Product Development Manager

Overview

Samtec, Inc. is seeking a New Product Development Manager to join our team in the Silicon Valley Design Center located in Santa Clara, CA. The New Product Development Manager owns all aspects of their 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 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 (e.g., 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 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 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 + 7y, MS + 9y, BS + 10y — Electrical Engineering, Optics, Physics, Materials Science, Semiconductor Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering

The preferred location for this position is the Silicon Valley Design Center in Santa Clara, CA. At this facility the salary range for this position would be in the range of $232 - $290K per year and is commensurate with experience plus generous Samtec bonuses paid three times per year in February, August and late fall.

The secondary location would be the Samtec Vista design center in San Diego/Vista, CA. Salary range: $211 - $264K per year, commensurate with experience plus generous Samtec bonuses paid three times per year in February, August and late fall.

The third location would be the Samtec Microelectronics facility in Colorado Springs, CO. Salary range: $189 - $237K per year, commensurate with experience plus generous Samtec bonuses paid three times per year in February, August and late fall.

Samtec’s generous benefits package includes medical (HSA/PPO) dental, vision, hearing, group life, AD&D, short- and long-term disability, EAP, 401K match / profit sharing (Samtec will contribute 7% of your total gross pay to your 401(k) plan regardless of any contributions, and will match the first 5% of your contributions dollar for dollar), plus other voluntary options, as well as paid time off.

Founded in 1976, Samtec is a privately held, $950 million global manufacturer of a broad line of electronic interconnect solutions, including High-Speed Board-to-Board, High-Speed Cables, Mid-Board and Panel Optics, Precision RF, Flexible Stacking, and Micro/Rugged components and cables. Samtec Technology Centers develop and advance technologies, strategies and products to optimize both the performance and cost of a system from the bare die to an interface 100 meters away, and all interconnect points in between.

With 40+ international locations and products sold in more than 125 countries, Samtec’s global presence enables its…