Director, Change Management

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.

Reporting to the Chief Transformation Officer, the Director, Change Management will lead the organizational change discipline, acting as a strategic influencer that accelerates adoption of new processes, technologies and ways of working and drives lasting transformation across functions. The ETO is the catalyst for enterprise-wide change, ensuring transformation initiatives deliver measurable outcomes and embed sustainable behaviors. The Director of Change Management will design and execute strategies that minimize disruption, accelerate adoption, and foster a culture of agility and continuous improvement.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive change management strategy for enterprise transformation initiatives inclusive of methodology, standards and toolkits.
• Align change plans with corporate strategy and transformation roadmap; ensure initiatives support strategic pillars and long‑term objectives.
• Proactively identify potential change resistance and adoption challenges and actively prepare for likely roadblocks, through environmental scans or predictive analytics.

• Conduct stakeholder impact assessments; create engagement plans to secure sponsorship and commitment.
• Build coalitions across executive leadership and functional teams to remove barriers and sustain alignment.
• Provide expert guidance on change impacts, readiness, and strategies to ensure successful adoption of transformation initiatives across their respective functions.

• Design and deliver clear, compelling communication programs that articulate the “why,” “what,” and “how” of transformation activities to key stakeholders. Works side by side with Corporate Communications on enterprise-level communications to ensure strategic alignment.
• Develop training and upskilling initiatives to help employees adopt new processes, technologies, and behaviors.
• Champion the use of and leverage innovative communication channels and digital adoption tools to enhance reach, engagement, and effectiveness of change enablement.
• Establish and empower internal networks of change champions within different business units to amplify change messages, gather feedback, and support local adoption efforts.

• Embed change checkpoints into ETO governance (tollgates, steering committees); ensure readiness criteria are met before go‑live.
• Partner with ETO staff to integrate change activities into prioritization and intake processes.
• Identify, assess, and develop mitigation strategies for risks associated with organizational change, including cultural resistance, technology adoption issues, and business disruption.

• Leverage advanced analytics and feedback loops to identify trends and continuously optimize change interventions utilizing data insights to iterate on strategies, identify root causes of resistance, and improve future change initiatives.
• Define KPIs for adoption and behavioral change; track progress and report to leadership.
• Play a key role in post‑implementation reviews; ensuring sustainment plans “hold the gains” and prevent regression from a change management perspective.

• Significant experience in organizational change management, transformation, or related roles within complex, global enterprises.
• Proven ability to design and execute change strategies for large‑scale initiatives impacting multiple functions.
• Expertise in stakeholder engagement, communication planning, and training program development.
• Strong understanding of transformation governance, portfolio management, and strategic alignment.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or certifications (e.g., Prosci, ACMP, PMP) preferred.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally, as…