Dallas, Texas
Location Flexibility: Multiple Locations in Country
Req Id: 8108
Posting Start Date: 5/13/26
Role SummaryThe Principal Strategist for the Photonics Systems Business Unit (PSBU) serves as the primary strategic thought partner to the Head of Strategy and PSBU leadership. The role operates deliberately in areas of high ambiguity and change-where PSBU must decide what to do next, not how to execute what is already decided. The role operates through continuous external sensing combined with episodic, high-leverage engagement on the most consequential and ambiguous strategic questions facing PSBU.
The Principal Strategist brings an external-in perspective, develops and pressure-tests strategic hypotheses, and shapes compelling strategic narratives that inform leadership decisions and portfolio direction. This role does not own strategy governance, planning cadence, or execution. Instead, it exists to sharpen PSBU's strategic thinking and decision quality in uncertain and emerging domains-upstream of formal plans, portfolios, and operating mechanisms.
Core Responsibilities1. Strategic Hypothesis Development- Develop, articulate, and have a position on strategic hypotheses across markets, buyers, technologies, and business models
- Explicitly frame assumptions, constraints, risks, and "what would have to be true" for strategic options to succeed
- Act as a constructive challenger to prevailing assumptions, legacy thinking, and implicit tradeoffs
2. Pressure-Testing and Narrative Shaping- Shape clear, credible strategic narratives that connect external market shifts, technology trends, and 1Finity differentiation
- Pressure-test narratives for resilience under scrutiny and recommend which narratives are most strategically defensible, including counter-arguments and investment implications
- Provide narrative input into executive strategy discussions, multi-year planning, and leadership readouts
3. Decision-Shaping Insight for Leadership- Frame strategic options, tradeoffs, and implications to enable leadership decision-making and offer a clearly reasoned recommendation
- Help convert ambiguity into actionable strategic choices, including clarifying where PSBU should not invest or compete, even when doing so challenges established plans or assumptions
- Influence decisions upstream-before they are embedded into plans, portfolios, or execution mechanisms
4. External-In Strategic Perspective- Maintain a continuous external view of buyer behavior, ecosystem dynamics, competitive moves, and technology inflection points to inform periodic, focused strategic interventions
- Frame competition at the strategic level, including who 1Finity truly competes with, on which dimensions (e.g., cost, power, risk, ecosystem, control), and why those dimensions matter under different buyer conditions
- Synthesize weak signals and emerging trends into insight relevant to PSBU's long-term direction
- Serve as a credible internal voice for how 1Finity is perceived by customers, partners, and the broader market
QualificationsRequired Profile- Senior, principal-level experience in strategy or business leadership, with responsibility for shaping direction
- Direct industry experience in optical networking and photonics systems, including optical hardware, control/management software, and switching / routing, with exposure to real product, portfolio, or architecture decisions
- Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in high-ambiguity environments where goals and constraints are not yet well defined, forming a defensible point of view and guiding decisions forward
- Ability to influence senior leaders through insight, framing, and narrative to take and defend a point of view, challenge assumptions, and shift thinking without formal authority
- Strong synthesis skills across technology, markets, and business models
- Background combining external market input (customers, partners, competitors, ecosystems) with internal strategy, enabling translation of market signal into strategic insight
As we are looking for a remote position, the disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. 1Finity aligns salaries to the specific geographic location in which the work is primarily performed. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the circumstances of each situation. The pay range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to: specific skills, qualifications, experience, and comparison to other employees already in this role. The pay range for this position is estimated at$154,840 to $247,744 USD. Additionally, this role may be eligible for a short-term incentive based on company results and individual performance.Relocation Supported: No
Visa Sponsorship Approved: No
