Product Line Manager, Optical Componets

CommScope Inc.•Shakopee, MN

About The Position

CommScope Data Center Solutions is committed to helping partners and customers innovate in their data center and central office connectivity strategies. As a leader in high-density, low-latency fiber-optic infrastructure, CommScope helps networks scale and evolve to meet increasing demands, including those from AI applications. The company possesses global manufacturing capacity to support customer growth and conquer network complexity. CommScope is seeking a Product Line Manager for its Passive Optical Devices Business, targeting service provider, hyperscale, enterprise, and data center markets. The ideal candidate is an industry leader with a strong business development and "hunter" mentality, focused on identifying new opportunities, driving profitable growth, and expanding the business. This role requires comfort in customer engagement, strategic influence, and identifying potential acquisitions or partnerships.

Requirements

Deep understanding of passive optical networking technologies and applications, including DWDM/CWDM solutions, WDM filters, optical splitters, couplers, TAPs, and Coexistence modules.
Understanding of PON architectures and deployments.
Product Line Management, portfolio management, or business development experience within optical networking, broadband, telecommunications, or related markets.
Demonstrated ability to identify growth opportunities, develop strategic initiatives, and drive market share expansion.
Experience managing product lifecycles, pricing, forecasting, and investment priorities.
Strong business development mindset with a focus on creating new opportunities, expanding customer relationships, and identifying adjacent markets for growth.
Direct experience working with Tier 1 service providers, cloud providers, hyperscalers, enterprise customers, or the fiber broadband ecosystem.
Strong commercial orientation with the ability to translate market insights and customer requirements into profitable growth strategies.
Proven ability to influence customers, cross-functional teams, and senior leadership.
Industry leader with a strong business development mindset and a hunter mentality.
Actively seeks new opportunities, challenges conventional thinking, creates market momentum, and drives profitable growth.
Equally comfortable engaging customers, influencing strategy, identifying acquisition or partnership opportunities, and building the business beyond its current footprint.

Responsibilities

Develop a new product line into a profitable product line, or expand existing products into new regions and/or major customers.
Manage the product life cycle, including product line strategy, new product development, pricing, profitability, and marketing.
Commercially manage new products transitioned from other product management teams.
Work cross-functionally with Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Distribution Channels.
Recruit, select, manage, and develop employees.
Conduct research and market analysis to define new product requirements.
Analyze sales and financial data to influence managerial decisions regarding market penetration, product modification, and market expansion.
Manage the product lines' P&L, including revenue attainment, gross margin, and operating income.
Support sales and marketing efforts by researching market opportunities and competitors.
Develop sales and marketing presentations requiring technical expertise.
Provide expertise and maintain product evaluations on competitive products.
Act as the main customer contact on product-related issues.
Lead new product visioning and idea generation through market and customer contact.
Attend trade shows, review market publications, and interface with the sales workforce.
Participate in technology and product roadmap development.
Develop business cases for new product development, including financial evaluations, competitive and market analyses, customer needs, and sales justifications.
Define target markets/customers and product positioning.
Develop product definitions including price, cost, performance objectives, reliability, functional features, manufacturability, and life cycle forecasts.
Identify and select sales channels for product distribution.
Develop new production introduction plans.
Manage the launch of new products.
Initiate and participate in the development of marketing collateral.
Establish sales promotions and special incentive programs.
Prepare technical databases for proposal generation.
Develop and conduct product, market, and application training.
Ensure successful transition to manufacturing.
Support sales through joint sales calls.
Conduct product review meetings.
Establish and monitor product introduction budgets.
Evaluate, recommend, and initiate cost reductions, discount analyses, and inventory level adjustments.
Develop and evaluate opportunities for new products and/or line extensions.
Identify new target markets and related strategies.
Make decisions regarding hiring, promotions, salary adjustments, discipline, and other changes of employee status.