Product Specialist

Marketing Raleigh, North Carolina

Position at Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp.

The Product Specialist is responsible for serving as a subject matter expert for their assigned products, bridging the gap between development, sales, marketing, and customer service teams. The products assigned to this role will be fiber optic connector products used in the physical infrastructure layer of fiber optic networks. This role involves understanding the technical and functional aspects of the product, supporting sales efforts, educating customers on product benefits, conducting market research, and helping drive product improvements to align with market demand and customer feedback.

Develop an in-depth understanding of assigned products, including specifications, features, and benefits. As fiber optic connectors are part of the physical layer of the network, the necessary specifications will be industry standards related to fiber optic connectors, company product specifications, and installation manuals for each product.
Hands-on demonstrations to show proper techniques of product installation to other members of the company and customers.
Trouble shoot potential product issues and either immediately resolve minor issues or report and escalate more serious issues encountered by customers.
Stay updated on industry trends, competitor products, and emerging technologies related to the product.
Act as an internal resource to train employees and external resource to guide customers about product offerings.
Collaborate with customer service and sales team members to identify customer needs and recommend appropriate product solutions.
Provide pre- and post-sales support, including addressing technical questions or concerns.
Gather user feedback for product enhancement and customer satisfaction.

Proven experience within product management, applications engineering, development engineering or equivalent with specific knowledge of fiber optic connectors preferred.
An understanding of mechanical devices, materials, and basic physics is required. Experience with physical product development/engineering is preferred.
Hands-on demonstration skills are required to show the proper techniques of product installation to other members of the company and customers.
Trouble shooting skills are required for evaluating potential product issues and either immediately resolving minor issues or reporting and escalating more serious issues encountered by customers.
Ability to translate technical concepts into user-friendly terms for diverse audiences.
Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.
Excellent presentation and writing skills.
Extremely well organized and must be able to multi-task.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.