Director, Value Realization

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, Transformation Value Realization will build and lead the value tracking discipline for the enterprise transformation portfolio. Partnering with initiative owners, Finance, and the ETO Program Director, you will design the value realization framework, embed it into governance, and create the single source of truth for benefits, ROI, and KPI performance across programs. The role demands executive presence, financial acumen, and the ability to influence—traits the ETO prizes in its leaders and partners.

Enterprise

Value Realization Framework established

A standard, auditable methodology for defining, baselining, forecasting, tracking, and sustaining benefits (financial and non financial), fully integrated into ETO tollgates and steering routines.

Single Source of Truth for benefits

A portfolio level dashboard and data model that provides scenario views (speed vs. risk vs. impact) for decision forums.

Transparent executive reporting & decision velocity

Leadership ready materials that cut through noise, highlight trade offs, and drive timely decisions on reprioritization or course correction.

Sustainment mechanisms

Post implementation reviews, driving accountability for “hold the gains” plans, and ownership agreements that prevent value leakage and institutionalize continuous improvement.

Responsibilities Value Definition & Baseline

• Co create value hypotheses with business sponsors; translate intent into quantified KPIs, OKRs, and financial models (revenue, gross margin, OpEx , working capital).

• Establish baselines, counterfactuals, and guardrails for success criteria ; document calculation logic and data lineage to ensure auditability.

Tracking & Reporting

• Build the ETO benefits register and portfolio dashboard; automate pipelines from systems of record (ERP/BI) to provide alignment with Finance.

• Produce concise executive materials for steering committees and decision forums; highlight dependencies, risks to value, and mitigation options.

Governance & Cadence

• Embed value checkpoints in ETO tollgates ; define entry/exit criteria and evidence required at each stage.

• Partner with the ETO Sr Program Director to enforce accountability for value milestones; integrate value realization into prioritization and intake processes.

Sustainment & Change

• Lead post implementation reviews and benefit verification; establish plans with line leaders to hold gains and avoid regression ; hold leaders accountable for execution .

• Collaborate with Change Management to build the behaviors and incentives that enable value realization (e.g., role clarity, training, performance measures).

Strategic Alignment

• Ensure all value realization activities directly link transformation initiatives to corporate strategy and enterprise objectives ; validate that benefits support strategic pillars and long - term growth priorities.

• Provide insights to leadership on how realized value advances strategic outcomes, enabling informed decisions on project and resourcing prioritization .

External Partner Interface

• Define success criteria for co - sourced delivery partners; operate with joint governance, transparent reporting, and shared accountability for outcomes.

Qualifications & Experience

• Significant experience in value realization, portfolio/program management, finance, strategy, or transformation roles within complex, global enterprises.

• Demonstrated track record converting transformation initiatives into measurable outcomes and sustaining benefits post go - live.

• Advanced financial modeling and business c ase development; comfort with scenario analysis and trade off framing for executives.

• Strong data orientation with expertise in using data to drive decisions and tell stories : ability to define metrics, ensure data quality,…