Optical Support Engineer

Ciena is committed to a people-first philosophy, fostering a culture that prioritizes flexibility, belonging, wellbeing, and continuous growth. This role plays a critical part in delivering exceptional customer experiences by supporting the reliable operation of Ciena's optical networking solutions for customers around the world. How you will make an impact:

• Provide system-level pre- and post-sales technical support for Ciena optical networking products across a global customer base
• Serve as a primary technical contact for customer inquiries, delivering timely and professional support via phone, email, and chat
• Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve network faults, performance issues, and configuration challenges
• Leverage diagnostic tools, lab environments, and research to progress complex technical issues
• Capture, document, and escalate detailed technical information to senior engineering teams when required
• Contribute to the Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) knowledge base and share customer feedback with internal stakeholders
• Support customer business needs through occasional after-hours and weekend coverage

• Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline such as Engineering or Computer Science, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• 0-3 years of experience in a technical or customer-facing support role
• Foundational understanding of fiber optic transport and switching technologies
• Basic knowledge of Optical Transport Network (OTN), Synchronous Optical Network (SONET), or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) environments
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills applied to system-level troubleshooting
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Ability to work onsite for in-person training and mentoring for approximately six months, followed by a hybrid work model

Nice to haves:

• Experience supporting customers in a technical support or network operations environment
• Familiarity with Carrier Ethernet technologies and associated fiber optic facilities
• Exposure to element management systems or network management systems
• Working knowledge of Ethernet, Internet Protocol (IP) networking, Linux, databases, or data communications
• Experience contributing to technical documentation or knowledge bases
• Ability to remain effective and customer-focused in high-pressure or time-sensitive situations