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Position Summary
The Director of Product Line Management for Optical Engines is responsible for defining, executing, and owning the product strategy and lifecycle for Adtran’s optical engine portfolio. This role sets the vision for client pluggables and embedded optical engines supporting access, aggregation, metro, and transport use cases, aligned to Adtran’s open networking and disaggregated systems strategy.
This leader serves as the primary business owner for the optical engine product line, driving market success through close collaboration with R&D, supply chain, sales, marketing, system product management, and key customers and partners.
Key Responsibilities
Product Strategy & Portfolio Ownership
- Own the end‑to‑end product strategy and roadmap for Optical Engines (e.g., pluggable optics, coherent engines, embedded optical solutions).
- Define product positioning, value propositions, and differentiation aligned with Adtran’s systems, software, and open network solutions.
- Drive make/buy/partner decisions for optical technologies in alignment with corporate strategy.
- Deliver Market Requirement Specifications and ROI analysis for new product concepts, working with R&D and lead customers to help define the roadmap
Market & Customer Leadership
- Serve as the voice of the customer, translating service provider, MSO, enterprise, and partner requirements into product definitions.
- Engage directly with Tier 1 and Tier 2 customers on roadmap alignment, feature prioritization, and custom requirements.
- Monitor market trends (coherent optics evolution, DWDM standards, ZR/ZR+, Open Line Systems, power and density advances) and competitive dynamics.
Execution & Lifecycle Management
- Own business cases, pricing strategies, margin targets, and ROI for the optical engine portfolio.
- Lead product lifecycle management from concept, development, launch, and growth through end‑of‑life.
- Partner with engineering to ensure on‑time, on‑budget delivery of products meeting performance, cost, and quality targets.
Cross‑Functional Leadership
- Work closely with system product management teams to align optical engines with Adtran platforms.
- Collaborate with operations and supply chain on long‑term component strategy, vendor relationships, and cost optimization.
- Support sales, solutions engineering, and marketing with technical messaging, enablement, and customer presentations.
Team Leadership
- Build, mentor, and lead a high‑performing product line management team.
- Establish best practices across market analysis, roadmap development, and product governance.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related technical field; MBA preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in optical networking technology, with at least 5 years in product management or product line leadership.
- Deep understanding of optical engines and technologies including coherent optics (ZR/ZR+), pluggable form factors, client optics and DWDM systems.
- Proven experience owning a product P&L or equivalent business responsibility.
- Strong customer‑facing and executive‑level communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional teams in a matrix organization.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with open networking, disaggregated optical systems, or software‑defined networking.
- Prior leadership in semiconductor‑adjacent or optics component businesses.
- Familiarity with service‑provider purchasing models and long product lifecycles.
- Experience working with global suppliers and contract manufacturers.
Key Success Metrics
- Revenue growth and margin performance of the optical engines portfolio
- On‑time delivery of roadmap commitments
- Customer adoption across Adtran platforms
- Cost reduction and supply chain resiliency
- Alignment of optical engine capabilities with system‑level differentiation
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related technical field; MBA preferred
- 10+ years of experience in optical networking technology
- 5 years in product management or product line leadership
- Deep understanding of optical engines and technologies
- Experience owning a product P&L or equivalent business responsibility
- Strong customer-facing and executive-level communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams in a matrix organization
ADTRAN Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about ADTRAN and has not been reviewed or approved by ADTRAN.
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Healthcare Strength — Feedback suggests health insurance is solid, with medical, dental, and vision coverage viewed favorably. Company-paid short-term disability and access to on-site medical services at some locations reinforce the perception of strong healthcare support.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Feedback suggests the 2024 shift to flexible/unlimited PTO has been well received and is complemented by paid holidays and sick leave. Volunteer time off adds to the overall time-away options.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Feedback suggests on-site clinics, fitness centers, cafeterias, and tuition assistance add meaningful day-to-day value. An Employee Assistance Program and optional add-ons further expand lifestyle support.
ADTRAN Insights
What We Do
ADTRAN, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) is defining the future network with innovative next-generation solutions that enable telecommunication service providers to deliver voice, data and video services to homes and businesses. Our vision is to enable a fully connected world where the power to communicate is available to everyone, everywhere. ADTRAN was founded in 1985 in Huntsville, AL. The corporate headquarters remains in Huntsville with additional R&D centers in Germany and India and sales offices located throughout the world. Innovation has been at the heart of the company since its inception and is recognized through our large portfolio of patents that is more than 700 strong. Our employees, more than 2,000 strong, come to work each day searching for ways to bring the world together through improved communication. We seek the best and brightest minds that bring integrity, a spirit of entrepreneurism, creative problem solving, and a passion for their work.
