Market Development Manager

AFL Telecommunications•Dallas, TX

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

AFL manufactures industry-leading fiber optic cable, connectivity and accessories and provides engineering and installation services for some of the largest telecom customers in the world. Our company was founded in 1984 with a single fiber optic cable and today, we manufacture thousands of products, generate an excess of $3B in revenue, and employ approximately 12,000 associates worldwide. At AFL, we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset. We hire and train each individual, investing in them to ensure success in their careers. With a commitment to professional development and growth, let us connect you to your next career opportunity. The Market Innovation Research Manager leads deep-domain innovation research and technology scouting to inform AFL’s strategic direction as part of the Innovation and Emerging technologies function. This roleidentifiesemerging technologies, evaluates adjacent market opportunities, and delivers actionable insights that strengthen AFL’s portfolio, partnerships, and thought leadership across the fiber optics and connectivity ecosystem.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degreerequired; advanced degree preferred
7+ years in market research, innovation strategy, technology scouting, or related roles
Strong analytical skills including market sizing and competitive analysis
Ability to translate technical insights into business strategy
Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
Domain knowledge in optical communications, photonics, data center infrastructure, or adjacent technology markets strongly preferred
Familiarity with industry standards bodies, MSAs, or multi-party technical collaborations a plus

Responsibilities

Conduct continuous technology scouting across optical fiber, photonics, CPO, AI data center infrastructure, and adjacent domains
Track technology maturity and evolution to inform structured innovation roadmaps
Develop forward-looking scenario analyses mapping technology trajectories to AFL’s portfolio using different frameworks (e.g. “Four Future” positioning)
Represents AFL at Key Industry events and conferences as well as lead AFL’s participation in different forums such as MSA, IEEE, etc.
Develop andmaintaininnovation roadmaps with quarterly refresh cycles
Translate research findings into strategic recommendations on technology positioning and investment prioritization
Deliver executive-ready insights to guide long-term portfolio development
Align long term innovation plans with immediate Product/solution development initiatives
Own the long-term technology development pipeline, maintaining a multi-horizon view (3-5+ years) of technologies advancing toward strategic and commercial relevance for AFL
Identifyand evaluate adjacent market opportunities aligned to AFL capabilities
Conduct market sizing, competitive analysis, and strategic fit assessmentsfor specific technologies
Produce structured opportunity assessments to support investment decisions
Define and apply screening criteria (strategic fit, market timing, technology readiness, profit pool potential) to ensure the Innovation and Emerging Technologies and Scale-Up resources concentrate on the highest-value opportunities
Author white papers, trend briefs, ESG-aligned insights, and market analyses
Establish AFL as an industry thought leader through research-driven content
Build and manage strategic technical partnerships including MSAs, JDAs, and academic collaborations
Maintain partnership pipeline visibility and engagement tracking
Collaborate internally and externally to expand the innovation ecosystem
Feed the discovery process with qualified innovation candidates supported by business case summaries
Maintaina pipeline aligned to strategic priorities and readiness
Partner cross-functionally to transition insights into execution pathways
Maintain funnel health metrics and visibility — pipeline volume, conversion rates by stage, and time-in-stage — reported through the IET operating cadence