Portfolio Manager - Advanced Connector Termination Technologies (ACTT)

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 $3B 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.

 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 Portfolio Manager is responsible for driving portfolio operations for the Data Center business unit’s automation initiatives. Partnering closely with the ACTT Leader and BU Engineering, this role runs the portfolio’s operating machinery: portfolio planning, investment visibility, prioritization, governance, resource alignment, and executive reporting across multiple concurrent programs and workstreams. The Portfolio Manager provides the structure, insights, and reporting needed to help leadership make informed decisions on sequencing, capacity, and investment, while also establishing consistent portfolio management practices that improve execution and scalability across the portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day portfolio coordination for multiple concurrent automation initiatives within the Data Center business unit.


• Maintain portfolio visibility across priorities, timelines, interdependencies, resource needs, and key risks.


• Track portfolio spend against plan, identify variances, and prepare recommendations to support leadership decision-making.


• Partner with Business Operations, Finance, and engineering leaders to develop, sequence, and monitor ACTT capital requests in alignment with business plans and review cycles.


• Facilitate portfolio governance, including milestone reviews, stage-gate readiness, status reporting, and risk and issue management.


• Coordinate cross-functional dependencies to ensure initiatives remain aligned with broader business unit objectives, roadmaps, and shared commitments.


• Support portfolio prioritization and sequencing by providing clear insight into capacity constraints, tradeoffs, and execution risks.


• Monitor staffing and resourcing plans and escalate potential gaps, conflicts, or over-commitments.


• Manage external partner deliverables, timelines, and follow-through to support portfolio execution.


• Develop and maintain executive-level dashboards, reports, and presentations for business and finance leadership.


• Establish, standardize, and continuously improve portfolio management processes, tools, templates, and reporting practices.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, business, or related field (or equivalent experience).


• 8+ years of relevant experience, including 4+ years in portfolio, program, or project management.


• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives and lead cross‑functional teams without direct authority.


• Strong financial, analytical, and problem-solving skills, including experience with budget or capital tracking, forecasting, and risk management.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare clear executive-level updates and presentations.


• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in engineering, manufacturing, automation, R&D, or other technical product development environments.


• Familiarity with manufacturing automation and capital project management.


• Working knowledge of stage‑gate or portfolio governance frameworks.


• Experience building dashboards and reports in Power BI or similar reporting tools.


• Experience working with external suppliers, integrators, or other third-party partners in support of program execution.

Personal Qualities

• Initiative – willingness to take on additional responsibilities.


• Teamwork – works effectively in a cross-functional team environment.


• Communication – possess strong written and verbal skills.


• Flexible - detail oriented and able to quickly adapt under pressure to meet deadlines.

Working Conditions

• Office & Lab Environment


• Hybrid work flexibility aligned with business needs


• Occasional travel to development labs and manufacturing sites