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.
Join a team that is shaping how networks adapt, automate, and scale globally. This role offers the opportunity to work with cutting‑edge technologies while contributing directly to the quality and success of Ciena’s software solutions. Be part of an environment where technical curiosity, collaboration, and innovation drive meaningful impact for customers worldwide.
How you will make an impact:
• Engage cross‑functional engineering partners, product line managers, and product owners to translate concepts and high‑level requirements into optimized test coverage and enhanced customer experience.
• Develop test strategies that validate key functionality across routing, packet management, service provisioning, service performance, and fault management, while tracking progress using TestRail.
• Lead lab buildout efforts, ensuring infrastructure aligns with test scenarios and coordinating equipment planning with relevant teams.
• Validate integration of open‑source and third‑party software applications within Blue Planet, a division of Ciena, to ensure a seamless end‑to‑end solution.
• Analyze test outcomes, prepare detailed reports, and drive resolution of critical issues in partnership with software engineering teams.
• Champion automation by converting manual test cases into scalable automated solutions and reviewing scripts created by team members.
• Mentor junior engineers by sharing knowledge, improving processes, and strengthening overall team capability.
The must haves:
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or an equivalent field.
• 2+ years of progressive experience in system testing.
• Hands‑on experience testing network protocols and features, including Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Interior Gateway Protocols (IGP), Ethernet service types, Segment Routing, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Label Distribution Protocol (LDP), Resource Reservation Protocol – Traffic Engineering (RSVP‑TE), and authentication methods.
• Proficiency using packet traffic generators such as IXIA or Spirent.
• Experience developing automation using Python or REST‑based or UI‑based automation frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of UNIX/Linux‑based operating systems, including system administration and deployment on physical or virtual environments.
• Experience working with virtualization platforms such as VMware ESXi or OpenStack.
Nice to haves:
• Familiarity with network virtualization technologies such as Open vSwitch or virtual routers.
• Experience with Blue Planet microservices architecture or related components.
• Ability to create robust test plans for complex Layer 3 design and deployment scenarios.
• Exposure to Software‑Defined Networking (SDN) or orchestration frameworks.
• Understanding of traffic engineering and performance testing methodologies.
• Experience reviewing and improving automation coverage at a team level.
• Background collaborating with large cross‑functional engineering groups.
#LI-FA
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 Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent
- 2+ years progressive experience in system testing
- Hands-on experience testing network protocols and features (BGP, IGP, Ethernet services, Segment Routing, MPLS, LDP, RSVP-TE, authentication methods)
- Proficiency using packet traffic generators such as IXIA or Spirent
- Experience developing automation using Python or REST-based or UI-based automation frameworks
- Strong knowledge of UNIX/Linux operating systems, system administration, and deployment
- Experience with virtualization platforms such as VMware ESXi or OpenStack
- Ability to develop test strategies and track progress using TestRail
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Gallery
