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.
Director, M&A Integration and Transformation
Role overview
The Director, M&A Integration and Transformation will have principal, day-to-day managerial responsibility for integrating acquired companies into Ciena and ensuring successful transitions to achieve the strategic rationale, value drivers, synergies and other desired business outcomes of the transactions. The role develops pre- and post-transaction integration strategy and converts that strategy into detailed actions that align people, process and systems and enable governance of the integration plan. The role will support the Corporate Development function in performing various projects and in sourcing and evaluating M&A and strategic investments for Ciena to achieve its growth objectives. In addition, as part of both M&A integrations and enterprise-wide business transformation initiatives, this individual will assist in driving and supporting cross-functional, value-driving activities that seek to improve business processes, enhance operational efficiencies and drive strategic alignment.
The role reports to the Vice President, Corporate Development and will collaborate on a matrixed basis with functional leaders and subject matter experts around the world.
Primary duties and responsibilities

M&A Integration Management

• Lead the company’s cross-functional M&A integration team, consisting of functional leads and subject matter experts (including Customer Enablement, Finance, IT, Legal, Marketing & Communications, People & Culture, Product Line Management, R&D, Security, Services and Supply Chain Operations), as well as acquired leaders, through the pre- and post-transaction integration process
• Assist in coordinating overall M&A due diligence activities, and participate in due diligence to identify key integration issues, risks and challenges
• Develop the integration strategy and design an integration plan, timeline and methodology
• Manage the overall process, timing and governance for pre- and post-transaction integration activities in a disciplined and structured approach, including conducting regular team meetings, monitoring status, providing updates to the executive steering committee, and driving proactive escalation and resolution of key issues
• Partner with functional leads to develop and refine workstream-specific integration plans and playbooks that incorporate identified risks and challenges, synergy objectives and stated milestones
• Serve as a trusted advisor and key resource to functional integration leads, ensuring collaboration and information sharing among workstreams by managing cross-functional relationships through transparency, effective communication and frequent updates
• Develop and maintain dashboards with measurable KPIs to track and report achievement against the integration plan and objectives
• Coordinate with the Corporate Development team to develop integration estimates, associated costs to achieve and purchase price considerations that may impact the transaction business case
• Continuously improve Ciena’s M&A integration capabilities by identifying and developing process improvements, best practices, tools and templates that capture learnings, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the team, and improve the quality of the integration effort and business outcomes

Strategy & Corporate Development

• Assist in conducting strategic analyses of existing and adjacent markets, including technology trends and drivers influencing market size, growth, profitability, comparative advantage and risk
• Assist in identifying and evaluating inorganic growth and expansion opportunities and potential targets aligned with corporate strategy through engagement with the corporate ecosystem
• Assist in developing high-quality business cases for potential M&A and corporate venture investments to be presented for executive review
• Assist with various corporate projects to prioritize strategy and optimize operations

Enterprise Transformation

• Assist in driving enterprise-wide transformation initiatives that align with the company’s long-term vision and growth and profitability goals, including using project management principles to develop and implement strategies, plans and roadmaps for digital transformation, intelligent automation, process improvement and organizational change management
• Identify and assess opportunities for process optimization, automation and innovation to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness
• Collaborate with cross-functional leadership teams to identify, prioritize and execute transformation projects, ensuring timely delivery and successful implementation
• Monitor and track progress of transformation initiatives, measuring the impact and identifying areas for improvement

Education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution; MBA or other advanced degree is a strong plus
• At least five years of experience with M&A due diligence, post-merger integration, corporate development, consulting or project management
• Experience with gathering, analyzing and synthesizing larger amounts of information, including identifying issues and proactively recommending solutions
• Experience in driving enterprise transformation, process improvement and organizational change
• Knowledge of the M&A lifecycle and M&A analysis is preferred
• Knowledge of IT and business planning software and processes is preferred

Personal skills

• Excellent project management, multi-tasking and cross-functional leadership skills
• Strong and effective verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to influence and to forge strong relationships at all organizational levels, acting as a trusted strategic advisor
• Strong analytical, time management and organizational skills
• Focus on details, analysis and results, including the ability to work on complex issues with multiple dependencies and stakeholders to drive consensus, and to make tough decisions as and when necessary
• Proven credibility, integrity and trustworthiness in highly confidential situations
• Broad understanding of business operations and continuous improvement, including change management principles, methodologies and tools
• Business management skills, including good business judgment and sound decision-making
• Proven history of successfully working in a matrix management environment, with success in motivating people without direct reporting relationships
• Demonstrated skills in Microsoft Office desktop applications

Pay Ranges: The annual pay range for this position is $150,800.00 - $230,800 USD
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.

LI-SG

LI-Remote

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.
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Please refer the Job description for details