Request :
Estel is now looking for a Sales Director for Telecom Operators responsible for leading and expanding strategic sales activities with global and regional telecom carriers (Tier 1, Tier 2, and alternative operators). This role combines deep market understanding of optical networking with strong commercial leadership to drive revenue growth, secure long-term partnerships, and position the company as a preferred supplier of optical transceiver solutions.
The Sales Director will manage key accounts, develop strategic sales plans, coordinate cross-functional teams, and ensure successful execution of high-value commercial engagements.
This role is highly cross-functional, working closely with R&D, optics, electronics, reliability, and manufacturing teams to bring optical transceiver designs from prototype to mass production.
Key Responsibilities :
Strategic Sales Leadership
Develop and execute a comprehensive sales strategy targeting telecom operators globally or regionally.
Identify growth opportunities in 5G, FTTH, metro/core networks, data transport, coherent optics, and emerging technologies.
Lead full-cycle sales activities from opportunity identification to contract negotiation and closure.
Account Management & Customer Development
Own executive-level relationships with telecom operators, including procurement, engineering, and network strategy teams.
Build a multi-year account plan to increase share of wallet and strengthen vendor positioning.
Gather customer requirements and influence product roadmaps in alignment with operator needs.
Revenue & Pipeline Growth
Drive sales performance to meet or exceed revenue, margin, and volume targets.
Manage accurate forecasting, funnel management, and quarterly business reviews.
Lead the preparation of commercial proposals, RFQs/RFPs responses, and long-term supply agreements.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work closely with product management, engineering, marketing, operations, and executive leadership.
Translate customer requirements into clear technical and operational actions.
Coordinate with supply chain teams to optimize allocation, lead times, and delivery performance.
Market & Competitive Intelligence
Monitor market trends such as coherent evolution, 400G/800G transitions, pluggable optics, disaggregation, and ROADM architectures.
Track competitor positioning, pricing strategies, and technology roadmaps.
Provide insights to support strategic decisions and product differentiation.
Qualifications & Experience
Required
10+ years of sales experience in telecom, optical networking, or related telecom hardware sectors.
Proven success managing large accounts in Tier 1/Tier 2 operators.
Deep knowledge of optical transceivers, DWDM systems, coherent optics, switching/routing ecosystems, and operator procurement cycles.
Strong negotiation skills and ability to close multi-million-dollar contracts.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to manage C-level relationships.
Preferred
Experience in an optical module or photonics manufacturing company.
Understanding of technical standards (IEEE, ITU-T, OIF) and optical module form factors (SFP/SFP+, QSFP28/56/112/DD, CFP/CFP2/CFP4, OSFP).
Familiarity with global telecom infrastructure trends: 5G transport, broadband rollout, open/ disaggregated optical networks.
MBA or advanced business/technical degree.
Workplaces
Onsite or remote
Reporting
The Sales Director reports to the Sales Manager and C-level
Contact person
hr@e-s-tel.com
