Director, Services Innovation & Special Projects

As the global leader in high-speed connectivity, Ciena builds the critical infrastructure powering the AI era. We’re a technology company shaping the future of networking, guided by innovation, integrity, and collaboration. Through development opportunities, meaningful work, and flexibility, Ciena supports growth and well-being—on and off the job. Connect with a career that matters.

• Create and lead the operating system for Services innovation, including intake, prioritization, experimentation, governance, funding and handoff to portfolio ownership.
• Direct a team of innovation PLMs and cross-functional contributors while maintaining clear accountability for decisions, milestones, risk and business outcomes.
• Lead special projects sponsored by Services leadership where the opportunity is strategic, ambiguous, cross-portfolio or not yet owned by an established portfolio.

• Develop the Services innovation strategy, priorities and portfolio in alignment with Services strategy, technology direction and growth objectives.
• Establish an innovation pipeline and decision forums with SPLM, Services R&D, Services CTO, Business Development, Finance, delivery and regional stakeholders.
• Oversee evaluation of addressable market, customer need, strategic fit, feasibility, investment, risk, differentiation and route to market.
• Direct rapid prototyping, customer co-creation, pilots and evidence development; stop, iterate, transfer or scale initiatives based on defined criteria.
• Own governance of the innovation portfolio, R&D investment recommendations, special-project plans and executive reporting.
• Develop and challenge P&Ls and business cases for complex innovation opportunities, pilots and special projects, including revenue potential, cost structure, margin, investment requirements, risks and sensitivities.
• Maintain ongoing financial tracking across the innovation funnel using relevant P&L and investment KPIs; provide performance, variance, risk and opportunity reporting as needed.
• Assess expected and realized revenue, margin, adoption and return after commercialization, and use the evidence to recommend whether initiatives should be continued, scaled, transferred, redirected or stopped.
• Help direct Innovation and R&D spend by comparing investment requirements, strategic value, commercial potential, expected return and portfolio priorities; formal budget ownership remains with the accountable budget owner.
• Ensure tested concepts transition cleanly to an accountable portfolio owner through NSI, commercial readiness, delivery readiness and enablement.
• Develop team capability, objectives and performance expectations; allocate work and remove cross-functional barriers.
• Run horizon scanning and scenario-planning activities that feed Services strategy and portfolio choices.
• Maintain visibility of tools and automations being developed across Services to encourage reuse and reduce duplication.

• A healthy, transparent innovation funnel with timely evidence-based decisions.
• Conversion of priority concepts into scalable services, reusable assets or clear stop decisions.
• Business value from innovation investments, pilots and special projects.
• Quality of opportunity P&Ls, business cases, ongoing financial tracking and recommendations on innovation investment and commercialization.
• Strong cross-functional participation and clean ownership transitions into the operating portfolio.
• Effective team leadership, prioritization and development.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration or equivalent relevant experience; advanced degree is an asset.
• Significant leadership experience in telecommunications services, innovation, portfolio management, product management, strategy or business development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams and complex cross-functional programs under uncertainty.
• Strong business-case, investment, portfolio, commercial and financial skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop complex opportunity P&Ls, interpret portfolio-level financial performance, track relevant P&L and investment KPIs, and communicate implications and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Experience with experimentation, prototyping, customer validation and commercialization.
• Credible executive presence and the ability to influence across organizational boundaries.

• Experience with Services R&D, AI, automation, software-enabled services or digital operations.
• Experience with partnerships,…