Customer Technical Advocate

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.

How You Will Contribute:

Reporting to the Senior Manager of Global Technical Support, the Senior Associate, Customer Technical Advocate (CTA) plays a pivotal role in fostering technical and service-oriented relationships between Ciena’s top customers and the Global Services and Support team in a designated region or market. This role is instrumental in driving customer retention, loyalty, and advocacy by delivering a world-class customer experience through proactive technical engagement and advocacy. Responsibilities include:

• Collaborating with Sales and Customer Service Operations to ensure a seamless onboarding experience, aligning expectations with service deliverables and achievable goals.
• Partnering with franchise members on customer business reviews, complex situations, improvement initiatives, and support-related contract activities.
• Acting as a trusted technical advisor to build strong relationships across customer teams, including Engineering, Operations, and Implementation.
• Monitoring and prioritizing technical support cases to meet service level objectives and agreements.
• Coordinating customer meetings to address technical queries or concerns related to product support issues on Ciena hardware and software platforms.
• Managing escalations for critical service and support issues, providing communication updates, resolution strategies, and actionable deliverables.
• Conducting detailed post-mortem reviews to enhance procedures and recommend best practices for increasing customer satisfaction.

The Must Haves:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Sciences, Electrical Engineering, or Business Administration preferred, or equivalent experience in a high-tech environment.
• Minimum of 8-10 years in a technical customer engagement role within the technology industry.
• Hands-on experience with Ciena products (e.g., 6500, RLS, WaveServer, MCP, etc.) in roles such as Technical Support, Technical Account Management, Network Engineering, or Design.
• Proven leadership qualities with integrity and the ability to challenge the status quo.
• Strong analytical skills to translate data into actionable insights.
• Demonstrated ability to influence through persuasion, negotiation, and consensus building.
• Professional presence and experience delivering technical presentations to audiences with varying technical expertise.
• Willingness to travel 25%+ within the region/market and participate in after-hours on-call rotations for escalations.

Nice to Haves:

• Experience in retaining and delighting customers within a large product and services organization across regional markets.
• Collaborative and customer-focused mindset with a dynamic personality.
• Results-driven approach with a passion for enhancing the customer experience.
• Familiarity with creating innovative solutions and addressing competitive developments.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and maintain methodical problem-solving strategies.
• Expertise in tailoring communication to diverse audiences for consensus building.

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Pay Range:

The annual pay range for this position is C$58,700- C$113,200.

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.

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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.

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