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.
Global Technical Support for Converged Packet Optical Platform plays a critical role in delivering technical leadership and customer success for Ciena optical networking solutions. This Customer Lead Engineer position serves as the primary technical interface for assigned customers, driving issue resolution, network reliability, and operational excellence. The role combines customer engagement, technical troubleshooting, and cross-functional collaboration across support, engineering, and product teams.
How you will make an impact:
Lead technical engagement for assigned customer accounts as the Customer Lead Engineer (CLE).
Manage technical support cases and tickets through resolution while coordinating with internal stakeholders.
Interface with customers on network planning, deployment activities, technical issues, and solution design.
Utilize diagnostic tools, lab research, and escalation processes to resolve product and network issues.
Create, review, validate, and publish MOP, ISB, and FSB documentation.
Contribute to the knowledge base (KCS) and deliver training for newly hired Technical Support Engineers.
Perform resident engineering activities and travel to customer and Ciena locations as required.
The must haves:
Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical field such as Electronics, Communication Engineering, or Computer Science from a college or university.
Experience: 7+ years of experience in telecommunications, preferably in a technical support role.
Application of operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting practices for fiber optic transport systems and associated technologies including DWDM, ASON, OSRP, ROADMs, Layer 1 and Layer 0 technologies, protection schemes, Raman amplification, fixed and flexible grid DWDM systems, and coherent systems.
Knowledge of optical transport system operations, optical Data Communications Networks (DCN) for Network Element (NE) management, and OTN technologies.
Application of Layer 2 and Layer 3 packet and IP networking concepts, including routing and switching protocols such as OSPF, MPLS, BGP, and ASBR.
Demonstrated background in technical support and customer service, with effective verbal and written English communication.
Candidates must be located in Australia and eligible to stay and work in Melbourne, Australia without visa restrictions.
Nice to haves:
Experience with Red Hat Linux operating systems and Unix and/or Solaris environments.
Experience with network management systems.
Certifications: Ciena CE (Carrier Ethernet) certification or equivalent.
Certifications: Ciena OC (Optical Communications) certification or equivalent.
Utilization of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel.
Application of complex problem analysis, troubleshooting, and resolution techniques.
Experience using optical and protocol test equipment and performing system-level troubleshooting on fiber optic telecommunications transport and switching equipment.
#LI-SG1
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 Electronics, Communication Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field
- 7+ years experience in telecommunications, preferably in a technical support role
- Experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting fiber optic transport systems and technologies (DWDM, ASON, OSRP, ROADMs, Layer 1/Layer 0, protection schemes, Raman amplification, fixed and flexible grid DWDM, coherent systems)
- Knowledge of optical transport operations, optical Data Communications Networks (DCN) for NE management, and OTN technologies
- Knowledge and application of Layer 2 and Layer 3 packet/IP networking concepts, including OSPF, MPLS, BGP, and ASBR
- Demonstrated background in technical support and customer service with strong verbal and written English communication
- Located in Australia and eligible to live and work in Melbourne, Australia without visa restrictions
- Experience with Red Hat Linux and/or Unix/Solaris environments
- Experience with network management systems
- Ciena CE (Carrier Ethernet) certification or equivalent
- Ciena OC (Optical Communications) certification or equivalent
- Familiarity with Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel
- Experience using optical and protocol test equipment and performing system-level troubleshooting on fiber optic telecommunications equipment
- Application of complex problem analysis, troubleshooting, and resolution techniques
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
