Product Line Manager, Coherent Optical Transceivers

Cisco • Holmdel, NJ

3d

About The Position

Acacia, part of Cisco’s Transceiver Modules Group, is a global market leader in high-speed coherent optical interconnects and PAM4 DSP technologies. Its pluggable optical solutions support cloud hyperscalers, telecommunications service providers, and AI data center networks.

The Product Line Manager will define and own the multi-year product strategy and execution roadmap for Acacia’s next-generation product. The role manages the product lifecycle from market analysis and customer discovery through Product Requirement Documents, Concept and Execution Commits, new product introduction, and volume scaling. It serves as a central technical and business authority, aligning hardware engineering, silicon photonics design, DSP architecture, operations, manufacturing, and marketing to deliver products on schedule and within target margins. The role also engages with industry technical leaders and networking OEMs to translate customer requirements into product specifications and position Acacia’s portfolio for emerging high-speed AI optical interconnect opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field and 12+ years of professional experience, or a master’s degree and 8+ years of professional experience.
• 8+ years in Technical Product Management, Product Marketing, and System Engineering within optical communications, high-speed networking, or the semiconductor transceiver industry.
• Experience managing full hardware or optical product lifecycles from concept definition through engineering commit benchmarks, launch, and manufacturing.
• Direct experience collaborating with Tier-1 cloud hyperscalers, telecommunications service providers, or networking equipment manufacturers to capture requirements and deliver complex optical or electronic subsystems.
• Demonstrated technical understanding of optical communications technologies, including coherent optical transceivers (e.g., 400ZR/800ZR/OpenZR+), pluggable form factors (QSFP-DD, OSFP), optical standards bodies (IEEE, OIF, MSAs), and optical transmission properties.

Nice To Haves

• Background in optical transceiver hardware design, silicon photonics integration, DSP system engineering, and high-speed electro-optic characterization.
• Familiarity with AI/ML data center network architectures and emerging low-power optical interconnect paradigms, such as 800G/1.6T client optics, LPO/LRO, and CPO.
• Familiarity with industry standards and multi-source agreements, including OIF, IEEE 802.3, CMIS, and QSFP-DD/OSFP MSAs.
• Proven leadership and presentation skills, including the ability to influence engineering architects, operations teams, and C-level customer executives without formal authority.

Responsibilities

• Define, drive, and own the multi-year product strategy and execution roadmap for Acacia’s next-generation product.
• Manage the full product lifecycle, from market analysis and customer discovery through PRDs, Concept Commits, Execution Commits, NPI, and volume scaling.
• Align hardware engineering, silicon photonics design, DSP architecture, operations, manufacturing, and marketing to deliver products on time and within target margin profiles.
• Engage with industry technical leaders and networking OEMs to turn customer requirements into concrete product specifications.
• Position Acacia’s portfolio to capture emerging high-speed AI optical interconnect opportunities.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Basic life insurance
• Paid holidays
• Floating holiday for non-exempt employees
• Paid day off for employee’s birthday
• Paid year-end holiday shutdown
• Paid personal wellness days
• Paid vacation or flexible vacation time off, depending on employee classification
• Sick time off
• Additional paid time away may be requested for critical or emergency family issues
• Optional paid volunteer days
• Annual bonuses for non-sales roles, subject to Cisco policies
• Potential Cisco restricted stock unit grants, subject to eligibility and applicable terms

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior