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.
As a Software Engineer with Blue Planet, a division of Ciena, this role drives the development of reliable, high‑quality software solutions that power intelligent, automated, and adaptive networks. Working within the Blue Planet team offers the opportunity to solve complex networking challenges, collaborate across disciplines, and deliver software that enables customers to design, orchestrate, and optimize their networks at scale.
How you will make an impact:
• Analyze project and phase-level requirements to define clear, actionable technical specifications.
• Gather and refine requirements for integrations, including third-party and Blue Planet ecosystem systems.
• Develop and maintain requirement documentation across phases of the project lifecycle for Blue Planet solutions.
• Translate requirements into structured work tasks and ensure timely, high-quality delivery in collaboration with the Blue Planet team.
• Collaborate with project managers, team leads, and cross-functional stakeholders to drive optimal technical solutions.
• Review test plans and user guides for accuracy and completeness across integrations and project phases.
• Support continuous improvement by applying structured, process-oriented development practices aligned with Ciena standards.
The must haves:
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience (+)
• 3+ years of industry experience in professional software development (+)
• Strong proficiency in Java (+)
• Hands-on experience with relational databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Oracle (+)
• Extensive knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and multithreaded programming (+)
• Strong communication skills in written and spoken English (+)
• Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality work in structured software development environments (+)
Nice to haves:
• Experience with Angular, Node.js, or REST API development
• Exposure to Neo4j, Akka, Kafka, Docker, or Kubernetes
• Knowledge of Python or Shell scripting
• Working experience with Agile or Waterfall methodologies
• Strong capability in high-level and low-level software design
• Familiarity with unit and integration test development
• Strong working knowledge of Linux environments
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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.
Top Skills
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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