Principal Mechanical Engineer

Role Overview

As Principal Mechanical Engineer, you will own the mechanical design of Astera Labs' paddlecards and the manufacturing test fixtures and processes that bring them to volume. Your work turns our PCIe, Ethernet, and UALink connectivity silicon into reliable, thermally robust, production-ready hardware that hyperscalers deploy at scale.

Astera Labs is a hyper-growth leader in purpose-built connectivity for rack-scale AI infrastructure, and our paddlecards are how customers first experience our technology. You will set mechanical and test strategy across the full lifecycle, from concept through ramp, partnering with silicon, board, signal integrity, and operations teams to deliver quality at speed in a fast-moving, high-impact environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Paddle card Mechanical Design

  • Architect and lead mechanical design of high-speed paddle cards, including form factor, connector placement, stiffener and bracket design, and board-level mechanical integration.

  • Drive thermal and mechanical analysis, including heatsink selection, airflow, and tolerance stack-ups, to ensure reliable operation across customer platforms.

  • Partner with PCB, signal integrity, and silicon teams to balance electrical, thermal, and mechanical tradeoffs early in the design cycle.

• Manufacturing Test Development

  • Design and qualify manufacturing test fixtures, handlers, and sockets that support high-speed testing at production volumes.

  • Define manufacturing test strategy and mechanical requirements with Test, Product Engineering, and Operations teams to improve yield, throughput, and cost.

  • Debug fixture and handling issues, and drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions with contract manufacturers and test houses.

• Product Lifecycle and Technical Leadership

  • Own design for manufacturability (DFM), design for assembly (DFA), and design for test (DFT) reviews with external manufacturing partners.

  • Develop and execute validation plans covering mechanical, thermal, shock and vibration, and reliability testing.

  • Mentor engineers, set best practices for mechanical design and documentation, and support customer-facing design reviews and debug.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.

• 10+ years of experience in mechanical engineering for electronic hardware, such as high-speed boards, add-in cards, or server and networking systems.

• Hands-on experience designing PCB-based assemblies, connectors, and mechanical enclosures or brackets using 3D CAD tools (such as SolidWorks or Creo).

• Experience developing manufacturing test fixtures or tooling and supporting product ramp with contract manufacturers.

• Proficiency in tolerance analysis, GD&T, and thermal and mechanical simulation.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional work independently.