Director, Global Supply Chain Strategy & Architecture

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.

The Director, Global Supply Chain Strategy & Architecture is responsible for defining the long-term strategy and future-state architecture of the global Supply Chain organization.

This leader will translate business growth objectives, product strategy, customer requirements, market dynamics, and external supply-chain trends into an integrated global supply chain strategy and future-state design. The role will define the strategic choices required across the supply chain network, manufacturing and partner ecosystem, capacity, resilience, inventory positioning, and critical capabilities to ensure the Supply Chain is positioned to scale, respond, and perform as the business evolves.

The Director will serve as the architect and integrator of the end-to-end supply chain, connecting functional strategies into a cohesive future-state direction, identifying structural and capability requirements, developing strategic scenarios, and establishing the multi-year roadmap required to prepare Supply Chain for future business needs.

Key Responsibilities

1. Global Supply Chain Strategy

• Lead the development and ongoing evolution of the global, multi-year Supply Chain strategy, aligned with the corporate strategy and growth objectives.
• Translate business, product, market, and customer strategies into implications for the future supply chain.
• Define the strategic choices required across areas such as global footprint, capacity, sourcing, manufacturing, inventory, logistics, supply assurance, resilience, and partner strategy.
• Identify the capabilities required to enable the supply chain to scale effectively while maintaining agility, competitiveness, and customer responsiveness.
• Maintain an external perspective on geopolitical developments, industry trends, supply-market dynamics, manufacturing models, and emerging supply-chain practices.

2. Physical Strategic Roadmap & Prioritization

• Develop and maintain an integrated 3-5 year Supply Chain strategic roadmap, translating strategy into clear priorities and strategic initiatives.
• Establish the strategic rationale and expected business outcomes associated with major supply-chain investments.
• Identify dependencies and trade-offs across major strategic initiatives and recommend priorities
• Ensure functional strategies connect to a common end-to-end direction rather than developing independently.
• Partner with functional leaders to translate the global strategy into actionable priorities within their respective organizations.
• Facilitate leadership discussions and strategy sessions focused on major supply-chain choices and priorities.
• Establish a regular cadence for reviewing the Supply Chain strategy, external assumptions, strategic risks, and progress against priorities.
• Ensure strategic decisions are translated into clear ownership and accountability across the Supply Chain organization.

3. Supply Chain Network & Ecosystem Strategy

• Develop strategic perspectives on the global supply-chain footprint and ecosystem required to support future growth.
• Assess long-term requirements for manufacturing capacity, geographic diversification, supplier ecosystem, contract manufacturing, distribution, and logistics networks.
• Evaluate strategic make/buy/partner considerations and recommend the appropriate operating model for different elements of the supply chain.
• Incorporate geopolitical, concentration, continuity, capacity, cost, and customer considerations into global network decisions.
• Partner with functional leaders to develop strategies that strengthen supply assurance and reduce structural supply-chain risk.

4. Strategic Capacity & Scale Readiness

• Assess the supply chain's ability to support future revenue, product, volume, and customer requirements.
• Identify structural constraints that could limit the company's ability to scale.
• Develop strategic scenarios for different growth, demand, supply, and geopolitical conditions.
• Identify where additional capacity, capability, supplier diversification, inventory, or ecosystem investment may be required.
• Establish a forward-looking view of supply-chain readiness and bring recommended actions and trade-offs to senior leadership.

5. Strategic Business & Financial Analysis

• Develop fact-based recommendations for complex supply-chain decisions, clearly articulating options, trade-offs, risks, investment requirements, and expected business outcomes.
• Develop business cases for significant strategic supply-chain investments and decisions.
• Partner with Finance to assess the financial implications of alternative supply-chain strategies.
• Balance service, growth, resilience, inventory, working capital, cost, and investment considerations when developing strategic recommendations.
• Establish measures that demonstrate whether the supply-chain strategy is delivering the intended business outcomes.

6.  Enterprise & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Build strong partnerships across Product Line Management (PLM), R&D, Finance, Sales Operations, and other Enterprise functions.
• Connect product roadmaps, business growth plans, financial objectives, and customer requirements to future supply-chain requirements.
• Ensure Supply Chain implications are incorporated early into major business and product decisions.

Outside the Scope of This Role

This role does not own:

• Digital supply-chain strategy or technology implementation
• Process transformation and process redesign
• Supply-chain systems implementation
• Automation or AI deployment
• Transformation program management
• Day-to-day functional or operational execution

The Must Haves:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Operations, Engineering, Business, Finance, or a related discipline.
• Significant progressive experience in global supply chain, operations, strategy, or a related leadership role.
• Broad end-to-end understanding of supply-chain disciplines including planning, sourcing, manufacturing, inventory, logistics, supplier management, and supply assurance.
• Demonstrated ability to develop long-term strategy and translate complex business requirements into clear strategic priorities.
• Experience within a complex global manufacturing environment, ideally technology, telecommunications, electronics, semiconductor, or a related sector.
• Experience evaluating supply-chain networks, manufacturing strategies, capacity requirements, outsourcing models, and/or global supply ecosystems.
• Strong business and financial acumen with experience developing investment recommendations and evaluating strategic trade-offs.
• Exceptional executive communication skills and demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders across organizational boundaries.

Nice to have:

• MBA or advanced degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Finance, or related discipline.
• Experience working within an outsourced or contract-manufacturing operating model.
• Experience supporting periods of significant business growth or structural change.
• Experience with scenario planning, network strategy, supply-chain risk, and global capacity strategy.

Leadership Competencies

• Enterprise Thinking: Optimizes decisions for the end-to-end business rather than individual functions.
• Strategic Foresight: Anticipates future business requirements and their implications for the supply chain.
• Commercial Acumen: Connects supply-chain choices directly to growth, customers and financial outcomes.
• Structured Problem Solving: Brings clarity and fact-based thinking to ambiguous strategic issues.
• Influence & Alignment: Builds commitment across functions and senior leaders.
• Executive Presence: Communicates complex strategic issues simply and confidently.
• Decision Orientation: Moves strategy beyond analysis into clear choices, priorities, and accountability.

Pay Ranges:
The salary range for this role in Ottawa, Canada is $144, 900 - $231, 500
The salary range for this role in the eastern-USA is $158, 800 - $253, 600

Pay ranges at Ciena are designed to accommodate variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions, and locations, reflecting our diverse products, industries, and lines of business. Please note that the pay range information provided in this posting pertains specifically to the primary location, which is the top location listed in case multiple locations are available.

Non-Sales employees may be eligible for a discretionary incentive bonus, while Sales employees may be eligible for a sales commission. In addition to competitive compensation, Ciena offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, participation in 401(K) (USA) & DCPP (Canada) with company matching, Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), company-paid holidays, paid sick leave, and vacation time. We also comply with all applicable laws regarding Paid Family Leave and other leaves of absence.

At Ciena, we are committed to building and fostering an environment in which our employees feel respected, valued, and heard.  Ciena values the diversity of its workforce and respects its employees as individuals. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination.

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.