Consultant, Submarine Systems Engineering

Ciena; Malaysia; On-site; MYR 300,000 - 500,000; Full time

Job summary

Ciena is seeking a Senior Consulting Field Systems Engineer to drive Open Cable and hyperscaler connectivity within the Submarine Solutions group. You will lead technical engagements, design solutions, and work with Product Management, R&D, and Sales to grow opportunities globally.

The role requires deep DWDM/optical transport and submarine networking expertise, strong customer-facing skills, and the ability to travel up to 30%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years in DWDM/optical transport technologies.
• 5+ years in submarine networking and upgrade projects.
• Expertise in Open Cable systems, OTN, Carrier Ethernet, IP networking.
• Knowledge of 100G/400G/800G+ coherent technologies.
• Understanding of data center architectures, spine-leaf, cloud environments, and DCN networking.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills.
• Willingness to travel ~30%.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical engagements for submarine customers: tenders, RFPs, design, and presentations.
• Design and validate submarine and terrestrial network solutions; develop pricing models and deployment methodologies.
• Collaborate with Product, R&D, Sales, and regional engineering to influence product evolution.
• Support hyperscaler connectivity with expertise in optical transport, data centers, cloud networking, and automation.
• Act as a trusted technical advisor; mentor Systems Engineers and share knowledge across teams.

Skills

Open Cable systems

DWDM/optical transport

Submarine networking

Data center architectures

DCN networking

IP networking

Network design

Pricing & cost modelling

Automation & APIs

ZTP

Customer-facing communication

Stakeholder management

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

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.

Ciena is seeking a Senior Consulting Field Systems Engineer to drive business development and solution leadership for Open Cable Systems and hyperscaler connectivity within the Submarine Solutions business. This role combines deep submarine network expertise, customer engagement, solution architecture, and commercial support to grow hyperscaler and MOFN opportunities while positioning Ciena as a trusted technology leader.

How You Will Contribute / Make An Impact

• Lead technical engagements for submarine customers, including Open Cable tenders, RFPs, solution design, contract clarifications, and technical presentations.
• Design and validate submarine and terrestrial network solutions, develop pricing and cost models, and create engineering documentation, test plans, and deployment methodologies.
• Partner with Product Management, R&D, Sales, and regional engineering teams to influence product evolution and support customer opportunities globally.
• Support hyperscaler connectivity opportunities through expertise in optical transport, data center architectures, cloud networking, automation, and network economics.
• Act as a trusted technical advisor to customers and internal teams, mentor Systems Engineers, and drive continuous improvement through knowledge sharing and post-project learnings.

Must-Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years' experience in DWDM/optical transport technologies, optical engineering, testing, and Layer 0 networking.
• 5+ years in submarine networking, including direct involvement in submarine upgrade projects and knowledge of SLTE/SIE solutions.
• Strong expertise in Open Cable systems, Converged Optical Ethernet, OTN, Carrier Ethernet, IP networking, network management, link budgeting, fiber impairments, and optical test equipment.
• Knowledge of 100G/400G/800G+ coherent technologies, network architecture/design, network cost modelling, and hyperscale networking environments.
• Understanding of data center architectures, spine-leaf networking, cloud environments, automation, APIs, ZTP, and DCN networking.
• Outstanding customer-facing communication, presentation, stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills.
• Self-driven, collaborative, and willing to travel (~30%).

Nice-to-Haves

• Master's degree.
• Experience with consortium submarine upgrade projects.
• Knowledge of Ciena Submarine Solutions.
• Experience with product pricing/feature analysis and commercial modelling.
• Familiarity with Generative AI prompting and AI-enabled workflows.
• Prior mentoring or technical leadership experience.

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.