VP, Optical Engineering & Manufacturing

The Sr. Director / Vice President, Optical Engineering will be a senior engineering leader responsible for strategy, execution and NPI scale for Nokia’s Product and Solutions Engineering organization within the optical networking portfolio. With a strong focus on high-volume pluggable optical and line system products, this leader will enable the business to scale complex technologies from development into reliable, cost-effective, high-quality volume production.

The role will serve as the senior operational interface between engineering, supply chain, manufacturing partners, and business leadership, ensuring manufacturing readiness, production scalability, yield performance, quality, delivery, and cost competitiveness across a global footprint. The successful candidate will bring deep credibility in optical networking or adjacent high-tech manufacturing environments, combined with the executive presence and influencing capability required to lead through a complex global matrix.

• • Set the global manufacturing and operations strategy for optical networking products, with emphasis on high-volume pluggable solutions and complex optical systems.

• • Own strategic engagement with global contract manufacturing partners, including key partners across Southeast Asia, to ensure scalable capacity, quality discipline, cost competitiveness, and supply continuity.

• • Lead and coordinate all pre-GA ramp activities across R&D functions, including hardware, PV&T, firmware, and OSG, ensuring seamless manufacturing readiness for successful product launches.

• • Drive design for Manufacturing (DfM) strategies across hardware, firmware, test, calibration, supply chain, quality, and manufacturing engineering teams to optimize scalability, quality, cost, and speed to volume.

• • Define and influence manufacturing CAPEX investments to maximize operational efficiency, support scalable production capacity, and minimize long-term impact on COGS.

• • Establish manufacturing processes, operating mechanisms, test infrastructure, and governance frameworks capable of supporting production volumes in the millions of units annually.

• • Own the CP-to-C5 manufacturing lifecycle, leading post-GA manufacturing performance, yield improvement initiatives, FMA activities, workforce training, test-time optimization, QRBs, binning strategies, and continuous process improvement.

• • Oversee a global manufacturing ecosystem spanning development, testing, qualification, and production sites across North America, Europe, and Asia.

• • Build executive-level relationships with external suppliers, contract manufacturers, and ecosystem partners while maintaining rigorous standards of operational performance and accountability.

• • Provide strong leadership and governance across a complex matrix organization, ensuring accountability, driving timely decision-making, and influencing senior stakeholders to achieve critical business outcomes.

• Senior manufacturing and operations leader with extensive experience (15+ years) in optical networking, photonics, telecommunications hardware, semiconductor-adjacent technologies, or comparable high-tech manufacturing environments.
• Strong industry credibility and technical depth in optical components, pluggable technologies, and complex electro-optical systems
• Proven record of scaling complex products from new product introduction, engineering validation, and pre-GA ramp through high-volume global production.
• Deep expertise across manufacturing engineering, product industrialization, supplier strategy, quality systems, operational excellence, and production governance.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional global programs involving hardware, PV&T, firmware, OSG, supply chain, quality, and contract manufacturing partners.
• Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills with the ability to operate effectively in a global matrix environment.
• Ability to align senior leaders, create clear governance mechanisms, and hold stakeholders accountable for delivering manufacturing, quality, cost, and launch outcomes.
• High levels of resilience, credibility, executive presence, and leadership maturity.
• Experience working across geographically distributed teams and manufacturing ecosystems in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Success Factors

• Deliver scalable manufacturing operations capable of supporting significant growth in optical pluggables volumes, from pre-GA ramp through post-GA sustained production.
• Establish trusted partnerships with internal engineering organizations and external manufacturing partners.
• Drive operational efficiency, yield performance, test-time optimization, quality, cost, and delivery performance across the entire manufacturing value chain.
• Serve as a respected cross-functional leader who can align diverse stakeholders, enforce governance discipline, and execute complex global manufacturing programs with speed and accountability.