Product Line Manager

About the Company

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. Founded in 1984 with a single fiber optic cable, AFL now manufactures thousands of products, generates over $3B in revenue, and employs approximately 12,000 associates worldwide. AFL invests in its employees through professional development and growth opportunities.

What We Offer

• Hybrid in-office schedule for qualifying employees
• Flexible time off policy
• 401K company match (up to 4% - dollar for dollar)
• Professional development, training, and tuition reimbursement programs
• Excellent medical, dental, vision, and life insurance policy options
• Opportunities for career advancement with an industry-leading company

About the Role

The Product Line Manager’s primary role is to deliver product and market intelligence to AFL with the objective of increasing market share for assigned product range(s). Serving as the market expert, the PLM executes product, pricing, promotion, and go-to-market plans to grow market share and profitability. The role operates within the product line strategy and roadmap set by the PLM Lead, contributing market evidence to shape it. Cross-functional collaboration is essential, as the PLM influences partners in engineering, operations, marketing, sales, finance, and support without direct authority.

Responsibilities

• Tactical Planning: Prepare and execute the short-term tactical plan for assigned product range(s) to achieve market performance goals, working within the product line strategy and roadmap set by the PLM Lead. Contribute to the product line roadmap with market evidence and communicate priorities to stakeholders.
• Portfolio and Life Cycle Management:
  • Manage designated product range(s) over its life cycle to maximize return/profit, recommending whether to invest, enhance, reposition, harvest, or retire.
  • Ensure compliance with quality systems, regulatory requirements, and commercial change processes.
  • Lead commercial input to the product development process, including market requirements and target segments for new products.
  • Manage all aspects of the product life cycle from planning to termination, defining product models and structures.
• Sales Enablement:
  • Identify requirements for training, content, processes, and tools to support sales throughout the buyer’s journey, collaborating with sales, marketing, and partners.
  • Responsible for new product introduction performance, including post-launch financial accountability.
  • Support product launches, promotions, and channel activities to drive adoption and sales productivity.
• Pricing:
  • Determine product pricing using market research, production/sales costs, and volume forecasts.
  • Manage pricing, including list price and customer/project-level discounting, to balance growth, capacity utilization, and profitability.
• Business & Financial Performance:
  • Manage the assigned product range as a business, monitoring revenue, margin, and profitability, and taking corrective action as needed.
  • Apply data-driven analysis to inform investment, trade-off, and resource-allocation recommendations.
• Other:
  • Establish a commitment to quality and ensure understanding, implementation, and maintenance of quality policy across the organization.
  • Set and communicate measurable quality objectives aligned with the quality policy.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, engineering, science, business administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in product marketing, product development, or a related field.
• Strong project management skills.
• Ability to travel up to 25–30%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Optical networking or telecommunications product/industry/technical acumen.
• Product management/marketing expertise, including market trends/analysis, NPI process, product roadmap development, and product life-cycle management.
• Experience working effectively within a matrix environment and cross-functionally.
• Experience working in a global environment.

Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work in teams and build collaborative relationships.
• Strong analytical and process skills.