Senior Manager, Product Applications

Job Title

Senior Manager, Product Applications

Role Summary

Lead Semtech’s Global Applications Engineering organization for high-speed optical connectivity, owning the full applications lifecycle from standards engagement and product definition through launch, customer enablement, and post-sales support. The role spans North America and Europe and requires close partnership with product, design, sales, and field engineering teams.

Primary focus areas include customer technical leadership for datacenter optical systems, ecosystem partnerships with photonics and module vendors, and active participation in industry standards bodies.

Experience Level

Senior — requires substantial technical and managerial experience. Posting requests 8+ years of progressive experience in semiconductor, optical communications, high-speed analog IC, or related applications engineering environments.

Responsibilities

Lead the global Applications Engineering function and drive customer and ecosystem outcomes. Key responsibilities include:

• Own the Applications Engineering lifecycle: standards engagement, product definition, planning, launch, customer enablement, technical escalations, and post-sales support, maintaining product status and executive visibility.
• Develop strategic technical partnerships with PIC vendors, photodiode suppliers, module manufacturers, and silicon photonics integrators to enable interoperable solutions and co-development.
• Recruit, mentor, and manage a high-performing, distributed Applications Engineering team across the US, Canada, and UK; coordinate with regional FAE teams including China.
• Act as senior technical escalation for strategic datacenter and optical customers, coordinating Sales, Product, Marketing, and Design Engineering to secure design wins.
• Represent Semtech in standards organizations (OIF, IEEE 802.3, XPO-MSA, 400G Optical MSA, 200G LPO MSA) through submissions, measurements, and interoperability work.
• Coordinate cross-functional delivery of customer-enablement tools: GUI software, embedded firmware, and hardware evaluation platforms.
• Represent the company at industry conferences and technical forums to reinforce Semtech’s position in high-speed optical connectivity.

Requirements

Essential technical and leadership qualifications. Must-have items are listed first; nice-to-have items follow.

• Must-have: 8+ years progressive experience in semiconductor, optical communications, high-speed analog IC, or related applications engineering roles.
• Must-have: Proven experience leading and managing globally distributed technical engineering teams.
• Must-have: Deep expertise in high-speed signal integrity, optical communications systems, optical link budgets, and analog/mixed-signal architectures.
• Must-have: Hands-on experience with high-speed test and measurement equipment (BERT/PPG, oscilloscopes, VNAs, optical power meters, spectrum analyzers).
• Must-have: Demonstrated participation in industry standards or MSA working groups and experience collaborating with optical component vendors (PIC, photodiode, silicon photonics, module suppliers).
• Must-have: Experience owning the applications lifecycle from product definition through customer support and driving cross-functional delivery of software, firmware, and hardware evaluation platforms.
• Must-have: Python or equivalent scripting for automation and data analysis; strong communication and presentation skills; ability to operate across global time zones.
• Nice-to-have: Established industry reputation, contributions to standards or interoperability demonstrations, experience with hyperscale datacenter or AI infrastructure customers, and commercial stakeholder management skills.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Engineering Physics, or a closely related discipline is required. Advanced degree (MSc, MEng, or PhD) preferred. No alternative "equivalent experience" language specified in the posting.

About the Company

Company: Semtech

Headquarters: Camarillo, California, USA

Semtech Corporation is a high-performance semiconductor company providing IoT systems and Cloud connectivity solutions. The company focuses on delivering innovative technology solutions that support a smarter, more connected, and sustainable planet, with a dedication to quality across infrastructure, industrial, and consumer markets.