Vice President, Supply Chain Planning

Ciena Corporation; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Ciena Corporation is seeking a visionary Vice President of Supply Chain Planning to orchestrate IBP across our global network. You will translate product roadmaps and market signals into a unified, executable plan that balances service levels, inventory, cost, and working capital in a multi-tier environment.

You will lead end-to-end planning across demand, supply, and capacity, partner with Product, IT, and Manufacturing Ops, and drive digital planning and AI-enabled insights to sustain growth

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive supply chain experience, including 5+ years in senior planning leadership within a complex tech hardware environment.
• Deep expertise in demand/supply planning, S&OP/IBP process design and governance, and network/capacity planning.
• Proven experience managing outsourced manufacturing supply chains and long-lead-time categories.
• Strong track record with planning systems and data-driven, analytics-led decision-making; experience presenting to C-suite.

Responsibilities

• Own and continuously mature the end-to-end Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process across the organization.
• Lead global demand planning including forecast accuracy, consensus demand, and new product ramp/EOL demand shaping.
• Evolve the Supply Chain operating model with defined decision rights and governance mechanisms.
• Develop supply network and capacity planning strategies with CM, fulfillment, and operations partners.
• Establish inventory policy to hit turns and working capital targets while protecting service levels.
• Own E&O inventory performance and drive cross-functional governance for lifecycle planning.
• Build sensing/response capability for supply risks and disruptions with Procurement and Manufacturing Ops.
• Own systems strategy, roadmap, and AI capability for demand sensing and scenario simulation.
• Collaborate with Product Management/Engineering on NPI ramps and EOL/last-time-buy planning.
• Represent Supply Chain in quarterly business reviews and board-level risk reporting.
• Build a world-class global planning organization with a strong leadership culture.

Skills

Demand planning

S&OP/IBP design

Network/capacity planning

Analytics-driven decision making

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or advanced degree (preferred)

Job description

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.

Vice President, Supply Chain Planning

As demand accelerates for cloud and AI networking infrastructure, Supply Chain is at the center of how Ciena scales—enabling resilience, global reach, and sustained growth. Reporting to the Chief Supply Chain Officer, the VP of Supply Chain Planning translates demand signals, product roadmaps, and business strategy into an integrated, executable supply plan across a complex, multi-tier global network of contract manufacturers (CMs) and component suppliers. This role is the architect and orchestrator of Integrated Business Planning (IBP)/S&OP, balancing service level, inventory, cost, and working capital across a portfolio with long-lead-time optical components, high product mix, and volatile demand. This role will be instrumental in evolving Ciena's end-to-end supply chain operating model, planning capabilities, and digital planning ecosystem. As the organization continues to mature its alignment to industry best practices, the Vice President will partner closely with leaders across Sales, Manufacturing & Network Operations, Procurement, and IT to clarify decision rights, establish integrated governance, advance tools and AI-enabled planning capabilities, and ensure current system transformation efforts are successfully delivered.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and continuously mature the end-to-end Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process, aligning Sales, Finance, Product Management, and Supply Chain on a single set of numbers each month.
• Lead global demand planning (statistical forecasting, consensus demand, new product ramp/EOL demand shaping) across global direct-customer, partner and distribution channels.
• Lead the evolution of the Supply Chain operating model toward a more integrated planning organization, defining decision rights, processes, governance mechanisms, and capabilities across the key functions of supply chain.
• Lead the development of supply network and capacity planning strategies across contract manufacturing, fulfillment, and operations partners, partnering closely with Manufacturing & Network Operations to strengthen end-to-end planning capabilities and supply chain resilience.
• Establish and govern inventory strategy and policy (safety stock, buffer profiles, strategic buys) to hit target inventory turns and working capital goals while protecting revenue/service levels.
• Own enterprise excess and obsolete (E&O) inventory performance, driving cross-functional governance, prevention, disposition, and lifecycle planning actions to improve inventory health and working capital efficiency.
• Build and lead the sensing/response capability for supply risk — component shortages, allocation, geopolitical/export-control disruption — partnering closely with Procurement and Manufacturing Operations.
• Own planning systems strategy, roadmap, and advanced analytics/AI capability for demand sensing, forecasting, and scenario simulation, partnering closely with IT to deliver near-term project milestones and shape the longer-term digital planning evolution.
• Partner with Product Management/Engineering on NPI demand ramps and EOL/last-time-buy planning, and with Manufacturing Operations on rough-cut and detailed capacity planning.
• Represent Supply Chain in quarterly business reviews, guidance discussions, and board-level supply risk reporting.
• Build and lead a world-class global planning organization, establishing the operating model, talent strategy, and leadership culture needed to drive accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and business results across a complex global matrix.

Must-haves

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive supply chain experience, including 5+ years in senior planning leadership roles within a complex, high-mix technology hardware environment.
• Deep expertise in demand/supply planning, S&OP/IBP process design and governance, and network/capacity planning.
• Proven experience managing outsourced manufacturing supply chains and long-lead-time categories.
• Strong track record with planning systems and data-driven, analytics-led decision-making.
• Experience presenting to C-suite audiences.

Nice-to-haves

• APICS/CPIM, CSCP, or CPSM certification.

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.