Principal NPI Planner

Astera Labs is seeking a principal board NPI planner to drive material and production readiness for new hardware products, from early engineering builds through manufacturing ramp. You will turn complex requirements into executable plans, ensuring PCBA components, assemblies, suppliers, and build schedules are aligned to program milestones.

Responsibilities

Own PCBA planning activities through production ramp readiness; Build and maintain detailed build plans covering BOM readiness, material availability, purchase orders, supplier commitments, and production milestones; Track planning-system transactions, inventory, shortages, and material status to keep the builds on schedule; Support order fulfillment against internal and external demand; Support local manufacturing activities and resolve execution issues as they arise; Partner with hardware engineering, operations, procurement, and the internal contract manufacturing team to align demand, supply, and execution plans; Coordinate PCBA readiness across component suppliers, PCB and assembly partners, and test or manufacturing teams; Support build execution by monitoring work-in-progress, finished goods, configuration changes, and handoffs into sustaining or high-volume manufacturing; Identify material shortages, supplier constraints, capacity gaps, and schedule risks, then drive mitigation plans to protect launch milestones; Prepare clear status reports, readiness assessments, and escalation materials for program and operations reviews; Analyze supply, delivery, and cost tradeoffs and recommend actions that improve schedule predictability and inventory efficiency

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, Business, or a related field; 8+ years of experience in NPI planning, supply chain planning, production planning, or manufacturing operations; Experience in PCBA hardware manufacturing, specifically within electronics assembly and contract manufacturing environments; Strong working knowledge of material requirements planning, supply-demand planning, inventory management, and supplier coordination; Experience building and managing detailed schedules across multiple cross-functional stakeholders; Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and hands-on experience with ERP or MRP systems, with strong analytical and communication skills

Nice to have

Experience supporting new product introductions for data center or AI infrastructure products; Familiarity with PCBAs, bills of material, approved vendor lists, engineering changes, component lifecycle management, and manufacturing readiness gates; Experience working with global suppliers, contract manufacturers, and manufacturing partners in Asia; Experience creating planning dashboards, shortage reports, and data-driven operating metrics using Microsoft tools; Ability to influence cross-functional teams, manage competing priorities, and drive timely resolution in a high-growth environment