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 the Senior Director of Indirect Procurement, you will be a key leader within Ciena’s Procurement organization, responsible for driving the strategy, execution, and transformation of global Indirect Procurement. This role requires a visionary leader who has career success in transformation and one that can foster a culture of accountability, excellence, and innovation while serving as a trusted advisor to executive leadership and business stakeholders. You’ll develop and lead a high-performing procurement team, champion industry-leading practices, and ensure alignment with Ciena’s strategic objectives to deliver measurable value across the organization.
How you’ll make an impact:
- Lead, inspire, and develop a global Indirect Procurement team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and innovation.
- Serve as the strategic face of Indirect Procurement, building trusted relationships with senior business leaders and executives to position Procurement as a valued partner and driver of organizational success.
- Develop and execute Ciena’s global Indirect Procurement strategy, including optimizing sourcing processes, supplier management, and procurement governance to achieve cost efficiency and operational excellence.
- Drive thought leadership and strategic influence by leveraging market intelligence and industry trends to anticipate opportunities, mitigate risks, and optimize spend.
- Establish and champion Procurement policies, tools, and technologies to enhance transparency, efficiency, and drive compliance across the organization.
- Collaborate with Finance and FP&A teams to set and achieve annual savings targets, ensuring alignment with company-wide financial goals.
- Define and implement robust reporting mechanisms to track procurement value, cost savings, and supplier performance, delivering actionable insights to executive leadership.
- Lead global sourcing, negotiation, and contract management initiatives to secure favorable terms, mitigate risks, and enhance supplier relationships.
- Drive strategic initiatives in sustainability, supplier diversity, and risk management, aligning procurement practices with Ciena’s broader corporate goals.
The must haves:
- Minimum of 20 years of experience in Procurement, with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Finance, Supply Chain Management, or a related field; a Master’s degree is strongly preferred.
- 7+ years of leadership experience in a senior procurement roles within a global organization, with a proven track record of coaching high-performing teams and driving transformation.
- Demonstrated ability to influence and engage senior leaders in complex, matrixed environments, delivering measurable business results through strategic procurement initiatives.
- Polished communicator in developing and delivering presentations for different levels of audience
- Highly collaborative, an excellent networker, adept at fostering trust, has strong interpersonal/people skills; cultivates strong internal partnerships, builds bridges across departments, excels at stakeholder engagement
- Expertise in supplier negotiation, contract management, and building collaborative supplier relationships.
- Proficiency in data analytics and procurement technologies (e.g., Power BI, Oracle, Excel) to drive decision-making and process optimization.
- Strong financial acumen, with a solid understanding of financial statements and business performance drivers.
Nice to have:
- Advanced certifications in Procurement or Supply Chain Management (e.g., CPSM, CSCP).
- Experience with using or implementing source-to-pay technologies (e.g., e-sourcing, Oracle, Coupa, CLM tools, spend analytics).
- Proven success in leading initiatives related to sustainability, supplier diversity, or risk management.
Pay Range:
The salary range for this role in the USA is $181, 000 - $289, 100
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.
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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.
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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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