VP & GM Optical Systems Division

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Business Leadership & P&L Ownership


* Own and drive the global end-to-end performance of the Optical Systems business, including revenue growth, profitability, and market share expansion across all geographical segments.


* Define and execute the multi-year business strategy, aligned with company objectives and evolving market dynamics.


* Establish clear operating rhythms, performance metrics, and accountability across the organization.

Product Strategy & Portfolio Leadership


* Lead the definition and evolution of the Optical Systems product portfolio, including Open Line Systems, transponders/muxponders, and coherent optics solutions.


* Translate market requirements into differentiated product strategies and roadmaps, balancing innovation, time-to-market, and return on investment.


* Ensure strong alignment between product management, engineering, and operations to deliver competitive and scalable solutions.

Customer Engagement & Market Development


* Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key customers, with a strong focus on hyperscale network operators, cloud providers, and select Tier 1 service providers.


* Act as a senior external representative of the business, shaping customer perception and influencing strategic technology direction.


* Drive deep understanding of customer architectures, deployment models, and long-term infrastructure needs to inform product and business strategy.

Cross-Functional Leadership


* Lead and align cross-functional teams including Product Management, R&D/Engineering, Operations, and Customer-Facing organizations.


* Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and execution excellence across geographically distributed teams.


* Provide oversight and guidance on R&D investments and priorities (direct management of R&D is a strong plus).

Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development


* Identify and develop strategic partnerships across the ecosystem, including technology partners, system integrators, and service providers.


* Strengthen the company's position within industry standards bodies and key technology forums where relevant.

Market Intelligence & Competitive Positioning


* Monitor market trends, competitive dynamics, and emerging technologies to proactively shape business strategy.


* Position the business to capitalize on shifts such as AI-driven data center growth, DCI expansion, and routed optical networking adoption.

Qualifications

20+ years of experience in the telecommunications, optical networking, or data center infrastructure industry.

Strong background in product management and portfolio leadership, with a track record of bringing successful products/platforms to market.

Demonstrated experience in a general management, business unit leadership, or P&L ownership role.

Deep understanding of optical networking technologies, including DWDM, DCI, coherent op...