Market Innovation Research 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 optic cable and 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 greatest asset. We hire and train each 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.

What We Offer:

• A hybrid in office schedule for qualifying employees
• 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 an industry leading company!

The Market Innovation Research Manager leads deep-domain innovation research and technology scouting to inform AFLs strategic direction as part of the Innovation and Emerging technologies function. This roleidentifiesemerging technologies evaluates adjacent market opportunities and delivers actionable insights that strengthen AFLs portfolio partnerships and thought leadership across the fiber optics and connectivity ecosystem.

Responsibilities:

Technology Scouting & Market Intelligence

• Conduct continuous technology scouting across optical fiber photonics CPO AI data center infrastructure and adjacent domains
• Track technology maturity and evolution to inform structured innovation roadmaps
• Develop forward-looking scenario analyses mapping technology trajectories to AFLs portfolio using different frameworks (e.g. Four Future positioning)
• Represents AFL at Key Industry events and conferences as well as lead AFLs participation in different forums such as MSA IEEE etc.

Innovation Road Mapping & Strategic Insights

• Develop andmaintaininnovation roadmaps with quarterly refresh cycles
• Translate research findings into strategic recommendations on technology positioning and investment prioritization
• Deliver executive-ready insights to guide long-term portfolio development
• Align long term innovation plans with immediate Product/solution development initiatives
• Own the long-term technology development pipeline maintaining a multi-horizon view (3-5 years) of technologies advancing toward strategic and commercial relevance for AFL

Adjacent Market Opportunity Assessment

• Identifyand evaluate adjacent market opportunities aligned to AFL capabilities
• Conduct market sizing competitive analysis and strategic fit assessmentsfor specific technologies
• Produce structured opportunity assessments to support investment decisions
• Define and apply screening criteria (strategic fit market timing technology readiness profit pool potential) to ensure the Innovation and Emerging Technologies and Scale-Up resources concentrate on the highest-value opportunities

Thought Leadership & Research Publications

• Author white papers trend briefs ESG-aligned insights and market analyses
• Establish AFL as an industry thought leader through research-driven content
  
  

Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development

• Build and manage strategic technical partnerships including MSAs JDAs and academic collaborations
• Maintain partnership pipeline visibility and engagement tracking
• Collaborate internally and externally to expand the innovation ecosystem

Innovation Pipeline Development

• Feed the discovery process with qualified innovation candidates supported by business case summaries
• Maintaina pipeline aligned to strategic priorities and readiness
• Partner cross-functionally to transition insights into execution pathways
• Maintain funnel health metrics and visibility pipeline volume conversion rates by stage and time-in-stage reported through the IET operating cadence

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degreerequired; advanced degree preferred
• 7 years in market research innovation strategy technology scouting or related roles
• Strong analytical skills including market sizing and competitive analysis
• Ability to translate technical insights into business strategy
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Domain knowledge in optical communications photonics data center infrastructure or adjacent technology markets strongly preferred
• Familiarity with industry standards bodies MSAs or multi-party technical collaborations a plus
  
  

Working Conditions:

• Environment: Office-based Hybrid or Remote work environment flexibility possible
• Travel: Moderate travel (domestic and international) as needed.

Required Experience:

Manager