Product Line Manager, Coherent Optical Transceivers

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; Holmdel Township (NJ); On-site; USD 195,000 - 286,000; Full time

Job summary

Acacia, part of Cisco’s Transceiver Modules Group, is shaping the future of high-speed optical interconnects. You will own multi-year product strategy, drive execution from market analysis to NPI, and align hardware, silicon photonics, DSP, operations, and marketing to deliver industry-leading products on time and with target margins.

You will engage with hyperscalers and OEMs to translate complex requirements into concrete specifications, influencing a multi-billion-dollar market in AI and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s with 12+ years, or Master’s with 8+ years professional experience.
• 8+ years in Technical Product Management, Product Marketing, and System Engineering in optical networks or transceivers.
• Full hardware/optical lifecycle management from concept to manufacturing.
• Experience with Tier-1 cloud hyperscalers or networking equipment.
• Strong technical understanding of optical technologies and coherent transceivers.

Responsibilities

• Define, drive, and own the multi-year product strategy and execution roadmap for Acacia’s next-generation product.
• Orchestrate full lifecycle product management from market analysis to NPI and scale.
• Serve as the central technical and business authority, aligning hardware, silicon photonics, DSP, operations, and marketing.
• Engage with industry leaders and OEMs to translate Ambiguous requirements into concrete specs.

Skills

Technical product management

Product marketing

System engineering

Hardware/optical lifecycle

Tier-1 hyperscalers experience

Optical communications knowledge

Coherent transceivers knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s in Electrical/Optical/CS/Physics or related field

Master’s degree with 8+ years experience

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/29/2026

Meet the Team Acacia (part of Cisco’s Transceiver Modules Group) is the global market leader and pioneer in high-speed coherent optical interconnects and PAM4 digital signal processor (DSP) technologies.

Our innovative pluggable optical solutions power the world’s largest cloud hyperscalers, telecommunication service providers, and AI data center networks, bridging distances from high-density server clusters to subsea cables and satellite communications.

We are a hardworking, highly collaborative team of innovators, system architects, and business leaders who thrive on solving complex physical-layer engineering challenges and turning breakthrough optical science into industry-standard commercial reality.

Joining our team means shaping the foundational infrastructure of next-generation AI and cloud connectivity in a fast-paced, high-impact environment where your strategic vision directly influences multi-billion-dollar global markets.

Your Impact:

• Define, drive, and own the multi-year product strategy and execution roadmap for Acacia’s next-generation product.
• Orchestrate full lifecycle product management from initial market analysis, customer discovery, and Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) through Concept Commits, Execution Commits, new product introduction (NPI), and volume scaling.
• Serve as the trusted central technical and business authority, aligning teams across hardware engineering, silicon photonics design, DSP architecture, operations, manufacturing, and marketing to deliver industry-leading products on time and within target margin profiles.
• Engage directly with industry technical leaders and networking OEMs, crafting ambiguous customer requirements into concrete product specifications while positioning Acacia’s portfolio to capture emerging high-speed AI optical interconnect opportunities.

Minimum Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or related field with 12+ years', or Master’s degree with 8+ years' professional experience.
• 8+ years in Technical Product Management, Product Marketing, and System Engineering within the optical communications, high-speed networking, or semiconductor transceiver industry.
• Management of full hardware/optical product lifecycles from concept definition through engineering commit benchmarks, launch, and manufacturing.
• Direct experience collaborating with Tier-1 cloud hyperscalers, telecommunications service providers, or networking equipment manufacturers to capture requirements and deliver complex optical or electronic subsystems.
• Demonstrated technical understanding of optical communications technologies, including coherent optical transceivers (e.g., 400ZR/800ZR/OpenZR+), pluggable form factors (QSFP-DD, OSFP), optical standards bodies (IEEE, OIF, MSAs) and optical transmission properties.

Preferred Qualifications & Experience:

• Background in optical transceiver hardware design, silicon photonics integration, DSP system engineering, and high-speed electro-optic characterization.
• Familiarity with AI/ML data center network architectures and emerging low-power optical interconnect paradigms (e.g., 800G/1.6T client optics, LPO/LRO, CPO).
• Familiarity in industry standards and multi-source agreements (OIF, IEEE 802.3, CMIS, QSFP-DD/OSFP MSAs).
• Proven leadership and presentation skills, with ability to influence engineering architects, operations, and C-level customer executives without formal authority.

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint. Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada: The starting salary range posted for this position is $194,600.00 to $285,700.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process. U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies: 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations) 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer. For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies. Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows: .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota; 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%; 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation. For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

• New York City Metro Area: $194,600.00 - $328,600.00
• Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $179,000.00 - $294,000.00
• * For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.
• ** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.

Cisconians power the future. We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale. The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers – it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn. We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together. Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life’s best work.