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.
At Ciena, we are driven by our mission to create a more connected, intelligent, and human digital future. As a global leader in high‑speed networking, we build world‑class technology—while nurturing a culture that puts people first. Our teams thrive in an environment that balances innovation, growth, and belonging. Join us and help shape the digital backbone powering the world’s most essential networks.
As CIO, become the strategic technology leader who enables Ciena’s next era of growth, agility, and differentiated performance. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, this role sets the vision and strategy for all enterprise technology and digital capabilities while partnering closely with R&D, Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and the Executive Leadership Team.
How You Will Contribute:
• Drive an enterprise‑wide technology strategy and roadmap that accelerates revenue growth, margin expansion, product velocity, and operational excellence
• Advise the Executive Leadership Team and Board by translating complex technologies into clear business outcomes and return on investment
• Lead global infrastructure strategy and operations across cloud, on‑premises, high‑performance computing labs, and low‑latency networks supporting a distributed workforce
• Oversee the full enterprise applications portfolio, promoting simplification, user experience, and adoption of productivity‑enhancing tools including modern AI platforms
• Shape and govern Ciena’s next‑generation enterprise AI strategy, enabling responsible use across engineering, analytics, operations, and customer‑facing knowledge systems
• Establish a modern enterprise architecture that supports scale, acquisition integration, data quality, and real‑time decision intelligence
• Champion world‑class cybersecurity, zero‑trust principles, and compliance across SOX, ISO 27001, GDPR, and global data‑sovereignty requirements
The Must Haves:
• 15+ years of progressive technology leadership experience with 7+ years as CIO, CTO, or senior IT executive in a global technology or telecommunications‑related company
• Expertise leading enterprise IT in engineering‑centric environments with complex R&D lab infrastructure and a large remote workforce
• Deep knowledge across cloud infrastructure, high‑performance compute environments, enterprise applications, modern architecture, data platforms, and AI adoption at scale
• Demonstrated ability to influence and engage C‑suite and Board stakeholders through business storytelling, financial acumen, and measurable outcomes
• Experience managing large global IT budgets and achieving efficiency gains without compromising performance or security
• Strong vendor negotiation background across hyperscalers, service providers, and enterprise SaaS ecosystems
• Proven success building and leading diverse, high‑performing global teams
Nice to Haves:
• Experience within networking, optical systems, semiconductor, or data‑center technology environments
• Background driving enterprise‑wide digital transformation or modernization initiatives
• Prior leadership overseeing large‑scale cloud migrations or hybrid/multi‑cloud architectures
• Familiarity with AI governance frameworks and responsible‑AI operating models
• Exposure to M&A‑related technology integration and enterprise‑architecture rationalization
• Master's degree or MBA
Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community to get relevant job alerts straight to your inbox.
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.
Similar Jobs
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.
Gallery
