Location: San Jose, CA

The Sales Director, Data Center Solutions, will drive Semtech’s revenue growth and market share in the hyperscale and enterprise data center segment, with a primary focus on Semtech CopperEdge™, FiberEdge™, and Tri-Edge™ solutions, along with emerging high-speed connectivity offerings. Leveraging deep knowledge of data center architectures, the Sales Director will develop and execute comprehensive sales strategies that deliver revenue growth, build strong relationships with strategic customers, and outperform competitors. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of successfully leading large-scale sales efforts in the semiconductor or networking industry and be passionate about delivering cutting-edge connectivity solutions for modern data centers.

Responsibilities:

Sales Strategy & Leadership (60%)

• Develop and Execute Sales Plans: Create and implement a multi-year sales roadmap targeting hyperscale cloud providers, enterprise data centers, and HPC system integrators. Ensure alignment with broader corporate objectives and product roadmaps (400G, 800G, and 1.6T).

• Identify High-Potential Opportunities: Evaluate and target strategic relationships with industry-leading cloud service providers, data center equipment manufacturers, and HPC system integrators, building robust go-to-market strategies for next-generation connectivity (400G, 800G, 1.6T).

• Customer & Partner Engagement: Forge and maintain senior-level relationships with Tier 1 and Tier 2 data center operators, optical transceiver and copper cable OEMs, HPC solutions providers, and large-scale enterprise clients, positioning Semtech’s products—including CopperEdge™, FiberEdge™, and Tri-Edge™—as the top choice for high-speed, power-efficient connectivity.

• Competitive Positioning: Lead major contract negotiations and cultivate strategic collaborations with OEMs and ODMs, ensuring Semtech maintains a competitive edge against key market players while maximizing design wins.

• Product Roadmap Alignment: Collaborate with product management and R&D teams to align product features (e.g., ultra-low power consumption, optimized signal integrity) with evolving data center requirements, influencing future product definitions and launch strategies.

• Team Leadership: Recruit, train, and mentor a high-performing sales team focused on data center accounts. Foster an environment of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Key Account & Partner Management (20%)

• Strategic Customer Engagement: Cultivate executive-level relationships at key accounts (Tier 1 and Tier 2 cloud providers, global networking OEMs, optical transceiver and copper cable OEMs, HPC/AI infrastructure companies), ensuring Semtech is positioned as a preferred partner.

• Pipeline Management & Forecasting: Oversee the entire sales funnel—from prospecting and initial engagement to contract negotiations and closure—utilizing CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce) to provide accurate forecasts and pipeline visibility.

• Negotiation & Contract Closure: Lead or support complex deal negotiations, ensuring mutual value for both Semtech and the customer. Work closely with legal and finance teams to finalize commercial terms.

• Channel & Partner Ecosystem: Collaborate with distributors, system integrators, and module/connector/cable partners to expand market reach, improve product adoption, and address new data center design challenges.

Collaboration & Cross-Functional Engagement (10%)

• Coordination with Product Teams: Partner with Product Management, R&D, and FAEs to ensure that evolving customer requirements—such as more efficient PAM4 designs or AI-driven data center needs—are integrated into Semtech’s product roadmap.

• Sales Enablement: Work closely with Marketing and FAEs to develop sales collateral, training modules, and technical demonstrations that highlight Semtech’s unique value proposition in data center connectivity.

• Voice of Customer (VoC): Provide structured customer feedback on features, performance needs, and roadmap suggestions to ensure Semtech remains at the forefront of data center innovation.

Reporting & Performance Metrics (10%)

• KPIs & Targets: Define, monitor, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs), including revenue growth, design wins, and market share gains in the data center segment.

• Sales Analytics & Reporting: Leverage CRM data to generate regular status reports for executive leadership, highlighting pipeline progression, wins, losses, and competitive threats.

• Strategic Recommendations: Present data-driven insights and recommendations to senior leadership regarding emerging market opportunities, competitor activity, and potential areas for strategic investment.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical field (MBA or advanced technical degree preferred).

• Experience:

• 15+ years of progressive sales leadership experience in the semiconductor or networking industries, with a focus on high-speed connectivity solutions.

• Proven success in negotiating and closing multi-million-dollar deals with hyperscale cloud providers, enterprise data centers, or HPC integrators.

• Demonstrated ability to outperform competition (e.g., MACOM) through differentiated product positioning and deep customer relationships.

• Technical Acumen: Solid understanding of signal integrity challenges, optical/copper interconnects, and data center standards (IEEE 802.3), particularly for 400G, 800G, and emerging 1.6T architectures.

• Leadership & Collaboration: exceptional team-building, coaching, and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.

• CRM Proficiency: Skilled in the use of Salesforce or similar CRM systems to manage pipelines, forecast revenues, and track performance metrics.

• Travel: willingness to travel domestically and internationally for customer engagements, industry events, and internal business meetings.

Desired Qualifications

• Advanced Degree: Master’s or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Optoelectronics, or a related field.

• Industry Network: Established relationships with executives and technical teams at leading data center operators, server/storage OEMs, or HPC ecosystem partners.

• Competitive Insight: Familiarity with key competitor’s product portfolio (e.g. Macom, Marvell, Credo), including strategies to articulate Semtech’s unique selling points.

• Standards & Industry Involvement: Participation in relevant consortia (OIF, IEEE, OCP) and an understanding of the impact of standards on future data center designs.

• Product Expertise: Previous exposure to Semtech’s CopperEdge™, Tri-Edge™, or similar high-speed connectivity solutions; direct experience providing technical or commercial support to data center-focused accounts.

The intent of this job description is to describe the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Incumbents may be required to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically included in this description.

All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an EEO employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace.

A reasonable estimate of the pay range for this position is $138,000-$198,000. There are several factors taken into consideration in determining base salary, including but not limited to: job-related qualifications, skills, education, and experience, as well as job location and the value of other elements of an employee’s total compensation package.