Grid Solutions Strategy Manager - Energy (Hybrid Office Schedule)

Grid Solutions Strategy Manager – Energy

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 $2B in revenue, and employ approximately 11,000 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.

The energy landscape is undergoing a structural transformation. Aging transmission and distribution infrastructure must absorb unprecedented load growth from electrification and AI-driven data centers, integrate variable renewable generation at scale, and harden against extreme weather and physical threats — all while operating reliably across a converging grid that no longer operates siloed between electric utility front-of-the-meter (FTM) and non-utility behind-the-meter (BTM) systems.

AFL is seeking a "Grid Solutions Strategy Manager – Energy" to define and drive AFL's grid-wide technology strategy across this full FTM-to-BTM spectrum. This role serves as the Energy Business Unit's (BU) principal technology strategist within Market Development, translating macro grid trends, Utility, Independent Power Producer (IPP), and large load investment patterns, regulatory shifts, and emerging architectures into a coherent technology roadmap, intellectual property (IP) strategy, and brand position for AFL's portfolio of optical, electrical, and power-delivery solutions.

This is a high-influence role with significant cross-functional reach. The successful candidate will shape what AFL builds, where to invest, how AFL's grid technology story is told, and how AFL's innovation is protected — directly informing and partnering with product line management, engineering, corporate strategy, and business leadership.

Responsibilities include:

• Own AFL's grid-wide technology strategy & definitive view of FTM and BTM grids, spanning transmission, distribution, substation, renewables, distributed energy resources (DER), microgrids, and large load power delivery.
• Translate utility, IPP, EPC, and large load trends into prioritized technology bets.
• Monitor regulatory and standards activity (FERC, NERC, IEEE, IEC, ANSI, state PUCs, ISO/RTO interconnection queues, NESC) and assess strategic and product implications.
• Build and maintain a competitive technology landscape map covering OEM competitors, emerging entrants, and adjacent-industry disruptors; identify opportunities & threats to action.
• Establish and maintain key technology assumptions which influence AFL's market & demand modeling in AFL's Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes.
• Lead primary technology research through customer interviews, utility R&D engagements, lab partnerships, and conference intelligence.

Qualifications and experience include:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
• 3 - 5 years of progressive experience in the electric power industry, with direct exposure to grid infrastructure, utility planning, or grid-edge technology.
• 3+ years in technology, product, and/or market strategy, or grid infrastructure R&D.
• Working knowledge of both FTM (transmission, distribution, substation, interconnection) and BTM (DERs, microgrids, commercial & industrial, large load power) systems.
• Track record of shaping product roadmaps, defining technical requirements, or originating new solution categories that reached commercial success.
• Experience working directly with electric utilities, IPPs, EPCs, or other power infrastructure builders in technical advisory, sales engineering, or strategy capacities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to brief executives and author technical thought leadership content.
• Comfort operating cross-functionally with engineering, product management, marketing, sales, legal, and corporate strategy.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Master's degree (MS in Transmission & Distribution, Power, or Electrical Engineering).
• Experience with optical fiber, grid hardware, OPGW/ADSS, transmission, distribution and substation design – power & communications.
• Prior contribution to standards bodies (IEEE, IEC, CIGRE) or active participation in EPRI programs.
• Hands-on involvement with patent filings, IP strategy, or technology licensing transactions.
• Prior experience inside a transmission & distribution manufacturer, grid-technology startup, or utility innovation organization.

Working conditions include approximately 25% travel, predominantly domestic — utility, IPP, EPC, and data center customer sites; AFL plants and offices; industry conferences and standards meetings. Occasional international travel for global utility, data center, or technology-partner engagement.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.