Senior R&D Operations Lead – Industrialization & Technology Transfer

## Senior R&D Operations Lead – Industrialization & Technology Transfer Postuler:
Milan:
Full time:
Publié aujourd'hui:
R032045

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.

Ciena is seeking a
** Senior R&D Operations Lead – Industrialization & Technology Transfer
** to bridge the gap between engineering prototypes and fully industrialized products, ensuring that innovative photonic technologies are translated into manufacturable, testable, cost-effective, and scalable solutions.

Working at the intersection of Technology Development, Product Development, and Manufacturing Engineering, the successful candidate will drive the transition from prototypes to production-ready products and processes, establishing the foundations required for reliable high-volume manufacturing.

The ideal candidate combines a solid understanding of high-tech manufacturing environments with strong business acumen, cross-functional leadership, and the ability to turn complex engineering challenges into practical industrial solutions.

Initially, this will be a
** hands-on, senior individual contributor role**, offering the opportunity to build a new function, define its operating model, and directly contribute to industrialization activities.  #
** How You Will Make an Impact
*** Drive
** Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Test (DFT)
** activities throughout product development.
* Translate engineering prototypes into manufacturable product configurations, considering process capabilities, tolerances, repeatability, yield, and cost.
* Identify industrialization risks and manufacturing constraints early in the design process, working closely with engineering teams to address them.
* Coordinate manufacturability reviews and define industrialization requirements, milestones, and acceptance criteria.
* Support design optimization to ensure product architectures are compatible with scalable manufacturing processes.
* Design and validate manufacturing, assembly, calibration, and testing processes.
* Define process qualification requirements, manufacturing readiness criteria, and technical documentation necessary for production transfer.
* Support the development of manufacturing workflows, process specifications, tooling requirements, and test methodologies.
* Drive technical readiness assessments, identifying and addressing gaps before industrialization milestones and production release.
* Coordinate technical activities with
** semiconductor foundries, photonic packaging partners, and contract manufacturers
** throughout product and process development.
* Support technical evaluation and qualification of manufacturing capabilities, equipment, and processes.
* Run engineering builds, pilot production activities, and process validation campaigns.
* Facilitate technical troubleshooting, root-cause investigations, and corrective actions during industrialization.
* Ensure manufacturing processes, technical documentation, qualification results, and production requirements are complete, validated, and ready for transfer to high-volume manufacturing.
* Contribute directly to establishing and scaling the
** R&D Operations function**, working closely with R&D leadership.
* Develop practical methodologies, workflows, and tools to manage the transition from engineering development to industrial manufacturing.
* Establish structured processes for industrialization planning, design…