Junior - Services Project Manager

Ciena Corporation; Belfast City; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Ciena is seeking a Junior Services Project Manager to lead complex services projects across the United Kingdom, aligning technical execution with commercial objectives and customer commitments.

You will coordinate engineering teams, partners and internal stakeholders, drive governance, report progress, manage risks, and help shape presales and delivery decisions to ensure on-time, on-budget outcomes. Travel to London or Belfast is expected.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in service delivery, project management, or service coordination.
• Experience across the full delivery lifecycle: planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.
• Direct interaction with customers and cross-functional delivery teams.
• Experience managing scope, schedules, milestones, and dependencies.
• Experience using project management tools to plan, track, and report.
• Experience with risk assessment and mitigation planning.
• Experience coordinating resources across matrixed organizations.
• Experience estimating effort and cost, considering delivery risk.
• Able to work across time zones with distributed teams.
• Willingness to travel to London or Belfast 2–3 days per week.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of services projects across the United Kingdom, aligning scope, schedule, cost, and quality commitments are met.
• Coordinate cross-functional resources, including engineering teams, partners, and internal stakeholders, to execute agreed delivery plans.
• Drive customer-facing project governance, including progress reviews, risk management, and milestone tracking.
• Manage project communications, providing clear and timely visibility of status, risks, and mitigation actions.
• Monitor delivery performance against financial targets, supporting accurate revenue recognition and margin attainment.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate delivery, technical, and commercial risks throughout the project lifecycle.
• Contribute to presales and delivery decisions that balance technical feasibility, delivery risk, and commercial outcomes.

Skills

3+ years experience

Service delivery

Project management

Cross-functional coordination

Risk management

Delivery planning

Stakeholder management

Time-zone collaboration

Travel readiness

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.

Junior Services Project Manager

This role leads complex services projects across the United Kingdom, aligning technical execution, commercial objectives, and customer commitments. The position plays a central role in delivering consistent, high‑quality outcomes across the full project lifecycle.

How you will make an impact

• Lead end‑to‑end delivery of services projects across the United Kingdom, ensuring scope, schedule, cost, and quality commitments are met.
• Coordinate cross‑functional resources, including engineering teams, partners, and internal stakeholders, to execute agreed delivery plans.
• Drive customer‑facing project governance, including progress reviews, risk management, and milestone tracking.
• Manage project communications, providing clear and timely visibility of status, risks, and mitigation actions.
• Monitor delivery performance against financial targets, supporting accurate revenue recognition and margin attainment.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate delivery, technical, and commercial risks throughout the project lifecycle.
• Contribute to presales and delivery decisions that balance technical feasibility, delivery risk, and commercial outcomes.

The must haves

• Experience: 3+ years of experience in service delivery, project management, or service coordination roles within a relevant industry.
• Application of project management practices across the full delivery lifecycle, including planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.
• Direct interaction with customers and cross‑functional delivery teams, including engineering and partner resources.
• Background in managing scope, schedules, milestones, and dependencies for multiple or complex projects.
• Utilization of project management tools to plan, track, and report on delivery progress.
• Application of risk assessment and mitigation planning within active service delivery environments.
• Background in coordinating resources across matrixed organizations and multiple stakeholders.
• Application of effort estimation, cost awareness, and delivery risk considerations during project execution.
• Experience operating across time zones and collaborating with geographically distributed teams.
• Ability to travel regularly to London or Belfast offices (2–3 days per week).

Nice to haves

• Background in optical transport or networking environments, including DWDM and L0/L1 technologies.
• Exposure to network lifecycle activities such as design, deployment, migration, and validation.
• Experience contributing to presales activities or bid management discussions.
• Familiarity with commercial margin management and financial performance tracking.
• Experience operating in early‑stage or less‑defined delivery environments.

Equal Opportunity Employer & Diversity

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.