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 $2B in revenue, and employ approximately 11,000 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.

What We Offer:

• A hybrid in office schedule for qualifying employees
• Flexible time off policy
• 401K Company match (up to 4% - dollar for dollar)
• Professional development, training, and tuition reimbursement programs
• Excellent medical, dental, vision, and life insurance policy options
• Opportunities for career advancement with an industry leading company!

The energy landscape is undergoing a structural transformation. Aging transmission and distribution infrastructure must absorb unprecedented load growth from electrification and AI-driven data centers, integrate variable renewable generation at scale, and harden against extreme weather and physical threats — all while operating reliably across a converging grid that no longer operates siloed between electric utility front-of-the-meter (FTM) and non-utility behind-the-meter (BTM) systems.

AFL is seeking a “Grid Technology Strategy Manager – Energy” to define and drive AFL's grid-wide technology strategy across this full FTM-to-BTM spectrum. This role serves as the Energy Business Unit's (BU) principal technology strategist within Market Development, translating macro grid trends, Utility, Independent Power Producer (IPP), and large load investment patterns, regulatory shifts, and emerging architectures into a coherent technology roadmap, intellectual property (IP) strategy, and brand position for AFL's portfolio of optical, electrical, and power-delivery solutions.

This is a high-influence role with significant cross-functional reach. The successful candidate will shape what AFL builds, where to invest, how AFL's grid technology story is told, and how AFL's innovation is protected — directly informing and partnering with product line management, engineering, corporate strategy, and business leadership.

Responsibilities

Grid Technology Strategy & Market Intelligence

• Own AFL's grid-wide technology strategy & definitive view of FTM and BTM grids, spanning transmission, distribution, substation, renewables, distributed energy resources (DER), microgrids, and large load power delivery.
• Translate utility, IPP, EPC, and large load trends into prioritized technology bets.
• Monitor regulatory and standards activity (FERC, NERC, IEEE, IEC, ANSI, state PUCs, ISO/RTO interconnection queues, NESC) and assess strategic and product implications.
• Build and maintain a competitive technology landscape map covering OEM competitors, emerging entrants, and adjacent-industry disruptors; identify opportunities & threats to action.
• Establish and maintain key technology assumptions which influence AFL’s market & demand modeling in AFL’s Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes.
• Lead primary technology research through customer interviews, utility R&D engagements, lab partnerships, and conference intelligence.

Intellectual Property & Innovation Strategy

• Define and steward AFL's grid-technology IP strategy in partnership with engineering & legal — covering patents, trade secrets, defensive publications, and licensing posture.
• Partner with engineering leadership to build & maintain Energy BU’s invention pipeline; participate/lead invention disclosure reviews and prioritize filings against strategic technology themes.
• Evaluate third-party IP, technology licensing opportunities, and standards-essential patent positions; recommend acquire/license/design-around strategies.
• Track competitor patent activity and surface inflection signals to product and engineering leadership.

Product Roadmap Inputs & Solution Definition

• Provide the principal Market Development input into AFL Energy’s product line roadmaps, grounded in grid architecture evolution rather than incremental product extensions.
• Partner with Product Line Management (PLM) to develop technology requirement frameworks for both new & existing grid solutions – both FTM & BTM.
• Partner with PLM to define solution architectures, system-level value propositions, and reference designs that span AFL's optical &