Product Line Manager

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 is a product manager position on the Interconnects PLM team. The product manager is expected to work closely with a cross functional team to support the definition, introduction, and life cycle management of Ciena’s Interconnects portfolio including both Optical and Electrical architectures in and around the data center. The main objective of this position is to be the primary product management interface into Ciena’s technology partners.

In this role you will focus on Ciena’s Interconnects product lines covering high speed interconnect technologies that could encompass Co-Packaged and Near-Packaged Optics as well as Cable and on-board interfaces incorporating Retimers and Redrivers. Experience with Direct detect and Coherent technologies is an asset.

As part of the Interconnects Product Line Management team, you will define the strategy and lead the commercialization efforts of Ciena’s Optical and Electrical interfaces, associated technologies, and in-house components. Your work will ensure these solutions align with the evolving consumption models of leading global customers.

This is an individual contributor position reporting into the Ciena’s Product Line Management organization and offers the opportunity to influence coherent modem business across a broad market consumption models.

How Will You Contribute:

• Work in a cross-functional manner across Ciena’s modem and component teams and help define industry best practice of selling modem components as products to customers
• Develop commercialization requirements such as SDK, documentation content, and sales support framework
• Define product strategy and multiyear roadmap for technologies such as CPO, NPO, Advanced optical packaging and Electrical interconnects.
• Define commercial offer and pricing structure that is in line with industry norm
• Develop business cases and get approval for new features or initiatives
• Continuously assess customer needs, technology trends, regulatory environment, and major competitors
• Gather feature requirements from key customers (end customers, product marketing, and sales organization)
• Develop and maintain strategic product roadmap, priorities, and gap analysis
• Partner with marketing teams to develop product positioning and marketing collaterals (e.g., external presentations, data sheets, value propositions, competitive analyses, etc.)
• Work with product line managers and R&D architects in prioritizing features and defining roadmaps.
• Assist sales with coherent modem/components roadmap presentations, collecting customer requirements, assessing modem/components fit to customer needs and preparing product specifications and proposals including responding to customer RFI/RFP for all coherent modem/components related requirements
• Serve as a key interface between engineering and sales/customers.
• Function as a focal point to align design, product line managers, supporting groups, and product marketing towards a common goal.
• This critical, high visibility role blends coherent domain technical expertise, an eye for business, and people influencing soft skills.
• ~20% travel required including international (e.g. customer visits, trade shows, cross-functional meetings, etc.)

Must Haves:

• Familiarity with the major players in the optical and electrical interconnect market, their products, positioning, and strategies
• Solid knowledge of high speed interconnect technologies (such as Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), Near Packaged Optics (NPO), Active Electrical cable (AEC), active copper cable (ACC), coherent, direct detect, Serdes, PHYs, electro-optics) and consumption models (modules, bare dies, chiplets)
• Technical background and understanding of a wide variety of interconnect technologies, emerging component options and standards.
• Solid understanding of how to commercialize interconnect optics and sub-components – expert in understanding of component product sales approach and competitive landscape.
• Superb communication, presentation, customer interaction and interpersonal skills. Ability to communicate highly technical matters to non-technical individuals.
• Flexible, able to balance multiple tasks with minimal direction.
• Self-motivated. Need to work well with a virtual team or individually as necessary.

Required Experience:

• Education: Technical degree (BSEE minimum) and 10+ years technical experience in telecommunications or component industry.
• Experience: Successful 3+ years of Product Management experience in telecom systems or components; or 8-10+ years of demonstrated experience in relevant areas including FAE and Sales Engineering. Prior Product Management, Solutions Architect, or Technical Marketing experience is highly desired.

The annual pay range for this position is $114,100 - $182,300

The annual pay range for this position in California is $158,500 - $253,300

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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.