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.
The Software & Solutions Architect is responsible for defining the technical vision, architecture, and end‑to‑end solution design for complex software systems. This role ensures scalable, secure, and high‑quality solutions that align with organizational strategy and customer needs. This role will also help to consolidate AI initiatives/efforts spread across teams .
Key Responsibilities
- Define and own end‑to‑end software/system architecture across software components, platforms, and integrations.
- Translate product requirements into technical architecture and solution designs.
- Design scalable, reliable, secure, and high‑performance software solutions.
- Support customer engagements, technical discussions, and solution walkthroughs when needed.
- Partner with engineering teams to guide implementation and resolve complex technical challenges.
- Review designs, code, and technical proposals to ensure architectural integrity.
- Mentor senior engineers and technical leads on architecture and design thinking.
- Identify architectural risks, technical debt, and scalability concerns early.
- Define non‑functional requirements (performance, reliability, availability, security).
- Drive architecture reviews and Ensure solutions are testable, maintainable, and operationally efficient.
- AI :
- Work closely with software engineering teams to integrate AI models into products and platforms
- Help the organization and leaders to consolidate the effort spread across teams
- Guide decisions around model training vs. fine‑tuning vs. prompt engineering (for GenAI use cases).
- Provide technical leadership through design reviews, architecture forums, and mentoring.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
- 15+ years of experience in software development, with significant time in architect or technical leadership roles.
- Strong experience in system architecture, design patterns, and distributed systems.
- Proven ability to translate complex requirements into robust technical designs.
- Experience working across multiple teams and stakeholders.
Technical Skills (Typical)
- Strong programming background (e.g., C/C++, Python, or similar).
- Experience with microservices, APIs, distributed systems, and cloud‑native architectures is a plus.
- Solid understanding of performance optimization, fault tolerance, and security principles.
- Experience with CI/CD, DevOps practices, and modern development toolchains.
- Domain experience (e.g., embedded systems, networking, telecom, cloud platforms)
Soft Skills
- Strong technical communication and presentation skills.
- Strategic and systems‑level thinking.
- Ability to influence without direct authority.
- Comfortable balancing technical depth with business outcomes.
- Collaborative mindset with a coaching and mentoring approach.
Preferred / Nice to Have
- Experience in customer‑facing solution design.
- Exposure to large‑scale production systems.
- Prior experience defining platform or product architecture across multiple releases.
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.