Technical Manager Cable R&D

Lightera•Carrollton, GA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Technical Manager – Cable leads the design, development, testing, and qualification of fiber-optic cable products and technologies. The role provides technical leadership for assigned product-development initiatives and ensures solutions meet performance, quality, cost, reliability, and manufacturability objectives. Working across R&D, Product Management, Manufacturing, Quality, and other functions, the manager oversees engineering activities from concept through qualification and manufacturing implementation. The position combines expertise in optical cable design, materials, and manufacturing processes with technical problem-solving, project leadership, and continuous improvement. The role includes guiding engineers, scientists, and technicians; coordinating project scope, milestones, resources, risks, and timelines; and communicating progress and technical recommendations to stakeholders. It also supports customer, supplier, research-institution, and industry discussions, technology-roadmap and intellectual-property activities, and the transfer of qualified products into manufacturing. The position is based onsite in Carrollton, Georgia. Work is primarily performed in a standard office environment, with work also taking place in laboratory and manufacturing environments. Domestic and international travel may be required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Materials, Polymer, Electrical, Optical, or Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering or scientific discipline.
At least 8 years of progressive experience in R&D, product engineering, or technology development in fiber-optic cable, telecommunications cable, wire and cable, or a closely related engineered-product industry.
At least 3–5 years of technical leadership, project leadership, or people-management experience.
Formal people-management experience, including setting expectations, coaching performance, developing technical talent, and managing competing priorities.
Demonstrated success developing and commercializing products in a manufacturing environment and leading complex technical programs from concept through launch.
Advanced knowledge of optical cable construction, mechanical performance, environmental durability, optical fiber properties, materials and material interactions, product qualification, engineering documentation, and cable manufacturing technologies, including extrusion, stranding, jacketing, and buffering.
Experience applying disciplined project-management and product-development methods, including Agile or Scrum where appropriate.
Demonstrated strategic thinking, technical leadership, talent development, project execution, analytical problem-solving, risk assessment, business acumen, customer focus, cross-functional influence, clear communication, and continuous-improvement orientation.
Ability to interpret technical specifications, drawings, test data, industry standards, and customer requirements and communicate decisions clearly.
Ability to work effectively in office, laboratory, and manufacturing environments and interact with production equipment, prototype builds, and product-testing activities.
Effective verbal and written communication skills and proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel.
Legally authorized to work in the United States now and in the future; visa sponsorship and immigration support are not available.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally may be required.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
Experience with outside plant, indoor, data center, specialty, high-density, or advanced optical cable architecture.
Experience with advanced polymers, DOE, statistical analysis, FMEA, Lean, or Six Sigma.
Customer-facing technical support experience.
Patent-development experience.
Experience in a global manufacturing or technology-driven organization.

Responsibilities

Lead assigned fiber-optic cable product and technology development initiatives, including design, development, testing, and qualification.
Provide technical direction for cable architecture, materials selection, design reviews, testing, and failure investigations; use DOE, statistical analysis, modeling, and root-cause methods to resolve technical challenges.
Ensure cable designs and qualification activities meet customer requirements, performance, quality, cost, reliability, manufacturability objectives, and applicable industry standards.
Guide and mentor engineers, scientists, and technicians; coordinate engineering activities and communicate technical priorities and expectations.
Lead development projects by defining scope, milestones, resource needs, risks, and timelines, and communicate progress, issues, and recommended actions to stakeholders.
Collaborate with R&D, Product Management, Manufacturing, Process Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and other teams to implement products in manufacturing and resolve technical, quality, cost, and manufacturability issues.
Develop and maintain product specifications, bills of materials, drawings, design and test documentation, qualification plans, and manufacturing requirements.
Evaluate emerging and competitive cable technologies and contribute to technology-roadmap, invention-disclosure, and intellectual-property activities.
Develop and improve high-fiber-count, high-density, compact, flexible, and specialty cable architectures for outside plant, indoor, data center, and other applicable markets.
Oversee feasibility studies, prototype builds, design verification, performance validation, customer qualification, scale-up, and manufacturing implementation.
Evaluate and validate polymers, coatings, strength members, water-blocking components, and other cable construction elements to improve performance, reliability, sustainability, cost, and manufacturability.
Collaborate with optical fiber R&D teams on fiber-and-cable compatibility, system performance, and environmental durability.
Provide technical recommendations on design alternatives, development feasibility, and project risks; escalate issues requiring cross-functional or leadership decisions.
Coordinate project resources and priorities, monitor project budgets, and identify continuous-improvement opportunities in cable design, testing, and manufacturing processes.
Support technical discussions with customers, suppliers, research institutions, and industry organizations.