Account Director

Role

As a Consultant, Account Management, you will lead or own major business accounts and manage the overall business relationship between clients, the sales organization, Ciena executive team, product marketing, and product management. You will develop strong customer relationships that protect against competitive infiltration, build customer intimacy and facilitate sales execution at all levels of the customer organization, including the C‑level. You will focus on execution and sales strategy, maintaining and expanding opportunities in existing pipelines to maximize revenue and margins.

You will initiate and develop relationships with executives, manage direct sales activities requiring bookings, revenue, and margin presentations at all management levels. You will set strategy and tactics for each sales objective, prioritize opportunities, and retain overall responsibility for the sales and fulfillment process associated with global activities. You will be accountable for managing and reporting the business through tools such as , meetings with leadership, and cross‑functional support teams, and provide weekly status/progress reports.

• Relationship Builder – ability to build trusted, long‑term relationships quickly.
• Agility – manage competing, time‑sensitive and ever‑changing priorities.
• Problem solver – assess customer requirements and technical issues and identify optimal solutions.
• Flexibility to work independently and as part of a broader team.
• Savvy communicator – tailor communications and proposals for specific audiences.
• Sense of urgency – prioritize what’s important to the customer.
• Stay current – on new technologies, architectures and customer applications.
• Commitment to learning – about Ciena’s products, competitor offerings and customer concerns.

• Business or Science/Engineering degree in a technical field or equivalent experience.
• Regional, major or global account management experience.
• Extensive experience in system sales, system engineering or product management.
• Extensive experience in Layer1, Layer2 and/or Layer3 networking.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the competitive landscape and the regional business market.
• Proven experience with complex sales methodology.
• Existing or ability to become an expert in the detailed understanding of Ciena products and future portfolio.

• MBA and/or advanced technical degree.
• Proven understanding of markets, including market segmentation and service providers.
• Advanced knowledge of the competitive landscape and the L0‑L3 network infrastructure, both hardware and software.
• Software and professional services experience.
• Demonstrated understanding of regional and/or major account sales and strategic thinking for new business opportunities.
• Keen awareness of market intelligence with respect to competitors in North America and globally.
• Budgetary assessment and planning experience for forecasting at weekly, monthly and quarterly intervals.

The annual pay range for this position is $222,100–$366,900. The pay range is designed to reflect variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions and locations. Non‑sales employees may be eligible for a discretionary incentive bonus; sales employees may be eligible for a sales commission. Benefits include medical, dental and vision plans, participation in 401(K) (USA) & DCPP (Canada) with company matching, Employee Stock Purchase Program, Employee Assistance Program, company‑paid holidays, paid sick leave, and vacation time.

Ciena complies with all applicable laws regarding Paid Family Leave and other leaves of absence.

Ciena values diversity and respects employees as individuals. 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.