Director of Product Development

Job Description

Optical Component thermoelectric coolers (TECs) provide thermal management solutions within the Telecom and Datacom markets. Coherent Thermal Solutions (CTS) is a leader within this market and is known for its world-class quality and long-standing stability (designing and manufacturing TECs since 1973). Volume production is in Vietnam, ensuring a competitive product for the market. Driven by the growing demand for thermal management solutions in both Datacom and Telecom applications, CTS continues to experience outstanding growth and desires a Director of Product Management to lead the team for continued, outstanding achievement and further growth as the market continues to change and evolve.

The Optical Components Director of Product Management is strategic and customer-focused, leading and managing the optical devices product line. This person is a "mini-CEO" and as such is responsible for driving product strategy, engaging with customers, managing financial performance, and delivering marketing and technical content that supports business growth. The ideal candidate will be adept at cross-functional collaboration and passionate about delivering high-impact solutions to customers worldwide. The ideal candidate is an Engineer with sales experience at a market-leading optical transceiver company within the Datacom market. This individual possesses strong technical knowledge of optical transceivers, understands evolving market trends, and is passionate about anticipating how the market will change. They will be responsible for ensuring CTS is prepared to adapt with the market and maintain a leadership position within the industry.

This position requires an understanding of the Datacom and Telecom markets, the technologies deployed within the markets, and the thermal management needs and opportunities; this person is responsible for continued growth of demand for TECs within the Optical Components market, including identifying market trends and aligning CTS products with the market needs.

The Director of Product Management leads cross-functional teams and represents the product function at the executive level.


Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Manage P&L and Financial Performance - 60%

• Lead product line strategy in alignment with company vision and growth objectives; drive revenue growth of new and existing products.
• Collaborate across Coherent to drive vertical integration and product offering expansion.
• Develop on an annual basis, product line vision, strategies, and goals based on relevent market and business data. Drive the actions to acheive the annual strategies and goals
• Develop long-term roadmaps, balancing current product needs with future market opportunities.
• Create and present business cases for major investments, ensuring alignment with financial and strategic goals.
• Define product requirements and features for the product line, connecting customer needs to competitive advantages.
• Drive product engineering teams to design and develop manufacturable standard and customized products to achieve market share leadership and meet revenue and profit goals.
• Prepare and present revenue and gross margin forecasts and capacity planning.
• Define capacity needs and where necessary, work with Operations on capacity expansion. Provide the business case inputs for any capital expense needs.
• Serve as the executive voice of the product, influencing stakeholders and shaping organizational priorities.
• Continuously evaluate product and portfolio performance using financial metrics (revenue, gross margin) and customer data. This may include defining and driving cost reductions activities.
• Drive executive-level presentations, storytelling, and data-driven decision-making.
• Oversee full product lifecycle management, adapting strategies to evolving markets and technologies.
• Partner with engineering, R&D, marketing, operations, and sales to deliver cohesive and differentiated product offerings.
• Collaborate with R&D to define and develop the next generation of product designs and process capabiliites. Manage the investment, including ensuring periodic gate reviews, with reveiws of the business case and any changes in the competitive landscape.
• Monitor competitive landscapes and develop mitigation and/or response plans as necessary.
• Define marketing needs and startegies for attainment.
• Responsible for orchestrating product launches or product releases.

Sustaining Support of The/Your Business - 40%

• Develop and manage strong business/technical relationships at customers
• Drive sales teams to maximize bookings and revenues for your products
• Review customer requirements and work with Sales/marketing/R&D/Operations teams on winning proposals, including specifications and pricing
• Provide sales with customer communications messages and strategies relevant to the product line
• Drive the engineering team to provide customers outstanding technical support, leading to repeat business and new bookings at the expense of our competitors
• Monitor and coordinate order fulfillment processes to meet cost, lead-time, on-time delivery, volumes, quality and margin objectives. In case of constraints or issues, escalate and drive mitigation actions with other members of the team.
• Drive on-going cost-reduction activities

Education & Experience

• BS in Engineering or a technical field is required. MBA or MS/PhD in Engineering strongly preferred
• The ideal candidate will have significant business experience (Product Management, Engineering, Operations Management, Sales, R&D, and/or Product Marketing) in the Datacom and/or Telecom market. Experience working with optical transceivers and customer engagement within leading Datacom market companies is strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of delivering results, influencing organizational strategy, and driving innovation.
• 15+ years of experience in Product Management/Engineering Leadership roles in the Datacom and/or Telecom industry.

Skills & Other Requirements

• Advanced strategic, systemic, and entrepreneurial mindset.
• Deep product acumen with the ability to identify and capture market opportunities.
• Strong technical knoweldge of theproduct line(s) and the product applications.
• Strong financial and business analysis skills to evaluate investments and product line performance.
• Excellent executive communication and persuasive presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor cross-level product management talent.
• Ability to influence decision-making across all levels of the organization.
• Highly adaptable and decisive in dynamic market environments.
• Experience with problem analysis and resolution at the strategic and functional levels
• Abililty to travel internationally, up to 25% anticipated.
• Support of customers and team members in Asia and the US. Evening calls, ~1-2 nights per week.

Working Conditions

Normal office conditions

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods
• Must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with others to exchange information
• Constantly operates a computer and other office equipment

Safety Requirements

All employees are required to attend scheduled training, follow the site EHS procedures and Corporate EHS standards. This includes the use of proper protective equipment (PPE) as required by the job responsibilities.

Managers will ensure that all safety and environmental procedures are followed consistently. They will ensure that risk assessments are performed, proper training, work instructions, required PPE is available, and will monitor compliance.

Quality & Environmental Responsibilities

Depending on location, this position may be responsible for the execution and maintenance of the ISO 9000, 9001, 14001 and/or other applicable standards that may apply to the relevant roles and responsibilities within the Quality Management System and Environmental Management System.

Employees are required to maintain a quality work environment that is safe, clean, organized and environmentally compliant.

Responsible for maintaining Quality Work Environment housekeeping standards for own work area and community areas.

Culture Commitment

Ensure adherence to company's values (ICARE) in all aspects of your position at Coherent:

I ntegrity - Create an Environment of Trust

C ollaboration - Innovate Through the Sharing of Ideas

A ccountability - Own the Process and the Outcome


R espect - Recognize the Value in Everyone

E nthusiasm - Find a Sense of Purpose in Work

About Us

Coherent is a global leader in lasers, engineered materials and networking components. We are a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in the industrial, optical communications, military, life sciences, semiconductor equipment, and consumer markets. Coherent provides a comprehensive career development platform within an environment that challenges employees to perform at their best, while rewarding excellence and hard-work through a competitive compensation program. It's an exciting opportunity to work for a company that offers stability, longevity and growth. Come Join Us!


Note to recruiters and employment agencies: We will not pay for unsolicited resumes from recruiters and employment agencies unless we have a signed agreement and have required assistance, in writing, for a specific opening.