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Sr. Principal, Customer Program Management (US-Based, Supporting China Business)

Astera Labs · San Jose, CA, USA ·

Pay:
$205,000-$260,000/yr
Job type:
Contract

Sr. Principal, Customer Program Management (US-Based, Supporting China Business)

San Jose, California, United States
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 .
Sr. Principal, Customer Program Management (US-Based, Supporting China Business)

Location:

San Jose, CA (Onsite)
Role Overview

Astera Labs is seeking a Sr. Principal, Customer Program Management to lead our most strategic China customer programs and build a scalable, cross-functional support model that connects those accounts to core functions at headquarters. Based in San Jose, you will serve as the senior bridge between customer-facing teams in China and HQ, driving execution across high-priority accounts while raising operating rigor, executive visibility, and responsiveness across regions.
As a purpose-built connectivity leader enabling rack-scale AI, Astera Labs is scaling fast — and this role is central to keeping that growth disciplined. You will align sales, field applications, product management, engineering, operations, quality, and supply chain around critical outcomes, ensuring commitments are met with urgency and a repeatable operating model that supports long-term success in China.
Key Responsibilities

Strategic Customer Program Leadership
Own executive-level program leadership for strategic China customer engagements, from opportunity development through qualification, ramp, and production readiness
Drive integrated program plans across customer milestones, product readiness, validation, operations, supply chain, and support workstreams
Lead cross-functional execution across multiple complex programs with clear accountability for schedules, dependencies, risks, issues, and decision-making
Serve as the primary escalation leader for program-level issues affecting customer commitments, quality, readiness, or business continuity
Provide concise executive updates covering status, risk assessments, tradeoffs, recovery plans, and required decisions
China Support Model and Operating Rhythm
Partner with China sales and customer-facing teams to translate account priorities into aligned HQ workstreams and leadership attention
Build and evolve a scalable support model connecting China teams with US-based product management, engineering, FAE, operations, quality, and supply chain functions
Establish the governance, operating cadence, escalation paths, and communication mechanisms needed to improve responsiveness and accountability across regions
Identify structural gaps in process, resourcing, documentation, or cross-functional handoffs, and lead improvement plans to close them
Create repeatable program management frameworks that scale with Astera Labs' growth in China
Executive Partnership and Business Impact
Work closely with sales leadership and cross-functional executives to support strategic accounts, critical escalations, and business continuity planning
Coordinate internal alignment for customer-specific requirements, custom feature requests, validation readiness, launch support, and operational readiness
Ensure customer commitments are visible, tracked, and proactively managed across functions and levels of the organization
Support executive reviews, QBRs, and business updates with clear program insights, risk framing, and action plans
Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or a related field
12+ years of experience in program management, customer program management, technical account management, or related cross-functional leadership roles
Significant experience leading complex customer-facing programs in semiconductors, data center infrastructure, networking, interconnect, or other deep-tech hardware environments
Proven success influencing senior stakeholders and driving cross-functional execution across engineering, product, operations, quality, and commercial teams
Strong experience managing schedules, risks, dependencies, and escalations in fast-moving, high-ambiguity environments
Excellent executive communication skills, including the ability to synthesize issues, frame tradeoffs, and drive decisions quickly
Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree in Engineering, Operations, or Business
Experience supporting customers, partners, or business operations in China, with Mandarin language capability a plus
Familiarity with hyperscaler, CSP, GPU, ODM, OEM, or AI infrastructure ecosystems
Experience with NPI, validation, qualification, production ramp, or customer launch processes
Experience building or improving operating models for globally distributed teams, with willingness to work flexibly across US and China business hours and travel internationally as business needs require
Salary range is $205,000 to $260,000 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.
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