As the global leader in high-speed connectivity, Ciena is committed to a people-first approach. Our teams enjoy a culture focused on prioritizing a flexible work environment that empowers individual growth, well-being, and belonging. We’re a technology company that leads with our humanity—driving our business priorities alongside meaningful social, community, and societal impact.
The Category Lead plays a key role in developing and executing global strategic sourcing initiatives across indirect spend categories. The position contributes to cost optimization, supplier performance, and compliance while aligning procurement strategies with business objectives. Success in this role drives operational efficiency, stakeholder value, and continuous improvement across the procurement function.
How you will make an impact:
• Develop and implement category strategies for assigned indirect spend categories, including technical and engineering teams, Capex, and MRO.
• Conduct market analysis, supplier identification, and spend analysis to identify cost savings and process improvement opportunities.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing activities, including RFI/RFP development, vendor evaluation, contract negotiation, and supplier selection.
• Build relationships with internal stakeholders to align procurement activities with business requirements.
• Manage supplier performance, contract compliance, and supplier issue resolution.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives utilizing procurement best practices and technology solutions.
• Develop and present category performance, savings, and key metric reporting to leadership.
The must haves:
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field. MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in indirect procurement or strategic sourcing roles.
• Experience: 3+ years in category management.
• Proven track record of delivering cost savings and process efficiencies.
• Strong negotiation skills and application of procurement contract management.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships with stakeholders and suppliers.
• Utilization of procurement software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and legal and commercial procurement contract processes, including DocuSign.
Nice to haves:
• Ability to work independently and within a team environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Presentation skills supporting stakeholder engagement and reporting.
Pay Range:
The salary range for this role in Ottawa is: $84, 700 - $135, 300 CAD
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Pay ranges at Ciena are designed to accommodate variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions, and locations, reflecting our diverse products, industries, and lines of business. Please note that the pay range information provided in this posting pertains specifically to the primary location, which is the top location listed in case multiple locations are available.
Non-Sales employees may be eligible for a discretionary incentive bonus, while Sales employees may be eligible for a sales commission. In addition to competitive compensation, Ciena offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, participation in 401(K) (USA) & DCPP (Canada) with company matching, Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), company-paid holidays, paid sick leave, and vacation time. We also comply with all applicable laws regarding Paid Family Leave and other leaves of absence.
At Ciena, we are committed to building and fostering an environment in which our employees feel respected, valued, and heard. Ciena values the diversity of its workforce and respects its employees as individuals. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination.
Ciena is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.
If contacted in relation to a job opportunity, please advise Ciena of any accommodation measures you may require.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field.
- MBA or advanced degree
- 5+ years progressive experience in indirect procurement or strategic sourcing, with at least 3 years in category management.
- Proven track record of delivering significant cost savings and driving process efficiencies.
- Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
- Proficiency in procurement software (e.g., Coupa) and Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel and PowerPoint).
- Strong understanding of legal and commercial aspects of procurement contracts (DocuSign).
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
Ciena Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Ciena and has not been reviewed or approved by Ciena.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is often characterized as competitive or above-market in certain roles and regions, with references to market-aligned salary ranges and transparency around pay bands.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is frequently framed as comprehensive, including medical, dental, and vision, with indications that coverage can extend to dependents and is viewed as a meaningful component of total rewards.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off offerings are described as flexible and generous, including Flex/uncapped PTO in many cases and additional paid time for volunteering.
Ciena Insights
What We Do
Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) is a global leader in networking systems, services, and software. We build the world’s most adaptive networks to enable our customers to deliver richer, more connected experiences for all users. At our core, Ciena is a company rooted in people. We prioritize deep, collaborative relationships within our teams and alongside our customers, partners, and communities around the world. For three-plus decades, we’ve brought our humanity to our relentless pursuit of innovation. We continue to lead the evolution of networking with a strong track record of industry firsts. As end-user expectations skyrocket, our customers and their networks must transform. Ciena powers this transformation by driving next-generation solutions built for maximum openness and agility—today and into the future. Corporate/Brand Values: • Customer First • Integrity • Velocity • Innovation • Outstanding People We're the perfect size for you to make an impact. W Only Ciena has the depth of expertise and the culture of collaboration and partnership required to help our partners evolve. We do this by strategically integrating hardware, services, and software in an open environment to ensure our clients’ networks are ‘fit for flexibility’ today and into the f
Why Work With Us
We are known for our industry-firsts, including the first coherent optical solution, converged packet-optical platform, and intelligence automation platform. Our commitment extends beyond innovation, logging in over 35,000 volunteer hours and $2 million to worthy causes in 2023. We're the perfect size and culture for you to make a difference.
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