Global Process Owner - Sales and Operations Planning

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 an exceptional and visionary Global Process Owner (GPO) for the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP – Forecast to Build) business process. This critical leadership role sits within our newly formed Enterprise Transformation Office (ETO), which is focused on driving modern, efficient, and automated global processes.  This role requires a unique blend of strategic leadership, deep subject matter expertise in S&OP, and a passion for modern technology and data-driven transformation. 

As the GPO, you will be responsible for designing, governing, and continuously improving the end-to-end S&OP process across the enterprise. This role ensures alignment between demand forecasting, supply planning, and operational execution to enable accurate, timely, and efficient decision-making that supports business growth and transformation objectives.  You will transform our planning capabilities from a functional exercise into a core, cross-functional, and executive-led business management process 

Key Responsibilities: 

Process Ownership and Strategy 

• Design and Govern the Global Process: Define, standardize, and own the 'To-Be' global S&OP process.  Ensure the process is scalable, flexible and adaptable. 

• Establish and Monitor Governance: Define clear process governance, roles, responsibilities, and decision-making rights (e.g., RACI) functional areas. Drive adherence to the standardized process globally. 

• Define and Measure Performance: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for the S&OP process.  Monitor and report on process performance, driving accountability and transparency. 
   

Transformation and Continuous Improvement 

• Lead Digital Transformation: Serve as the business lead for the implementation and optimization of planning technologies, as needed.  Ensure system capabilities align with the 'To-Be' process design. 

• Automate and Incorporate AI: Identify and champion opportunities to inject automation and AI/Machine Learning into the S&OP workflow, particularly in areas like statistical forecasting, scenario planning, and capacity constraint modeling, to enable "planning at the speed of the business." 

• Establish S&OP Process Roadmap: Develop and manage a continuous improvement roadmap for the S&OP process maturity, ensuring we are leveraging best-in-class methodologies and emerging technologies to enhance efficiency and decision quality. 

• Drive Continuous Improvement: Drive process optimization initiatives aligned with enterprise transformation goals, leveraging automation, AI, and advanced analytics. 
   

Cross-Functional Leadership and Change Management 

• Drive Cross-Functional Alignment: Collabo