Product Line Enablement Manager

AFL manufactures industry-leading fiber optic cable, connectivity and accessories and provides engineering and installation services for some of the largest telecom customers in the world. Our company was founded in 1984 with a single fiber optic cable and today, we manufacture thousands of products, generate an excess of $4B in revenue, and employ approximately 12,000 associates worldwide. At AFL, we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset. We hire and train each individual, investing in them to ensure success in their careers. With a commitment to professional development and growth, let us connect you to your next career opportunity.

The Product Line Enablement Manager leads two core pillars for the Product Line Manager (PLM) organization: people development and operational governance.

• On the people side, this role owns Associate Product Line Manager (APLM) onboarding, structured development programming, and the mentor program ensuring every APLM has clear readiness criteria, checkpoints, and a consistent path to expanded PLM responsibility.
• On the process side, this role owns PLM process documentation and standard operating procedures building and continuously improving how the PLM team operates — and owns day-to-day execution within select processes, such as contract review routing and RFQ workflows.

This role manages a small team and reports to the Business Operations Director, partnering closely with PLMs to translate leadership direction into scalable programs, documentation, and measurable checkpoints that support a high-performing PLM organization.

• Lead the execution of a structured development program that prepares Associate Product Line Managers (APLMs) for expanded Product Line Manager (PLM) responsibilities.
• Continuously enhance the development framework by defining and monitoring clear readiness criteria and checkpoints.
• Ensure consistency of development standards across regions, categories, and product lines.
• Adapt the program as organizational needs evolve, including supporting broader PM skill-building if no APLMs are active or flexing into other Business Operations priorities as team needs shift.

• Own end-to-end onboarding for all new APLM hires, building structured plans that outline role expectations, systems exposure, and functional integration milestones.
• Partner with Senior PLMs to implement and further develop a structured mentor program with defined responsibilities.

• Create intake, escalation, and prioritization workflows for tactical requests including supply chain escalations, part number setup coordination, lead-time requests, returns/complaint visibility, cross-functional execution support, and forecast/backlog coordination.
• Establish periodic status updates and clear escalation triggers so Product Line Managers stay informed on transitioned work without owning its day-to-day execution.
• Write, update, and maintain Product Line Manager processes, standard operating procedures, and training materials.
• Translate Director-level direction into clear, documented workflows.
• Identify documentation gaps and implement process improvements.

• Serve as the day-to-day point of contact for contract review routing and RFQ workflows.
• Partner with Product Line Managers to ensure deliverables meet defined quality and documentation standards.
• Serve as an operational liaison between Product Management and key cross-functional stakeholders during onboarding or process changes.

• Bachelor's degree in business, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or related field
• 4-6+ years of experience in business operations, product management, or a related field, including experience training, mentoring, or developing early-career professionals
• Experience designing or documenting structured onboarding, training, or development programs
• Strong written communication skills, particularly for process documentation and SOPs
• Experience partnering with cross-functional stakeholders (Product Management, Sales, Supply Chain)

• Optical networking or telecommunications product/industry/technical acumen

Familiarity with documentation/quality systems (e.g., ETQ)

• Environment: Office-based with flexible hybrid work arrangements
• Travel: Occasional travel (domestic or international) as needed.