Vice President of Advanced Development

Vice President, Advanced Development — Optical Connectivity Group (OCG)

Location
- Flexible — based near Molex manufacturing facilities or development centers; frequent travel to global sites and customer locations expected

Molex is seeking a seasoned technology and people leader to build and lead a global Advanced Development organization within the Optical Connectivity Group. The VP will recruit and develop top engineering talent across product and process development, enable rapid technology pivots (connectors, ferrules, ferrule-less approaches), and scale manufacturing readiness from advanced prototypes through high-volume production (HVM). This role requires deep optical interconnect and manufacturing expertise, strong cross-functional collaboration with product, process, optoelectronics, silicon photonics, MEMS, med-tech and customer teams, and active industry engagement to convert customer requirements into design wins.

• Recruit, develop, and lead a global, multidisciplinary R&D and process engineering organization supporting product and manufacturing development.
• Establish clear goals, KPIs, and career development plans to build a high-performing advanced development team.

• Lead advanced product and process engineering for next-generation connectors and ferrule technologies (including physical contact, lensed, fiber-to-chip, and novel ferrule approaches).
• Prepare the technology roadmap to pivot to alternative connector/ferrule technologies as market needs evolve.

• Improve organizational competence and capability for multi-cavity precision molding, metrology, and scaled production.
• Develop point-of-view (POV) and roadmap for HVM FAU manufacturing, including alternate manufacturing approaches and automated assembly technologies.

• Partner with OCG connector teams to align the advanced development roadmap with product strategy and deliverables.
• Collaborate across Molex:
  Teramount (fiber connector technology), optoelectronics (next‑gen transceiver interfaces), silicon photonics (fiber-to-PIC), WLM (MEMS switching), and Med Tech (mixed-media connectivity for optics, power, sensing, fluids).

• Engage directly with hyperscale and OEM customers to capture interconnect requirements, translate them into the advanced development roadmap, and convert opportunities into design wins.
• Provide technical leadership during customer engagements and design reviews.

• Lead and coordinate Molex participation in industry ecosystems, MSAs/standards groups, trade shows, and technical conferences.
• Develop and publish white papers and technical content to raise Molex’s industry profile.

• Drive cross-functional programs from technology concept through productization, ensuring alignment of engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and business objectives.
• Manage technology risk, IP strategy, and timelines to enable commercial launches.

• Proven leadership experience (typically 12+ years) in advanced development, product engineering, or manufacturing leadership roles; 5+ years managing global teams at senior/director/VP level.
• Deep technical expertise in fiber optic interconnects, connectors and termination technologies for SMF, PMF, multi-core and hollow-core fiber; familiarity with lensed, physical-contact, and fiber-to-chip interfaces.
• Hands-on experience with precision molding (multi-cavity), metrology, assembly automation, and scaling to high-volume production.
• Demonstrated experience working with hyperscale, cloud, or OEM customers and converting requirements into design wins.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and experience coordinating product, process, optoelectronics, silicon photonics, MEMS and med-tech stakeholders.
• Technical degree (BS required; MS/PhD preferred) in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
• Excellent communication skills, demonstrated industry presence, and the ability to represent Molex at technical conferences and standards bodies.
• Willingness to travel internationally as required.

• Prior experience with Silicon Photonics integration and PIC-to-fiber interfaces.
• Experience with MEMS switching technologies and mixed-media (optical/electrical/fluids) connectivity solutions.
• Track record of building manufacturing-ready technologies (HVM) from prototype stage.
• Experience with Teramount-style technologies, optical ferrule innovation, or other novel interconnect approaches.
• Established industry relationships with hyperscalers, OEMs, or standards organizations.

• Global advanced development team recruited and operating with clear priorities and metrics.
• Roadmap defined and aligned with OCG product strategy covering next‑gen connector/ferrule and fiber-to-chip…