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.
This role drives growth by expanding and empowering Ciena’s value‑added reseller ecosystem across Japan. It strengthens Ciena’s position in the market by developing high‑impact partnerships, enabling joint go‑to‑market motions, and accelerating adoption of Ciena’s portfolio.
How you will make an impact:
• Manage and grow Value‑Added Reseller (VAR) partnerships through joint business planning and regular business reviews
• Drive partner sales performance through forecasting, sales planning, and coordinated selling
• Expand partner capability and readiness through Ciena program benefits and enablement initiatives
• Develop and execute joint go‑to‑market strategies that strengthen market presence
• Position Ciena’s value proposition and solutions effectively across partner ecosystems
• Implement partner‑focused marketing programs to increase awareness, demand, and opportunity creation
• Ensure compliance with Ciena’s CPNe program while coordinating internal resources to support operational and sales objectives
The must haves:
• 5–8+ years of experience in partner management, sales, or business development within IT or telecommunications sectors
• Proven relationships across top‑tier VARs and a broad partner ecosystem
• Demonstrated experience executing go‑to‑market strategies and partner enablement programs
• Strong relationship‑building, negotiation, and cross‑functional collaboration skills
• Ability to influence in a matrixed, multi‑country environment
• Strong business acumen supported by excellent communication and project management capability
• Proven track record of driving partners to meet or exceed sales quotas
Nice to haves:
• MBA or equivalent experience
• Technical bachelor’s degree
• Familiarity with partner program governance and policies
• Experience working with Service Providers and Enterprise market System Integrators
• Knowledge of network operator sales and telecommunications technologies
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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
- 5-8+ years of experience in partner management, sales, or business development within IT or telecommunications sectors
- Proven relationships across top-tier VARs and a broad partner ecosystem
- Demonstrated experience executing go-to-market strategies and partner enablement programs
- Strong relationship-building, negotiation, and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Ability to influence in a matrixed, multi-country environment
- Strong business acumen supported by excellent communication and project management capability
- Proven track record of driving partners to meet or exceed sales quotas
- MBA or equivalent experience
- Technical bachelor's degree
- Familiarity with partner program governance and policies
- Experience working with Service Providers and Enterprise market System Integrators
- Knowledge of network operator sales and telecommunications technologies
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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