Program Manager - DSP-Based Active Cable Solutions

At Kandou, we are redefining the economics of AI infrastructure. Our mission is to democratise AI by significantly reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of hardware systems — a critical barrier to scalable adoption.

Our proprietary MIMO-over-copper technology powers a high-performance, chiplet-based AI memory fabric that is both scalable and energy-efficient. Unlike traditional interconnects, our solution reduces power consumption significantly while preserving high bandwidth and ultra-low latency — unlocking unprecedented efficiency for AI training and inference at scale.

Kandou’s architecture is not just an incremental improvement — it’s a foundational shift in how AI hardware is built for the future.

Department: Product Management

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Scope: Global

Work Structure: Hybrid. On-site presence at Kandou's Taipei office is expected. Because the role is global, you will work regularly with teams in North America, Europe and Asia, and some meetings will fall outside local business hours.

Role Summary

The Program Manager owns end-to-end delivery of Kandou's DSP-based Active Cable solutions for IEEE 802.3dj environments (200 Gb/s per lane, 800GbE and 1.6TbE). The work runs from the first proposal through production launch. This individual coordinates global Design, Signal Integrity, Mechanical, Test, Quality, Operations and Supply Chain teams, as well as Taiwan-based cable, connector, PCBA and assembly partners, to ensure each product meets its datasheet, cost, quality and schedule commitments. The Program Manager is the main point of contact for program status with Kandou management, customers and suppliers.

Required Education

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or an equivalent field.

• PMP, PgMP or an equivalent program management certification is a plus.

Required Experience

• 10+ years of experience in the semiconductor industry, preferably in SerDes, DSP-based high-speed I/O, or high-speed interconnect products.

• 5–10 years of program management experience, including 5+ years managing deliverables for engineering teams.

• Team leadership experience, including leading cross-functional teams across multiple sites and time zones.

• Strong knowledge of technical project management and the product development process (proposal → design → proof-of-life/validation → qualification → production release).

• Experience delivering high-speed Ethernet products built on DSP/PAM4 SerDes. Examples: 112G/224G retimers, and active cable products of any type (e.g., AEC, ACC, AOC) or comparable pluggable or cabled products.

• Familiarity with IEEE 802.3ck/802.3dj electrical interfaces (e.g., CR and AUI) is a plus.

• Experience managing external partners in the cable and connector supply chain, including cable assemblers, connector vendors, PCB/PCBA houses and contract manufacturers, ideally within Taiwan's manufacturing ecosystem.

• Experience supporting customer engagements with hyperscalers, switch/NIC OEMs, or system integrators, including sample deliveries, interoperability testing, and qualification.

Required Skills

• Must be capable of managing priorities and schedules for multiple development teams (Design Engineering, Signal Integrity, Mechanical, Product & Test Engineering, QA, Reliability, Operations, Purchasing, etc.) to ensure new products meet datasheet specifications, cost targets, critical milestones and on-time prototype sample delivery.

• Must be capable of developing detailed project schedules and presenting critical-path status, issues and actions to Kandou management.

• Working technical fluency in high-speed link concepts, sufficient to follow engineering trade-offs and drive decisions. Examples: insertion/return loss, channel reach, PAM4 signaling, DSP equalization, power and thermal limits of active cable modules, and link training/bring-up.

• Highly detail-oriented, with strong organizational and communication skills.

• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Project or similar scheduling tools and strong presentation skills. Knowledge of Agile and/or Lean Product Development is a plus.

• Skilled in risk management, dependency tracking, and escalation across globally distributed teams.

• Fluent written and verbal English (required).

• Fluent written and verbal Mandarin (required), for daily work with Taiwan-based suppliers, manufacturing partners and customers.

• Ability and willingness to travel (approximately 10–20%) for supplier reviews, lab bring-ups, builds, and customer engagements, including local and regional alignment meetings.

Responsibility and Authority

• Responsible for technical program management of the 802.3dj DSP-based Active Cable solutions and related development projects, from the first proposal through production launch.

• Chair weekly development team meetings, drive resolution of technical issues, and push critical-path schedule tasks to completion.

• Coordinate DSP silicon, firmware, cable, connector and module-assembly deliverables so they converge on integrated builds and milestones.

• Coordinate cable, connector and assembly suppliers and Taiwan-based manufacturing partners on design-in, sampling, qualification, cost and capacity readiness.

• Support customer interaction, including sample delivery, interoperability and compliance testing against IEEE 802.3dj requirements, and customer qualification milestones.

• Ensure the project team and its deliverables comply with Kandou quality processes, ISO and development process requirements, and customer requirements.

• Serve as the focal point for stakeholder communication on program status, and present regularly to senior management.

• Own program-level cost, schedule and risk tracking, including BOM cost targets and build plans.

• Hold a leadership role with significant impact on bringing new products to market successfully.

• Individual responsibilities for this role are defined by Kandou's executive team on a project-by-project basis and may vary from this job description.