Program Manager

Lightera; Avon (CT); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) plan with generous match

Tuition assistance

Paid time off (PTO)

Casual work environment

PPE allowance

Job summary

LIGHTERA seeks a Program Manager in Avon, CT to plan and manage new product development, process improvements, and cost reduction initiatives with cross-functional teams at the Avon facility and elsewhere. Lead scope, schedule, cost, and quality while ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery that meets customer requirements.

You will drive resource planning, supplier coordination, and program governance, while guiding teams through gate reviews and quality systems compliance.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in a technical field with 5-15 years of program management expertise across the full product life cycle.
• Demonstrated leadership in facilitating and motivating a cross-functional team.
• Demonstrated ability to plan activities towards a goal in a logical sequence.
• Basic business finance awareness (ability to review a product cost model, understand project cash flow).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Project strongly preferred.
• Prior experience with optical fiber or cabling technology.
• PMP Certification preferred.
• Experience working under ISO 9001, ISO 13485, or AS9100 quality system.
• Experience interfacing with outside customers.
• Excellent attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Plan new projects and programs, including product development, process development or cost reduction, capital implementation.
• Lead cross-functional activities from planning through execution and manage scope, risk, schedule, cost.
• Plan for and obtain required resources, including staffing and capital expenditures.
• Act as the program champion and communicate progress to management.
• Track product and program changes; resolve issues and remove roadblocks.
• Maintain documentation per quality system procedures.
• Guide the team on quality system procedures as needed.
• Support sales and marketing in educating customers and selling new products.
• Collaborate with procurement and engineering to manage the supply chain.
• Identify customer needs to align programs with strategic direction.
• Prepare proposals, plans, specifications, and contract financials.
• Write CERs and manage costs to meet the CER budget.
• Capture lessons learned to improve the process and share best practices.
• Resolve conflicts among team and stakeholders to keep projects moving.
• Handle difficult conversations about resource overloading or killing a project.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Program management

Project planning

Resource planning

Stakeholder communication

Quality systems knowledge

Negotiation

ISO quality familiarity

Education

B.S. in technical field

PMP Certification

ISO/AS9100 knowledge

Tools

Microsoft Project

Job description

LIGHTERA has one of the longest and most respectable corporate lineages in American business, which goes back to Alexander Graham Bell and the invention of the telephone more than a century ago. We have a proven track record of being first in the industry with application specific fibers, optical connectors, ribbon cables, erbium doped fibers, Raman fiber lasers, fiber gratings and more. Our mission is to provide leading optical innovations and solutions by designing, manufacturing and supplying the best optical fibers, fiber cable and components and devices for our customers, with exceptional service that creates value for our shareholders, customers and employees. To do so, we must continue shaping the future of communications by applying the best minds to the challenges our customers will continually face.

We are seeking a Program Manager to join our Specialty division in Avon, CT and support continued business growth.

This position is responsible for planning and managing programs for new product development or product revisions, process improvements, or other business purposes with cross-functional teams based in the Avon facility as well as other Lightera locations. Deliver programs on time and within budget to meet or exceed customer requirements.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities Include

• Plan new projects and programs, including product development, process development or cost reduction, capital implementation, etc. Prepare gate reviews in collaboration with marketing or business development.
• Manage projects and programs. This includes:
  • Leading and documenting cross-functional team activities from planning through execution. Monitor and manage scope, risk, schedule, cost, and technical performance.
  • Plan for and obtain required resources, including prioritizing staffing resources and capital expenditures.
  • Act as the program champion and communicate program progress and problems to management.
  • Track product and program changes. Focus resources on resolving program issues and eliminating roadblocks when appropriate.
  • Maintain documentation of project activities in accordance with quality system procedures.
• Understand and adhere to internal and external quality system procedures as applicable. Provide guidance to the project team on the quality system if needed.
• Support sales and marketing in educating customer(s) and selling new products as needed.
• Collaborate with procurement and engineering to establish program supply chain. Monitor supplier delivery commitments and manage effects on project schedule.
• Identify internal and external customer needs to help align Lightera programs with the strategic direction of the business. May include aiding in the negotiation of contracts and contractual changes.
• Preparation of proposals, plans, specifications, and financial conditions of contract.
• Where appropriate, write program CERs and manage costs to meet the CER budget.
• Improve the program management process by capturing lessons learned from each program and institutionalizing best practices. Act as an advisor to program team regarding projects, tasks, and operations.
• Resolve conflicts as they arise both within your team and among key stakeholders to keep projects moving forward.
• The position requires an individual capable of and familiar with conducting difficult conversations e.g., discussing resource overloading, or killing a project that no longer provides value.

Key Qualifications Include

• B.S. degree in a technical field with 5-15 years of program management expertise across the full product life cycle within a phase-gate development process. Demonstrated experience managing multi-location scale-ups and complex technology transfers.
• Demonstrated leadership in facilitating and motivating a cross-functional team.
• Demonstrated ability to plan activities towards a goal in a logical sequence.
• Basic business finance awareness (ability to review a product cost model, ability to understand project cash flow).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Project strongly preferred
• Prior experience with optical fiber or cabling technology
• PMP Certification preferred.
• Experience working under ISO 9001, ISO 13485, or AS9100 quality system
• Experience interfacing with outside customers
• Excellent attention to detail

Working At LIGHTERA Means Having The Opportunity To Realize Ideas, Experience Innovation And Discover New Solutions For The Future. In Addition To Our Dynamic Work Environment, We Offer The Following For Our Employees

• Competitive salaries and generous benefits programs, including health, dental, vision and well-being.
• Company-sponsored 401(k) plan with a generous match and no vesting period.
• Tuition assistance, on-the-job training and opportunities for growth and advancement. We promote from within.
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) program and paid holidays.
• Casual work environment, PPE, safety eyeglass and shoe allowance.
• Clean, climate-controlled, modern facility with state of the art equipment.

Employees are expected to serve as role models for safe work practices and behaviors. This includes following established health and safety policies and procedures, maintaining a clean, organized work area, wearing, and properly storing all personal protective equipment (PPE), and actively engaging as a safety conscious worker with personal safety and wellness as a priority.

Note: Visa sponsorship not available. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States now and in the future. The company does not provide visa sponsorship or any immigration support (including STEM OPT training plan) for this position.

Lightera is a global leader in optical fiber and connectivity solutions, delivering innovative technologies that drive communication networks, data centers, and specialty photonics applications. With a deep legacy of expertise in optical science, we provide high-performance solutions that enable faster, more reliable, and more sustainable connections for businesses, communities, and industries worldwide.

Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, U.S.A., Lightera operates with a global footprint, serving customers across telecommunications, enterprise, industrial, generative AI, data centers, 5G/6G, utilities, medical, aerospace, defense, and sensing markets. Lightera is part of Furukawa Electric Group, a multi-billion-dollar leader in optical communications.

Lightera is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or status as an individual with a disability.