PLM Change Analyst

Position Summary 

Astera Labs is seeking a hands-on PLM Analyst to own the day-to-day administration, configuration, and continuous improvement of Arena Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). 

This role will be the internal subject-matter expert for Arena configuration and governance. The PLM Analyst will configure workflows, forms, fields, permissions, lifecycle states, notifications, and reports; manage product and Quality data; and ensure that engineering, manufacturing, Quality, and operations teams can execute controlled processes in one connected system. 

The ideal candidate combines strong Arena platform expertise with practical knowledge of product data management, engineering change control, document control, CAPA, nonconformance/MRB, audits, and Quality records. This is not a basic system-support role—it requires the ability to translate business requirements into scalable Arena configurations while managing PLM and Quality modules concurrently. 

Key Responsibilities 

Arena PLM Administration 

• Serve as the primary administrator and functional owner for Arena PLM. 

• Configure and maintain Arena workflows, approval routes, lifecycle states, forms, fields, roles, permissions, notifications, dashboards, and reports. 

• Design and implement system changes that support product-development without compromising data integrity or compliance. 

• Manage Arena releases, enhancements, regression testing, issue resolution, and configuration documentation. 

• Establish and maintain Arena governance standards, including change control, naming conventions, metadata requirements, access controls, and configuration baselines. 

• Partner with IT on integrations, system security, user provisioning, data exchanges, and synchronization with ERP and other business systems. 

Product Lifecycle Management 

• Own product records, part and item masters, Bills of Materials (BOMs), product structures, specifications, drawings, and controlled product documentation in Arena. 

• Configure and administer Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), Engineering Change Requests (ECRs), release workflows, effectivity controls, and implementation tracking. 

• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) readiness through part setup, BOM validation, document release, configuration checks, and product-data completeness reviews. 

• Maintain revision control, lifecycle states, product configurations, approved manufacturer information, and other product data needed for semiconductor, hardware, and optical products. 

• Drive PLM data cleanup, migration, standardization, and ongoing data-Quality improvement. 

• Ensure product changes are accurately reflected in connected Quality records and downstream ERP processes. 

Business Partnership and Enablement 

• Serve as the primary liaison between engineering, manufacturing, Quality, operations, supply chain, and IT for Arena requirements and process improvements. 

• Lead requirements gathering, process mapping, configuration design, user acceptance testing, and change implementation. 

• Develop user guidance, training materials, and role-based training for Arena PLM and Quality processes. 

• Monitor user adoption, process compliance, data Quality, and system performance; recommend corrective actions where needed. 

• Promote consistent use of controlled product and Quality processes across the organization. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, Quality, information systems, or a related technical field. 

• 3–5 years of hands-on experience administering or configuring PLM, QUALITY, or related enterprise systems. 

• Demonstrated Arena experience at a configuration and administration level—not only end-user or reporting experience. 

• Experience configuring workflows, forms, fields, permissions, lifecycle states, notifications, approvals, and reports in Arena or a comparable platform. 

• Experience managing PLM and QUALITY processes in the same system or across integrated systems. 

• Strong working knowledge of BOM management, product structures, revision control, document control, configuration management, ECO/ECN processes, and NPI. 

• Practical experience with CAPA, nonconformance/MRB, audit support, Quality records, and controlled documentation. 

• Experience with ERP integration or data synchronization, preferably with Oracle ERP or a similar platform. 

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail. 

• Ability to translate cross-functional business requirements into clear system configurations and sustainable processes. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to train users and influence process adoption. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Arena PLM implementation, redesign, migration, or major enhancement experience. 

• Experience supporting semiconductor, electronics, optical, or other hardware product-development environments. 

• Familiarity with ISO 9001 or comparable Quality-management requirements. 

• Experience with PLM data governance, system validation, audit trails, and change-impact analysis. 

• Experience creating operational dashboards, metrics, and analytics from Arena, PLM, or ERP data. 

• Experience leading cross-functional process-improvement or system-configuration projects. 

Success in This Role 

• Arena PLM configurations are reliable, documented, scalable, and aligned with approved business processes. 

• Product data, BOMs, revisions, engineering changes, Quality records, and controlled documents are accurate, traceable, and audit-ready. 

• PLM and Quality workflows operate as an integrated process rather than as separate administrative activities. 

• Users receive timely support and training, with increased adoption and reduced manual workarounds. 

• Data-Quality issues, workflow bottlenecks, and cross-system discrepancies are identified and resolved proactively. 

Role Profile 

• Primary focus:* Arena configuration and administration across PLM 

• Key differentiator:* Ability to independently configure Arena while owning the operational integrity of both product-lifecycle and Quality-management processes 

• Core partners:* Engineering, Quality, manufacturing, operations, supply chain, and IT 

Salary range is $135,000 to $170,000 depending on experience, level, and business need. This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits.