Photonics Integrated Circuit Design Engineering, Tech Lead

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 Photonics Integrated Circuit (PIC) Design Engineering, Tech Lead / Director, you will work on the conception, design, simulation, tape-out and measurement of photonic integrated circuits in various semiconductor processes.

Location: San Jose, CA AND Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

We have several open positions with different focus and seniority levels:

• Electro-optic modulator and passive photonic component design


• Chip-level integration


• Control system development


• Thermal and RF modeling


• Test and characterization

Basic Qualification:

• PhD or MS degree in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or Physics is preferred.


• 10 - 15+ years of relevant experience, depending on the seniority level of the position, is preferred.

Desired Experience:

• Deep understanding of photonic devices and circuits preferably in the context of high-speed optical communications.


• Experience in design, simulation, layout, and measurement of integrated photonic devices and circuits.


• Understanding of semiconductor fabrication and packaging flows.


• Knowledge of electronic circuits that interface with photonic devices and integrated circuits is a plus.


• Relevant research publications and/or patents in photonics.

Depending on the focus of the position, a subset of the following applies:

• Familiarity in simulation and layout tools for photonic devices and integrated circuits.


• Familiarity with RF and thermal simulation tools.


• Experience with the development of control systems for photonic devices and systems.


• Experience with chip-level integration.

For all positions, we expect:

• Familiarity in programming/scripting languages such as Python, Matlab, or C.


• Strong technical independent contributor with a proven ability to drive results.


• Excellent teamwork, presentation, and documentation skills.


• Ability to collaborate with global teams across multiple time zones and deliver under pressure with strict deadlines.

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.