Senior Commodity Manager – Silicon Photonics & Optical Components

POSITION OVERVIEW

As the Senior Commodity Manager - Silicon Photonics & Optical Components, you will own the end-to-end strategic sourcing roadmap and supplier ecosystem for active III-V devices, precision micro-optics, and advanced passive optical sub-assemblies. In this role, you will partner closely with Optical Design, Advanced Packaging, Quality/Reliability, and Operations to commercialize and scale next-generation optical engines across 800G, 1.6T, Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), and Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) architectures.

You will lead commercial and capacity governance for specialized, custom, and long-lead optical commodities, including Continuous Wave (CW) DFB lasers, Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs), Fiber Array Units (FAUs), micro-lenses, isolators, and thin-film bandpass filters. This position demands deep technical fluency in device physics, cleanroom fabrication, packaging yields, and bottom-up cost engineering.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Sourcing & Category Roadmaps

• Category Strategy: Define and execute multi-year global commodity strategies for active III-V devices (InP/GaAs lasers, SOAs) and passive optical sub-assemblies (FAUs, micro-optics, isolators, bandpass filters).
• Architecture Alignment: Align commodity roadmaps with system architecture transitions, balancing pluggable module lifecycles with External Laser Source (ELS) requirements for CPO and Near-Packaged Optics (NPO) applications.
• Dual-Sourcing Pathways: Establish dual-sourcing and second-source qualification pathways for custom, sole-sourced, or capacity-constrained optical components to secure manufacturing scalability.

Cost Engineering & Commercial Execution

• Should-Cost Modeling: Develop bottom-up parametric cost models that factor in InP/GaAs wafer transitions (3" to 4"/6"), epitaxial growth costs, die shrink and yield (GDPW), facet coatings, burn-in hours, and optical alignment fallout.
• Contract Structuring: Lead executive-level negotiations for Master Supply Agreements (MSAs), Long-Term Agreements (LTAs), wafer reservation commitments, volume-tier pricing, and NRE tooling amortization.
• TCO Optimization: Deliver sustained Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) reductions across material costs, scrap, packaging yields, and reliability contingency buffers.

NPI Delivery & Technical Supplier Development

• DFM/DFT Collaboration: Partner with R&D, Packaging, and Reliability teams during early NPI phases to enforce Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Test (DFT) across precision optical alignment tolerances.
• Long-Lead Execution: Manage high-risk, long-lead procurement schedules, mitigating 16-24+ week lead times for custom-pitch FAUs, specialized gratings, and narrow bandpass thin-film coatings.
• Reliability Assurance: Ensure strict supplier compliance with datacom/telecom reliability and environmental qualification standards (Telcordia GR-468-CORE, MIL-STD testing, humidity/temperature stress).

Risk Mitigation & Supply Chain Resilience

• Supply Chain Mapping: Audit and map multi-tier supply chains across front-end epi/fab, back-end dicing, optical AR/HR coating, CTE-matched submount integration, and precision optical assembly.
• Geopolitical De-risking: Drive supplier Business Continuity Plans (BCPs), regional manufacturing diversification (North America, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia), and strategic buffer stock agreements.
• Supplier Performance (QBRs): Chair Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to monitor supplier scorecards covering technology milestones, capacity reservations, On-Time Delivery (OTD), and DPPM quality metrics.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: 7+ years of strategic sourcing, commodity management, or technical procurement experience in optical transceivers, telecom/datacom systems, or semiconductor photonics.
• Commodity Expertise: Direct procurement experience with active III-V devices (DFB/FP/EML lasers, SOAs) and precision micro-optics (FAUs, aspheric lenses, optical isolators, thin-film bandpass filters).
• Technical Fluency: Solid working knowledge of cleanroom fabrication, wafer-level testing, active vs. passive optical alignment, CTE-matched submounts (AlN/diamond), and optical performance metrics (SMSR, RIN, insertion loss, PER, return loss).
• Commercial Acumen: Proven track record negotiating complex MSAs, LTAs, IP protection terms, and front-end wafer reservation agreements with global suppliers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Degree: Master’s degree in Optics or Engineering, or an MBA.
• Hyperscale Datacom: Hands-on sourcing experience supporting high-volume hyperscale datacom deployments (400G/800G transceiver architectures, Co-Packaged Optics, or optical interconnects).
• Ecosystem Knowledge: Practical familiarity with III-V semiconductor foundries, OSAT packaging lines, and automated micro-optical assembly equipment (e.g., ficonTEC, MRSI).
• Trade Compliance: Strong understanding of trade compliance, export controls, and geographic diversification strategies for wafer fabs.

ps with system architectural transitions, balancing pluggable

module lifecycles with external laser source (ELS) requirements for CPO and NPO applications.

