Global Innovation & Technology Manager

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 opticcableand today we manufacture thousands of products generate an excess of $3B in revenue and employ approximately 12000 associates worldwide. At AFL we recognize that our employees are our greatestasset. We hire and traineach 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.

âWhat We Offer:

• Flexible time off policy

• 401K Company match (up to 4% - dollar for dollar)

• Professional development training and tuition reimbursement programs

• Excellent medical dental vision and life insurance policy options

• Opportunities for career advancement with anindustry leadingcompany!

Position Overview:

TheGlobalInnovation andTechnologyManageris a highly seasoned global technical leader responsible for engaging with advanced customer engineering teams and translating emerging technologies into scalable differentiated roleoperatesat the intersection of innovation customer engagement and ecosystem development-driving adoption of next-generation connectivity optical and networking technologies across AFLs strategic accounts and partners.

The position requires deep technical credibility strong consultative engagement skills and the ability to rapidly conceptualize and position solutions aligned to customer pain points and future-state architectures within a 35 yearinnovation horizon.

Responsibilities:

Advanced Customer Technical Engagement

• Build trust and technical credibility quickly within target accounts

• Engage directly with highly technical customer stakeholders (engineering architecture R&D) to understand complex system requirements

• Uncover key pain points performance gaps and future-state needs through strong listening and probing skills

• Rapidly conceptualize and translate customerrequirementsintoviablesolutionconcepts

Solutions Architecture & Ecosystem Integration

• Lead customer engagement across AFLs emerging technology ecosystem including; Connectors (EBO MMC SN-MT ganged solutions) Fiber & cable technologies (MCF HCF advanced fiber designs) Networking & switching architectures.

• Provide expertise in: Transceiver technologies and protocol evolutionHigh-speed data transmission standardsUEC InfiniBand (IB) LPO and optical circuit switching.

• Design integrated solutions that align with evolving data center and AI infrastructure demands.
  

StrategicTechnicalPartnerships

• Develop and support strategic partnerships with key ecosystem players (e.g. NVIDIA Polatis CPO/OBO initiatives)

• Collaborate with partners to co-develop and position joint solutions

• Maintain strong awareness of partner roadmaps and alignment opportunities
  

GlobalSolutionsEngineering Enablement

• Act as a senior technical resource and escalation point for regionalSolutionEngineers

• Support complex opportunities customer workshops and technical validations

• Enable field teams with solution frameworks messaging and technical guidance
  

TechnologyThought Leadership

• Establish AFL as a leader in emerging technologies through:White papers blogs and technical publications Solution guides and reference architectures.

• RepresentAFL at industry forums customer briefings and technical discussions

• Provideforward-looking insightsontechnology trends and adoption pathways

Innovation & Market Alignment

• Support alignment of emerging technologies within a 35 yearadoption window

• Provide feedback to product management and innovation teams based on customer engagement

• Help shape solution strategy based on real-world customer demand and ecosystem evolution

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degreeâpreferred or equivalent experience; advanced degreeis a plusâ

• 10 years of experience in solutions engineering systems architecture or advanced technical saleswithina highly technical data center environment

• Demonstratedexpertisein optical networking data center infrastructure or high-speed connectivity solutions

• Strong understanding of emerging technologies including AI data center architectures and next-generation interconnects

• Proven ability to engage and influence highly technical customer audiences

• Exceptional communication presentation and consultative problem-solving skills

• Experience working across global teams and regions

WorkingConditions:

• Environment: Office-basedor Remotework environment(TBD)

• Travel:Moderatetravel (domestic and international) as needed.

Required Experience:

Manager