Director – Optical Transceiver Engineering & Product Management

Job Req ID: 30641

About Supermicro:

Supermicro® is a Top Tier provider of advanced server, storage, and networking solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/ Big Data, Hyperscale, HPC and IoT/Embedded customers worldwide. We are the #5 fastest growing company among the Silicon Valley Top 50 technology firms. Our unprecedented global expansion has provided us with the opportunity to offer a large number of new positions to the technology community. We seek talented, passionate, and committed engineers, technologists, and business leaders to join us.
 

Job Summary:

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Director, Optical Transceiver Engineering & Product Management  to lead the strategy, development, qualification, and lifecycle management of next-generation optical transceiver products used in AI, cloud, data center, telecom, and networking applications. This leader will drive cross-functional execution across engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, and customer-facing teams to deliver high-performance optical connectivity solutions aligned with market and business objectives.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in optical communications with proven leadership experience managing global engineering organizations and driving product success from concept through volume production.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the optical transceiver product design and technology roadmap aligned with business goals.
• Lead long-term strategy for pluggable and co-packaged optical solutions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and standards to maintain competitive market positioning.
• Partner with executive leadership on investment decisions, product portfolio planning, and technology strategy.

Product Development

• Direct end-to-end development of optical transceiver products including:
• SFP, SFP+, QSFP+, QSFP28
• QSFP-DD
• OSFP
• CFP/CFP2
• 800G, and 1.6T transceivers
• Lead architecture reviews, design validation, reliability qualification, and product releases.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and interoperability requirements.

Engineering Leadership

• Work with cross functional team of:
• Optical engineers
• Electrical engineers
• Mechanical engineers
• Firmware engineers
• Manufacturing engineers
• Systems architects
• Establish engineering best practices, design methodologies, and performance metrics.
• Drive innovation, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.

Manufacturing & Operations

• Partner with operations and supply chain teams to ensure successful product ramp and cost optimization.
• Drive DFM (Design for Manufacturability), DFT (Design for Test), and quality initiatives.
• Monitor yield, reliability, and field performance metrics.
• Manage supplier relationships and technology partnerships.

Program & Financial Management

• Own development schedules, budgets, resource planning, and project execution.
• Track key performance indicators including revenue targets, gross margin, quality metrics, and schedule adherence.
• Assess business risks and implement mitigation strategies

Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, or related field.
• Master's degree preferred.
• PhD is a plus.

Experience

• 15+ years of experience in optical communications, networking, or photonics industries.
• 7+ years of technical leadership and people management experience.
• Proven track record delivering commercial optical transceiver products from concept to production.
• Experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams.

Technical Expertise

• Strong knowledge of:
• Optical communication systems
• Silicon photonics
• DSP-based optical architectures
• PAM4 modulation
• CWDM/DWDM technologies
• High-speed SerDes
• Optical packaging and assembly
• Reliability engineering and qualification
• Fiber optic networking technologies

Industry Standards Knowledge

• Working knowledge of:
• IEEE Ethernet standards
• Multi-Source Agreements (MSAs)
• OIF specifications
• Telcordia requirements
• RoHS and regulatory compliance
• Data center and telecom networking architectures

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AI/ML infrastructure and high-performance computing networks.
• Familiarity with 800G and 1.6T optical interconnect technologies.
• Experience with silicon photonics integration and co-packaged optics.
• Strong understanding of hyperscale cloud networking environments.
• Participation in industry standards organizations.

Salary Range

$240,000 - $270,000 

The salary offered will depend on several factors, including your location, level, education, training, specific skills, years of experience, and comparison to other employees already in this role. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation, such as participation in bonus and equity award programs.

EEO Statement

Supermicro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and embraces diversity in our employee population. It is the policy of Supermicro to provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or special disabled veteran, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status.