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Principal Validation Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

ASIC Validation Engineer

Saratoga, CA · On-site

$185K - $250K/yr

Position Overview We are hiring multiple positions from Sr. Engineer to Principal Engineer. We are looking for a highly experienced Post-Silicon ASIC Validation Engineer with deep expertise in ...

Serve as Principal Investigator for validation-related excursions. * Contribute to the continuous improvement of validation processes and procedures. * Bachelor's degree in engineering or relevant ...

Serve as Principal Investigator for validation-related excursions. * Contribute to the continuous improvement of validation processes and procedures. * Bachelor's degree in engineering or relevant ...

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Principal Validation Engineer information

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$74K

$147.2K

$212.5K

How much do principal validation engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal validation engineer in the United States is $147,220.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $118,500.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Principal Validation Engineer?

A Principal Validation Engineer is a senior-level professional responsible for leading and overseeing the validation processes within engineering projects, particularly in industries like pharmaceuticals, electronics, or manufacturing. They ensure that products, equipment, or systems meet regulatory standards and function as intended through rigorous testing and documentation. Principal Validation Engineers often develop validation protocols, analyze test results, and mentor junior engineers. Their work is crucial for quality assurance and compliance with industry regulations.

What is the difference between Principal Validation Engineer vs Validation Engineer?

AspectPrincipal Validation EngineerValidation Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires advanced degrees (BSc, MSc, or PhD) and extensive industry experienceUsually requires a bachelor's degree in engineering, science, or related field
Work EnvironmentLeads validation projects, oversees teams, and collaborates with cross-functional departmentsPerforms validation tasks, executes protocols, and documents results under supervision
Industry UsageCommonly found in pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industriesWidely used across similar regulated industries for validation activities

The main difference between a Principal Validation Engineer and a Validation Engineer lies in experience, responsibilities, and leadership scope. The Principal Validation Engineer typically holds advanced credentials, leads validation strategies, and manages teams, whereas the Validation Engineer focuses on executing validation tasks under guidance. Both roles are essential in regulated industries like pharmaceuticals and medical devices, but the Principal role involves higher-level planning and oversight.

How does a Principal Validation Engineer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams during new product development?

As a Principal Validation Engineer, you will frequently work alongside design, manufacturing, and quality assurance teams to ensure that products meet regulatory and performance standards. Collaboration often involves participating in design reviews, establishing validation strategies, and communicating test results to stakeholders. Your expertise will be crucial in troubleshooting issues and recommending design modifications, making strong communication and teamwork skills essential. This collaborative approach not only ensures product reliability but also streamlines the development process and supports continuous improvement.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Principal Validation Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Principal Validation Engineer, you need deep expertise in validation protocols, regulatory compliance (such as FDA or ISO standards), and a relevant engineering or science degree. Familiarity with validation lifecycle documentation, risk management tools, and computerized systems validation (CSV) is typically required, along with certifications like Six Sigma or ASQ CQA being advantageous. Strong leadership, analytical thinking, and effective communication are crucial for guiding teams and collaborating across departments. These competencies ensure that products and processes consistently meet quality standards, regulatory requirements, and organizational goals.
More about Principal Validation Engineer jobs
What states have the most Principal Validation Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Principal Validation Engineer jobs include:
Infographic showing various Principal Validation Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 94% Full Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $147,220 per year, or $70.8 per hour.

ASIC Validation Engineer

Eridu AI

Saratoga, CA • On-site

$185K - $250K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted yesterday


Job description

About Eridu
Eridu is a Silicon Valley-based hardware startup pioneering infrastructure solutions that accelerate AI data centers to deliver Faster AI. Today's AI performance is frequently limited by communication bottlenecks. Eridu introduces multiple industry-first innovations across silicon, packaging, software, and systems to deliver an order of magnitude improvement in performance and unlock greater GPU utilization to speed training job completion times and tokens-per-second for more profitable inference. We do this while simultaneously reducing capital and power costs and improving reliability.
The company's solutions and value proposition have been widely validated by leading hyperscalers.
Eridu has raised over $200M to date including its most recent, oversubscribed Series A round. The company is led by a veteran team of Silicon Valley executives who have delivered multiple billion dollar product lines and led multiple companies to billion dollar exits, including serial entrepreneur Drew Perkins, co-founder of Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN), Lightera (acq. by Ciena), Gainspeed (acq. by Nokia) and Mojo Vision (the world's leading micro-LED company). The company is in execution mode and has a world-class engineering team with decades of experience in state-of-the-art silicon, packaging, optics, software, and systems. Eridu is working with best-in-class supply chain partners including silicon, packaging and systems.
Visit our website eridu.ai to learn more.
Position Overview
We are hiring multiple positions from Sr. Engineer to Principal Engineer.
We are looking for a highly experienced Post-Silicon ASIC Validation Engineer with deep expertise in networking ASICs and chiplet-based architectures. You will lead bring-up, validation, and characterization of complex multi-die systems integrating high-speed interconnects such as UCIe, SerDes, PCIe, and Ethernet PHYs. This position offers the opportunity to work on next-generation networking SoCs and disaggregated chiplet platforms, collaborating across architecture, design, firmware, and system teams to ensure first-silicon success and robust product readiness.
Responsibilities
  • Drive post-silicon validation and bring-up of networking ASICs and chiplet-based SoCs.
  • Own validation planning, coverage definition, and test execution across UCIe, SerDes, and networking subsystems.
  • Develop automation and test infrastructure for high-speed link and protocol validation (Python).
  • Perform silicon bring-up, including power sequencing, link training, and PHY initialization.
  • Execute link-level and system-level validation of UCIe interfaces, die-to-die interconnects, and high-bandwidth chiplet fabrics.
  • Debug complex cross-domain issues spanning RTL, firmware, analog PHY, and package-level interactions.
  • Characterize signal integrity, latency, throughput, and thermal/power behavior across PVT corners.
  • Collaborate with board design and test engineering teams on validation platforms, sockets, and characterization boards.
Qualifications
  • B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
  • Experience in post-silicon validation and bring-up of complex ASICs or SoCs.
  • Hands-on experience with UCIe, PCIe and high-speed interconnect standards.
  • Proficiency in Python for scripting, automation, and data analysis.
  • Strong lab experience using oscilloscopes, BERTs, logic analyzers, and JTAG-based debuggers.
  • Excellent communication skills and experience working in cross-functional silicon development teams.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with chiplet-based systems, UCIe protocol stack validation, and multi-die integration challenges (power delivery, timing, thermal).
  • Familiarity with emulation or FPGA prototyping platforms for pre-silicon validation.
  • Exposure to hardware/software co-validation for networking protocols or control-plane software.
  • Strong knowledge of package-level interactions and signal integrity analysis for high-speed interfaces.

Why Join Us?
At Eridu, you'll have the opportunity to shape the future of AI infrastructure, working with a world-class team on groundbreaking technology that pushes the boundaries of AI performance. Your contributions will directly impact the next generation of AI infrastructure solutions, transforming the performance of AI data centers.
The starting base salary for the selected candidate will be established based on their relevant skills, experience, qualifications, work location, market trends, and the compensation of employees in comparable roles.
Notice to Recruiting Agencies
Eridu does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles from staffing agencies or third-party recruiters. Any candidate submitted to Eridu without prior written authorization from our recruiting team will be considered unsolicited and will become the property of Eridu. Eridu reserves the right to pursue and hire such candidates without any obligation to pay fees.
Recruiting agencies are expressly instructed not to contact hiring managers, employees, or executives regarding open positions.
The pay range for this role is:
185,000 - 250,000 USD per year (San Francisco Bay Area)