IT Early Career Leadership Program Associate (New Grad)

Job Description

IT Leadership Program – New Grads | Ciena

The Tone:
This is a full-time Early Career Leadership Program Associate role at Ciena, located in Baltimore, MD, with a starting date of July 2027. Ciena is a global technology company that builds the critical infrastructure for high-speed connectivity, powering the AI era and shaping the future of networking through innovation, integrity, and collaboration. This structured rotational program offers new graduates the opportunity to gain hands-on experience across multiple IT disciplines, engaging with real business challenges and collaborating with technology leaders. The role is vital for developing future IT leaders who will contribute to initiatives that support Ciena’s business growth, operational efficiency, and technology transformation, fostering long-term careers within the global IT organization.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person Baltimore, MD
• Pay: $58500–$93500 yearly
• Mission: This person will contribute to initiatives that solve real business challenges, supporting business growth, operational efficiency, and technology transformation.
• Tech Stack: Power BI, SQL, Python, Azure, AWS, ServiceNow

What You’ll Actually Do
• Rotational Learning: Complete four structured six-month rotational assignments across multiple IT domains, gaining hands-on experience with real business challenges.
• Initiative Leadership: Drive technology initiatives crucial for supporting business growth, operational efficiency, risk reduction, and comprehensive value realization.
• Performance Analysis: Analyze business processes, operational data, and technology performance metrics to proactively identify and recommend improvement opportunities.
• Solution Deployment: Evaluate, implement, and optimize various technology solutions and business processes in collaboration with stakeholders to address business challenges.
• Strategic Reporting: Develop comprehensive reports, dashboards, presentations, and strategic recommendations, including a capstone project, to inform decision-making and strategic planning for IT leadership.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree completed within the last 12 months in Information Systems, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Data Science, Business Technology, or a related technical field. This is an Entry-Level role.
• Experience: Previous internship, co-op, or applied project experience relevant to IT leadership or technology roles. Demonstrated leadership through internships, projects, student organizations, research, or extracurricular activities.
• Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, excellent verbal and written communication, and the capacity to learn quickly and adapt to new technologies and business environments.
• Bonus: Internship, co-op, research, or project experience in a technology-related field. Exposure to cloud platforms, data analytics, software development, or enterprise systems. Familiarity with technologies such as Power BI, SQL, Python, Azure, AWS, or ServiceNow. Experience working in team-based environments.