Sr Consultant, Strategic Accounts

Ciena is committed to our people-first philosophy. Our teams enjoy a culture focused on prioritizing a personalized and flexible work environment that empowers an individual’s passions, growth, wellbeing and belonging. We’re a technology company that leads with our humanity—driving our business priorities alongside meaningful social, community, and societal impact.

How You Will Contribute:
 

You will be responsible for the insertion of our solution portfolio and growth of our business by winning transformational business opportunities in our most strategic customers and specifically within tier 1 Communication Service providers and their associated operating businesses. Establishing and nurturing key business relationships at all levels and particularly with C-suite stakeholders you will carry a sales target which will be retired through your personal sales success and ability to win deals. You will work closely and consult with our mainstream Ciena account team but drive your own sales and engagement strategy to ensure the integrity of the Blue Planet brand is maintained and recognized as a value-based brand to deliver vendor neutral, multi-domain and multi-layer automated service operations to the telco service provider. You will report to the head of the Blue Planet sales & business development team for strategic accounts in the INTERNATIONAL region and manage a dispersed virtual team of contributors in localized markets to secure your objectives.

Your Responsibilities

• Achieve annual sales targets and grow Blue Planet’s solution footprint in customer organizations

• Provide accurate sales forecasting and reporting on a periodic basis 

• Establish, maintain, and develop critical business relationships with key business, technical and operational stakeholders at all levels including C-suite contacts in your customer organization.

• Develop, document, and execute a business development strategy that promotes Blue Planet capabilities and solutions, aligns to customer strategy, and secures new and continued sales growth through progressive wins.

• Work closely to achieve your goals and foster good working relationships with other agencies in Ciena and Blue Planet including product management & engineering, solution architecture, marketing, sales, and commercial management.

• Maintain, grow and document a sales and opportunity pipeline commensurate with sales targets and manage it effectively in Salesforce.com.

• Lead a virtual team of contributors in the response to customer RFx documentation or unsolicited proposals and ensure on time quality delivery to promote greatest chance of success.

• Create compelling and differentiated commercial frameworks and pricing strategies in consultation with our sales operations, commercial management & finance organization that align to customer expectations and create ongoing, profitable repeat business opportunity.

• Work closely with our delivery organization to ensure a joined-up approach to ensure customer success at all levels.

• Maintain high levels of training and awareness of market developments, customer strategies and Blue Planet portfolio enhancements.

The Must haves:
 

You will have already demonstrated your ability to succeed in similar organizations and have an impressive track record that illustrates your competence in highly complex, high value transformational projects. You will have a solid technical understanding and an ability to translate the technical into business value propositions that align to your customers vision and strategic aims whilst being able to robustly qualify and identify the difference between real opportunities and technical science projects. You will be able to motivate a team of contributors to work with you to achieve your goals and objectives and above all you will be charismatic, fun to work with and ready to roll your sleeves up to work hard to build on our success so far and have a willingness to take on responsibility and accountability for your own objectives.

• BSc degree qualification at 2:1 or above in computing science or engineering disciplines is desirable.

• Excellent written and spoken English with demonstrably sound presentation and communication skills.

• Second European language preferred.

• 10/15 Years+ experience in selling complex operational systems and services with evidence of demonstrable success in winning high value deals.

• Sound working knowledge of OSS platforms and solutions including competence in Orchestration, Assurance, and Inventory management.

• Solid foundation of established and referenceable relationship at all levels including C-suite preferred in your designated customer.

• Experience working with large multicountry tier 1 telco operators

• Willingness to travel extensively (50%+)

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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.

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