 

• AI accelerator connectivity 

• Data center SoC architecture 

• Multi-chip and chiplet-based systems 

• Performance verification 

• Low-power verification 

• CDC/RDC verification 

• Formal Verification 

• Portable Stimulus (PSS) 

• Python, Perl, Tcl, or similar scripting languages 

• Emulation and FPGA prototyping 

Leadership Expectations 

• Own technical direction for large verification programs. 

• Influence architecture and product quality through early engagement. 

• Drive cross-functional execution across geographically distributed teams. 

• Establish reusable verification IP and methodology. 

• Mentor engineers and help grow technical capability within the organization. 

• Champion engineering excellence, quality, and continuous improvement. 

Preferred Experience

• Experience leading verification for large SoCs or complex connectivity IPs. 

• Proven success delivering multiple first-pass silicon programs. 

• Experience with AI infrastructure, cloud networking, or hyperscale data center technologies. 

• Familiarity with customer-facing debug and post-silicon issue resolution. 

• Contributions to verification methodology, reusable frameworks, or industry standards are a strong plus. 

Salary range will be is $185,000 to $230,000 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.