Sales Engineering Specialist

Ciena; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Ciena is seeking a Melbourne-based Sales Engineer to shape deployable fixed-transport solutions for a strategic telecommunications service-provider account. You will blend optical networking, solution design, and customer engagement across Ciena’s hardware, software, and network-control portfolio.

The role includes travel and occasional after-hours collaboration. You will lead technical development, respond to RFPs, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver customer-focused outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in Engineering/Telecommunications/Applied Science.
• 5+ years in telecommunications with DWDM or fixed-transport experience.
• Design or apply fixed-transport network solutions in customer/project environments.
• Knowledge of coherent optical transmission technologies (100G/400G; 800G awareness).

Responsibilities

• Lead technical development of sales opportunities, including strategy, architecture, compliance, risks and positioning.
• Engage customer engineering, operations and commercial stakeholders to understand requirements and develop solutions.
• Provide technical guidance for tenders, clarifications and pricing inputs.
• Prepare technical responses for RFPs/RFQs with compliance statements and proposals.
• Develop high-level network architectures and review engineering outputs with delivery teams.
• Deliver technical presentations, demos, workshops for customers and internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Sales, regional product teams, and delivery to capture best practices.

Skills

Customer engagement

Solution design

Technical presentations

RFP/RFQ responses

Cross-team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, Applied Science or related discipline

Tools

DWDM

Fixed-transport networks

Optical transport systems

OTN

Carrier Ethernet / IP

Coherent optical tech (100G/400G)

Job description

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.

This Melbourne-based Sales Engineer role contributes to Ciena’s ANZ Sales Engineering team by shaping deployable fixed-transport solutions for a strategic telecommunications service-provider account. The role combines optical networking, solution design and customer engagement across Ciena’s hardware, software and network-control portfolio. Regular engagement with customer and internal teams is required, with some domestic and international travel and occasional collaboration outside standard local business hours.

How you will make an impact:

• Lead the technical development of assigned sales opportunities, including solution strategy, architecture, compliance, assumptions, risks, dependencies and technical positioning.
• Engage customer engineering, operational and commercial stakeholders to understand requirements, develop practical solutions and address technical queries.
• Provide technical guidance for tenders, contract clarifications and assigned fixed-transport opportunities, balancing customer outcomes, solution integrity and commercial viability.
• Prepare technical responses for RFPs and RFQs, including compliance statements, pricing-schedule inputs, engineering clarifications and customer proposals.
• Develop high-level network architectures and solution designs, and review or validate detailed engineering outputs such as equipment layouts, rack layouts, test plans and Methods of Procedure with delivery and post-sales teams.
• Deliver technical presentations, demonstrations, solution evaluations, trials and technology workshops for customer and internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Sales, regional product teams, Product Line Management, optical link-engineering teams, Research and Development, delivery and support teams to address customer requirements, progress opportunities and capture reusable solution content and best practices.

The must haves:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, Applied Science or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience: 5+ years of relevant telecommunications experience, including application of DWDM or Layer 0 optical transport systems, optical engineering technologies or test methodologies.
• Experience designing or applying fixed-transport network solutions in customer or project environments.
• Application of optical link engineering, including link budgets, attenuation, chromatic dispersion, fibre characteristics and other transmission impairments.
• Working knowledge of converged packet-optical technologies, including OTN, Carrier Ethernet and IP.
• Knowledge of coherent optical transmission technologies, including 100G and 400G, with awareness of emerging 800G applications.
• Utilization of optical design, planning or link-engineering tools.

Nice to haves:

• Experience supporting a Tier 1 telecommunications carrier or other large service provider.
• Experience with multi-vendor optical transport environments.
• Exposure to brownfield network modernisation, migration or transformation programmes.
• Background in network automation, APIs, telemetry or software-defined networking.
• Understanding of data-centre interconnect, cloud connectivity and AI-driven network-capacity requirements.
• Experience supporting customer trials, proofs of concept or formal solution evaluations.
• Background in technical and contractual compliance processes for large telecommunications procurements.

#LI-SG1

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 anEqual 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.