Sales Manager - High-Speed Optical Transceivers (Hyperscaler Focus)
Location: Bay Area
Type: Full time
Compensation: Competitive base + performance bonus
Role summary
We're building a new high-speed optical transceiver business for AI data center hyperscalers. As Sales Manager, you'll run day-to-day execution for a focused set of target accounts and opportunities, driving pipeline creation, stakeholder alignment, pilots, and early production commitments. You'll work closely with the Sales Director, Product Director, and Technical/Marketing teams to translate technical requirements into compelling commercial motion.
Key responsibilities
- Own a defined territory/account set and drive a consistent pipeline generation plan.
- Create and manage qualified opportunities from discovery through proposal and close (design-win/pilot pathways preferred).
- Coordinate hyperscaler technical engagement: align architecture, evaluation timelines, interoperability/test needs, and pilot success criteria.
- Partner with Product Marketing and Technical Marketing to develop account-specific messaging and ROI narratives.
- Build account plans and maintain strong executive/technical stakeholder relationships at target customers.
- Support pricing, packaging, and deal structuring; ensure commercial proposals align with margin and product readiness.
- Maintain accurate CRM hygiene and forecasting (opportunity stage management, pipeline coverage, close probability).
- Identify risks and remove blockers by coordinating cross-functionally (Product, Engineering, Supply Chain/Ops, Finance).
- Participate in partner/system-integrator motions when relevant (OEM/ODM, SIs).
Qualifications (3-5 years)
- 3-5 years of quota-carrying B2B sales experience selling networking/hardware or related infrastructure products (optics/transceivers strongly preferred).
- Experience selling into data center / cloud / enterprise IT environments with multi-stakeholder buying processes.
- Demonstrated success building pipeline and closing opportunities (pilots, production commitments, or meaningful contracts).
- Ability to learn technical product content quickly and communicate value to both technical and business stakeholders.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting internally and with customer teams.
- Proficiency with CRM tools and disciplined forecasting habits.
- Minimum education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Engineering, Physics, Optics, Business, Communications, or a related field.
Preferred
- Experience with pluggable optics, CPO, Silicon Photonics, or adjacent data center networking hardware.
- Familiarity with technical evaluation cycles (interoperability testing, procurement timelines, qualification paths).
- Experience working closely with product and engineering teams to shape commercialization.
Success metrics (first 6-12 months)
- Maintain healthy pipeline coverage for assigned accounts (as defined by Sales Director).
- Secure initial pilots/evaluations with targeted hyperscaler accounts.
- Convert a meaningful share of qualified opportunities to proposals and closes as products ramp.
- Demonstrate reliable forecasting accuracy and improved funnel health over time.
Organizational context & interactions
- Reports to: Chief Marketing Officer.
- Close partners: Product Director, Product Marketing/Technical Marketing, Solution/System/Applications Engineering, Supply Chain/Ops, Finance, and external partners where needed.
Keywords (ATS)
Sales Manager, Enterprise Sales, Hyperscaler, Data Center Networking, Optical Transceivers, Pluggable Optics, Coherent Optics (optional), Design Win, Pipeline Creation, Technical Selling, Account Management, CRM, Forecasting, B2B Hardware Sales
