Platform Lead

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. We are looking for an experienced ServiceNow Platform Lead with a minimum of 8 years of experience to take technical and architectural ownership of our ServiceNow platform. The ideal candidate must be an excellent developer, a strong solution architect, and a strategic thinker who can identify how ServiceNow can deliver measurable business value. The candidate must be highly self-driven and capable of joining an existing ServiceNow environment, independently understanding its architecture, and taking ownership with minimal or no formal knowledge transfer. Key Responsibilities Own the technical direction, architecture, stability, security, and overall health of the ServiceNow platform. Independently assess the existing platform, including configurations, customizations, applications, integrations, data models, security, and technical dependencies. Design scalable, secure, maintainable, and upgrade-friendly ServiceNow solutions. Perform hands-on development, configuration, troubleshooting, and code reviews. Ensure solutions follow ServiceNow best practices and use out-of-the-box capabilities wherever practical. Define and enforce standards for architecture, development, testing, deployment, documentation, and governance. Identify technical debt, platform risks, performance issues, and improvement opportunities. Identify opportunities to automate processes, improve user experience, and increase business value. Lead complex technical discussions, solution-design sessions, platform upgrades, and root-cause analysis. Create and maintain clear technical, architecture, integration, and support documentation. Guide developers, administrators, internal teams, and implementation partners. Required Skills Experience as a ServiceNow Platform Lead, Technical Architect, Solution Architect, Lead Developer, or similar senior role. Strong ServiceNow development and scripting skills. Proven experience designing and delivering complex ServiceNow solutions. Strong understanding of ServiceNow architecture, integrations, security, data models, performance, testing, release management, and upgrades. Ability to understand an unfamiliar ServiceNow environment independently and become productive quickly. Strong problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Excellent technical documentation skills. Ability to work effectively with business stakeholders, technical teams, leadership, and vendors. Strong sense of accountability and platform ownership. Experience with ITSM, CMDB, Asset Management, App Engine, Service Portal or Employee Center, Automated Test Framework, Discovery, Service Mapping, Performance Analytics and Strategic Portfolio Management. 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.