Commercial Manager

Ciena Canada; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 102,000 - 164,000; Full time

Job summary

Ciena in the United States (Atlanta) seeks a Senior Commercial Manager to drive the commercial strategy for the GCN Region, helping improve profitability, cash flow, and risk management across complex, high-value transactions.

You will lead cross-functional teams through assessment, negotiations, and final resolution, develop financial models and pricing frameworks, and provide executive-ready recommendations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or related field.
• 10+ years in commercial management, finance, or contract management.
• P&L analysis, financial modeling, pricing, cash-flow and working-capital assessment.
• Experience reviewing, interpreting, and negotiating complex commercial contracts.
• Leading cross-functional issues from discovery through decision and closure.
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint for executive analyses; ability to travel within the GCN region.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage commercial activities for GCN customers.
• Define issues and drive closures with stakeholders.
• Develop financial models, business cases, and scenario analyses.
• Set pricing strategies and negotiate contracts; assess material risks.
• Provide data-driven recommendations to regional and executive leadership.
• Lead cross-functional teams to deliver executable commercial solutions.

Skills

P&L analysis

Financial modeling

Excel

PowerPoint

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or related field

MBA or relevant advanced degree

CPA or CMA certification

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.

The Commercial Manager shapes and executes commercial strategy across the GCN Region, helping Ciena improve profitability, protect cash flow, manage risk, and enable sustainable growth. This senior commercial role leads complex, high-value, and non-standard matters from initial assessment through executive approval, customer negotiation, implementation, and final resolution. The position serves as a trusted advisor to regional leadership and cross-functional teams, applying financial acumen, commercial judgment, and contractual expertise to drive timely, durable decisions.

How you will make an impact:

• Lead and manage commercial activities for GCN customers, translating regional growth, profitability, cash, and risk objectives into deal strategies and execution priorities.
• Lead complex, strategic, and high-value opportunities, including maintenance and services renewals, new business, multi-year arrangements, non-standard commercial structures, and material customer escalations.
• Drive complex commercial matters to closure by defining issues, aligning stakeholders, evaluating alternatives, establishing decisions and owners, managing escalations, and maintaining accountability through final resolution.
• Develop and assess financial models, business cases, and scenario analyses covering revenue, gross margin, cost, cash flow, working capital, investment requirements, revenue recognition, and long-term financial exposure.
• Set pricing and negotiation strategies, lead commercial review of customer contracts and amendments, identify and quantify material risks, and establish mitigation, contingency, and escalation plans.
• Provide data-driven recommendations to regional and executive leadership and lead cross-functional teams across Sales, Finance, Legal, Services, Operations, Product Line Management, Tax, and other functions to deliver executable commercial solutions.
• Establish regional pricing frameworks, approval thresholds, commercial playbooks, and governance standards; monitor business and deal performance; lead process improvements; represent the region in senior reviews; and provide commercial guidance to colleagues.

The must haves:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in commercial management, finance, business operations, deal governance, pricing, or contract management, including substantial responsibility for complex, high-value transactions in a global or matrixed organization.
• Application of P&L analysis, financial modeling, pricing, margin optimization, cost accounting, cash-flow and working-capital assessment, revenue recognition, forecasting, and business-case development.
• Experience reviewing, interpreting, and negotiating complex commercial contracts and connecting contractual provisions to financial, operational, and customer outcomes.
• Record of independently leading ambiguous, cross-functional, or high-risk issues from discovery through decision, execution, and verified closure, including identifying material risks, quantifying exposure, evaluating alternatives, and making recommendations under time pressure and with incomplete information.
• Application of executive-level stakeholder influence, analytical and critical-thinking methods, negotiation, problem-solving, written and verbal communication, disciplined governance, transparency, and management of multiple strategic priorities within tight deadlines.
• Advanced use of Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint to build decision-grade analyses and executive-ready materials, with ability to travel as required within the GCN Region.

Nice to haves:

• Education: MBA or another relevant advanced degree.
• Certifications: CPA or CMA.
• Experience in the technology, telecommunications, networking, or professional services sector.
• Experience with global customers, multi-country transactions, services contracts, and complex commercial or operating models.
• Background in the GCN services portfolio, regional market dynamics, and related go-to-market models.
• Experience developing commercial governance frameworks, pricing playbooks, or scalable process improvements.
• Demonstrated measurable impact on revenue growth, profitability, cash flow, risk reduction, or operating effectiveness.

Pay range:

The annual salary range for the position is: 102,400 - 163,600 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 busi