Product Line Manager – Intelligent IP/Optical Controller

Ciena is the global leader in high-speed connectivity, committed to a people-first approach. The Product Line Manager role focuses on driving product strategy and roadmap execution for SDN controller platform applications, enhancing operational efficiency through customer engagement and collaboration with various teams.

Responsibilities:

• Drive product strategy and roadmap execution for SDN controller platform applications, with a focus on network planning, operations, and optimization capabilities
• Translate customer needs, market insights, and technology trends into clear, prioritized product requirements
• Lead initiatives across Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) and Network Digital Twin technologies to improve operational efficiency and accuracy
• Partner closely with R&D, Hardware, Navigator development, sales, and support teams to deliver differentiated, high-quality software releases
• Enable successful go-to-market execution through customer engagement, sales training, and technical presentations
• Represent the product line externally at industry events while maintaining deep awareness of competitive dynamics and emerging trends
• Use product performance metrics and customer feedback to continuously refine features and user experience

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in product management or technical roles within the networking industry
• Deep expertise in IP and optical transport technologies and network planning processes
• Proven experience leading Telco software applications from concept through market adoption
• Strong background in Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps), network design, and optimization
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with agile software development teams
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and align stakeholders across functions
• Experience supporting pre-Sales and Services workflows in a global service provider environment
• Ability to leverage AI agents to augment product line management output (e.g., competitive analysis, requirements drafting, prioritization, and stakeholder communications)
• Familiarity with Network Digital Twin concepts and implementations
• Experience growing product adoption and increasing market share through data-driven decision making
• Prior customer-facing experience delivering technical workshops or executive-level presentations
• Exposure to large-scale, multi-vendor network environments