Product Development Manager

Position Title

New Product Development Manager

Samtec is seeking a New Product Development Manager to join our team in the Silicon Valley Design Center located in Santa Clara, CA.

Our New Product Development Manager owns all aspects of optical transceiver development programs, managing a staff of assigned associates: inter-disciplinary (engineering) experts, cross-functional leaders, and project management, from concept approval through production release. They are highly effective leaders steeped in product development, optical transceiver product technology, and have proven competence in a key engineering discipline with adjacent competencies in others enough to be an effective leader and manager, such as EE, RF-optics, photonics, signal integrity, physics, ME, optics, material science, thermal, firmware.

• Lead the end-to-end development process for optoelectronic assemblies, from concept and prototyping to production and market release.
• Collaborate with marketing, engineering, sourcing, manufacturing, and quality teams to define product specifications, plans, and budgets.
• Build and constantly tune composition of an excellent team.
• Oversee the design, development, and testing of optoelectronic components, ensuring performance, reliability, efficiency, and compliance with industry standards.
• On time, on scope, on performance, on quality, on cost.
• Set up decision processes and roles to ensure timely execution.
• Identify and integrate emerging technologies and materials to enhance product performance and competitiveness.
• Manage project milestones, mitigate risks, and resolve technical challenges to keep development on track.
• Serve as the primary liaison between R&D, supply chain, and external partners or vendors.
• Analyze market and customer feedback to refine product designs and prioritize development pipelines.
• Mentor and guide team members, fostering a culture of innovation and technical excellence.
• Communicate up, across, and down.

The responsibilities as defined are intended to serve as a general guideline for this position. Associates may be asked to perform additional tasks depending on strengths and capabilities.

• 5+ years of experience in new product development, with at least a couple of cycles from concept to revenue and at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Strong leader of people, technology and product development, driving with a sense of urgency.
• Proven expertise in optoelectronics, including knowledge of optical systems, optical transceivers, semiconductor devices, or related assemblies.
• Strong project management skills, with experience using tools like MS Project, Jira, or similar.
• Familiarity with manufacturing processes, quality assurance, and regulatory requirements for optoelectronic products.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities and a track record of delivering complex projects on time and within budget.
• Exceptional communication and leadership skills to inspire teams and influence stakeholders.

PhD + 7 years, MS + 9 years, BS + 10 years. Fields:
Electrical Engineering, Optics, Physics, Materials Science, Semiconductor Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering.

Preferred location:
Silicon Valley Design Center, Santa Clara, CA. Salary range $232K–$290K per year, commensurate with experience, plus generous bonuses paid three times per year (Feb, Aug, late Fall).

Secondary location:
Samtec Vista Design Center, San Diego/Vista, CA. Salary range $211K–$264K per year, commensurate with experience, plus generous bonuses paid three times per year.

Third location:
Samtec Microelectronics facility, Colorado Springs, CO. Salary range $189K–$237K per year, commensurate with experience, plus generous bonuses paid three times per year.

Benefits: medical (HSA/PPO), dental, vision, hearing, group life, AD&D, short- and long-term disability, employee assistance program, 401(k) match & profit sharing (Samtec contributes 7% of total gross pay; matches first 5% of your contribution dollar for dollar), and paid time off.

Founded in 1976, Samtec is a privately held, $950…