Director of Technical Program Manager

Lumentum•San Jose, CA

About The Position

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business. If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us! Lumentum is seeking a bright, motivated individual to lead the exploration and development of next generation optical sub-system for AI/ML applications and networking applications. The Senior Technical/Engineering Program Manager will be responsible for driving the successful execution of complex Cloud Module new product development programs across cross-functional teams. Acting as the cross-functional program leader, this role will manage new product development projects from initiation through release to manufacturing—ensuring that milestones are met, resources are committed and aligned, and risks are mitigated to deliver high-quality outcomes on schedule and within budget. This individual will operate within a matrixed organizational structure, working closely with R&D engineering, Product Line Management (PLM), Global Operations functions, and other stakeholder groups. A strong technical background is essential to effectively manage technical new product development programs, navigate engineering trade-offs, risk mitigation, and communication across disciplines.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field (e.g., Mechanical, Electrical, or Optical) with a minimum of 15 years of relevant experience; Master’s degree with 10 years, or PhD with 8 years of experience.
Proven track record in managing complex, cross-functional technical new product development programs, preferably in Cloud Modules, optical systems, or networking hardware and firmware.
Strong background in technical program and/or project management, with demonstrated success in delivering new product development programs on schedule, within budget, and meeting quality and reliability expectations.
Effective team leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to align and motivate multidisciplinary teams toward shared new product development program goals .
Proficient in risk management, including identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks throughout the PDP process.
Strong understanding of new product development methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to convey complex technical and programmatic information to technical and non-technical audiences.
Experience using project and program management tools such as MS Project, Smartsheet, JIRA, or equivalent.
Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile, or Scrum Master certification is preferred.
US Citizenship, Permanent Residency, or export License required.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with industry standards, compliance requirements, and quality systems relevant to optical or networking hardware and firmware.
Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking with attention to detail with a collaborative mind-set.
Strong sense of ownership, accountability, and follow-through.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to adapt messages to technical and executive audiences.
Self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced, evolving environment, calm under pressure and skilled at prioritizing critical tasks.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally for engineering evaluations and manufacturing transfer activities.
Experience in managing international teams and vendors.

Responsibilities

Lead full Product Development Process lifecycle program management of next-generation Cloud Module new product development activities from concept through release to volume manufacturing, ensuring delivery to schedule of high-quality, high-reliability, scalable, and manufacturable new products that meet or exceed business and customer expectations.
Drive cross-functional collaboration and alignment across R&D engineering, Product Line Management (PLM), Global Operations functions, and other stakeholder groups acting as the central point of accountability for new product development program success.
Develop, manage, and communicate integrated new product development program plans, schedules, and execution strategies, maintaining visibility and alignment across internal and external stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Proactively manage the new product development program scope, budgets, and resources, identifying and mitigating technical and execution risks while driving issue resolution to keep programs on track.
Facilitate key new product development program activities, including phase-gate reviews, technical design reviews, and retrospective lessons learned sessions, ensuring rigor in decision-making and alignment on deliverables.
Support transfer to production activities including DFX (Design for Manufacturability/Testability), BOM readiness, yield ramp, cost targets and risk mitigation for volume production.
Provide clear, timely, and concise new product development program updates to senior leadership, including milestone tracking, risk assessments, and decision recommendations.
Champion and institutionalize new product development program management best practices, lessons learned tools, and methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, hybrid models) to improve execution discipline and organizational learning.
Identify, track, and resolve technical dependencies and constraints in collaboration with technical engineering leaders, ensuring the integrity and feasibility of the new product development program schedule.
Work hands-on with engineering teams to understand and troubleshoot complex technical issues, ensuring resolution to maintain development velocity, schedules and avoid downstream delays.
Ensure new product definition and development align with key customer requirements, market trends, and competitive differentiation, leading the team to deliver new products with compelling value propositions and differentiation under aggressive time-to-market requirements.
Serve as the primary program interface for customers, lead regular customer meetings, status updates to ensure transparency and alignment, ensuring timely response to customer issues, feedback, and escalations.
Manage customer deliverables, milestones, and change requests with professionalism and transparency.
Foster strong, trust-based relationships with strategic customer accounts