Optical System Senior Manager at Lumentum in San Jose, CA

Optical System Senior Manager Location: USA - CA - San Jose (Ridder) It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business. If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us! We are seeking a senior technical leader to define and drive the system architecture for next-generation optical pluggable modules and advanced photonic packaging solutions supporting 1.6T and beyond. This role spans both IMDD and coherent technologies, enabling the next wave of AI networking and hyperscale data center interconnects. Key Responsibilities Define and own the end-to-end system architecture for advanced optical modules, ensuring scalability, performance, and manufacturability across IMDD and coherent platforms. Lead cross-functional technical execution across link modeling, RF and optical design, electronics design, process development, reliability, and performance optimization. Partner closely with DSP, PIC, and EIC vendors—as well as customer architecture teams—to define system requirements, align technology roadmaps, and ensure seamless multi-component integration. Drive technical trade-off discussions and system-level design decisions that balance performance, cost, power, and manufacturability. Provide deep technical leadership across modeling, simulation, hardware bring-up, and validation to ensure best-in-class system performance. Skills & Experience Strong, hands-on expertise in direct-detect and coherent optical communication systems, including link budgets, system margin analysis, and network-level performance considerations. Demonstrated leadership in directing cross-functional engineering teams, setting technical strategy, driving execution, and delivering complex programs on schedule. Deep understanding of high-speed optical module components, including DSPs, drivers, TIAs, lasers, MZMs, EMLs, and photodetectors. Exceptional system-level analytical skills, with the ability to model and quantify the impacts of impairments such as noise, crosstalk, nonlinearity, reflections, and chromatic dispersion. Experience with high-speed hardware development, including RF modeling, signal integrity, design trade-offs, and process-technology constraints. Proficiency with key engineering tools, including: MATLAB, Python – data analysis, algorithm development, system and link simulations ADS, HFSS – RF and electromagnetic modeling VPI – optical link simulation Pay Range: P80-USA-1 :$145,550.00 - $207,900.00 Disclaimer: Final base salary for the successful candidate will depend on multiple factors, including but not limited to, job location, where work will be performed, qualifications, work history and relevant experience. With our continual goal of making Lumentum a best place to work for our employees, we strive to offer employees competitive total compensation packages, which may include annual bonus, commission for certain sales roles, equity, and health and welfare benefits.