 Dual-Sourcing Pathways: Establish dual-sourcing and second-source qualification pathways for custom, sole-

sourced, or capacity-constrained optical components to secure manufacturing scalability.

Cost Engineering & Commercial Execution

 Should-Cost Modeling: Develop bottom-up parametric cost models factoring in InP/GaAs wafer transitions (3"

to 4"/6"), epitaxy growth costs, die shrink/yields (GDPW), front-end facet coatings, burn-in hours, and optical

alignment fallout.

 Contract Structuring: Lead executive-level negotiations for Master Supply Agreements (MSAs), Long-Term

Agreements (LTAs), wafer reservation commitments, volume tier pricing, and NRE tooling amortizations.

 TCO Optimization: Deliver sustained Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) reductions across material costs, scrap

reduction, packaging yields, and reliability contingency buffers.

NPI Delivery & Technical Supplier Development

 DFM/DFT Collaboration: Partner with R&D, Packaging, and Reliability teams during early NPI phases to enforce

Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Test (DFT) across precision optical alignment tolerances.

 Long-Lead Execution: Manage high-risk, long-lead procurement schedules (mitigating 16-24+ week lead-time

cycles for custom-pitch FAUs, specialized gratings, and narrow bandpass thin-film coatings).

 Reliability Assurance: Ensure strict supplier compliance with datacom/telecom reliability and environmental

qualification standards (Telcordia GR-468-CORE, MIL-STD testing, humidity/temperature stress).

Risk Mitigation & Supply Chain Resilience

 Supply Chain Mapping: Audit and map multi-tier supply chains across front-end epi/fab, back-end dicing,

optical AR/HR coating, CTE-matched submount integration, and precision optical assembly.

 Geopolitical De-risking: Drive supplier Business Continuity Plans (BCP), regional manufacturing diversification

(North America, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia), and strategic buffer stock agreements.

 Supplier Performance (QBR): Chair Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to monitor supplier operational

scorecards across technology milestones, capacity reservations, On-Time Delivery (OTD), and DPPM quality

metrics.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

Required Qualifications

 Education: Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics,

Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

 Experience: 7+ years of strategic sourcing, commodity management, or technical procurement experience

within optical transceivers, telecom/datacom systems, or semiconductor photonics.

 Commodity Expertise: Direct procurement expertise in active III-V devices (DFB/FP/EML lasers, SOAs) and

precision micro-optics (FAUs, aspheric lenses, optical isolators, thin-film bandpass filters).

 Technical Fluency: Solid working understanding of cleanroom fabrication, wafer-level testing, active vs. passive

optical alignment, CTE-matched submounts (AlN/diamond), and optical performance metrics (SMSR, RIN,

insertion loss, PER, return loss).

 Commercial Acumen: Demonstrated track record negotiating complex MSAs, LTAs, IP protection boundaries,

and front-end wafer reservation agreements with global suppliers.

Preferred Qualifications

 Advanced Degree: Master’s degree in Optics/Engineering or an MBA.

 Hyperscale Datacom: Hands-on sourcing experience supporting high-volume hyperscale datacom deployments

(400G/800G transceiver architectures, Co-Packaged Optics, or optical interconnects).

 Ecosystem Knowledge: Practical familiarity with III-V semiconductor foundries, OSAT packaging lines, and

automated micro-optical assembly equipment ecosystems (e.g., ficonTEC, MRSI).

 Trade Compliance: Strong understanding of trade compliance, geopolitical export controls, and wafer-fab

geographic diversification strategies.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As the Senior Commodity Manager - Silicon Photonics & Optical Components, you will own the end-to-end strategic

sourcing roadmap and supplier ecosystem for active III-V devices, precision micro-optics, and advanced passive

optical sub-assemblies. In this role, you will partner closely with Optical Design, Advanced Packaging,

Quality/Reliability, and Operations to commercialize and scale next-generation optical engines across 800G, 1.6T,

Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), and Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) architectures.

You will lead commercial and capacity governance for specialized, custom, and long-lead optical

commodities-including Continuous Wave (CW) DFB lasers, Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs), Fiber Array

Units (FAUs), micro-lenses, isolators, and thin-film bandpass filters. This position demands deep technical fluency in

device physics, cleanroom fabrication, packaging yields, and bottom-up cost engineering.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Sourcing & Category Roadmaps

 Category Strategy: Define and execute multi-year global commodity strategies for active III-V devices (InP/GaAs

lasers, SOAs) and passive optical sub-assemblies (FAUs, micro-optics, isolators, bandpass filters).

 Architecture Alignment: Align commodity roadmaps with system architectural transitions, balancing pluggable

module lifecycles with external laser source (ELS) requirements for CPO and NPO applications.

 Dual-Sourcing Pathways: Establish dual-sourcing and second-source qualification pathways for custom, sole-

sourced, or capacity-constrained optical components to secure manufacturing scalability.

Cost Engineering & Commercial Execution

 Should-Cost Modeling: Develop bottom-up parametric cost models factoring in InP/GaAs wafer transitions (3"

to 4"/6"), epitaxy growth costs, die shrink/yields (GDPW), front-end facet coatings, burn-in hours, and optical

alignment fallout.

 Contract Structuring: Lead executive-level negotiations for Master Supply Agreements (MSAs), Long-Term

Agreements (LTAs), wafer reservation commitments, volume tier pricing, and NRE tooling amortizations.

 TCO Optimization: Deliver sustained Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) reductions across material costs, scrap

reduction, packaging yields, and reliability contingency buffers.

NPI Delivery & Technical Supplier Development

 DFM/DFT Collaboration: Partner with R&D, Packaging, and Reliability teams during early NPI phases to enforce

Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Test (DFT) across precision optical alignment tolerances.

 Long-Lead Execution: Manage high-risk, long-lead procurement schedules (mitigating 16-24+ week lead-time

cycles for custom-pitch FAUs, specialized gratings, and narrow bandpass thin-film coatings).

 Reliability Assurance: Ensure strict supplier compliance with datacom/telecom reliability and environmental

qualification standards (Telcordia GR-468-CORE, MIL-STD testing, humidity/temperature stress).

Risk Mitigation & Supply Chain Resilience

 Supply Chain Mapping: Audit and map multi-tier supply chains across front-end epi/fab, back-end dicing,

optical AR/HR coating, CTE-matched submount integration, and precision optical assembly.

 Geopolitical De-risking: Drive supplier Business Continuity Plans (BCP), regional manufacturing diversification

(North America, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia), and strategic buffer stock agreements.

 Supplier Performance (QBR): Chair Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to monitor supplier operational

scorecards across technology milestones, capacity reservations, On-Time Delivery (OTD), and DPPM quality

metrics.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

Required Qualifications

 Education: Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics,

Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

 Experience: 7+ years of strategic sourcing, commodity management, or technical procurement experience

within optical transceivers, telecom/datacom systems, or semiconductor photonics.

 Commodity Expertise: Direct procurement expertise in active III-V devices (DFB/FP/EML lasers, SOAs) and

precision micro-optics (FAUs, aspheric lenses, optical isolators, thin-film bandpass filters).

 Technical Fluency: Solid working understanding of cleanroom fabrication, wafer-level testing, active vs. passive

optical alignment, CTE-matched submounts (AlN/diamond), and optical performance metrics (SMSR, RIN,

insertion loss, PER, return loss).

 Commercial Acumen: Demonstrated track record negotiating complex MSAs, LTAs, IP protection boundaries,

and front-end wafer reservation agreements with global suppliers.

Preferred Qualifications

 Advanced Degree: Master’s degree in Optics/Engineering or an MBA.

 Hyperscale Datacom: Hands-on sourcing experience supporting high-volume hyperscale datacom deployments

(400G/800G transceiver architectures, Co-Packaged Optics, or optical interconnects).

 Ecosystem Knowledge: Practical familiarity with III-V semiconductor foundries, OSAT packaging lines, and

automated micro-optical assembly equipment ecosystems (e.g., ficonTEC, MRSI).

 Trade Compliance: Strong understanding of trade compliance, geopolitical export controls, and wafer-fab

geographic diversification strategies.