Director, Customer Portal Product Owner

Ciena - Linthicum Heights, MD

Part-time - Senior

Remote - Linthicum Heights, MD

Telecommunications

About the position

Ciena is seeking a Director, Customer Portal Product Owner who will play a pivotal role in leading the development and continuous improvement of our customer-facing portal. This position reports to the Sr. Director of Enterprise Transformation and is integral to shaping the strategic direction and execution of all aspects of the portal. The successful candidate will ensure that the portal delivers a seamless and engaging experience that drives customer satisfaction and business growth. In this role, you will define and champion the product vision, strategy, and roadmap for the customer portal, aligning it with overall business objectives and customer needs. You will oversee the full lifecycle development process, managing everything from ideation and design through to implementation, testing, launch, and ongoing maintenance. Continuous improvement will be a key focus, as you will constantly analyze portal performance, gather user feedback, and implement iterative enhancements to improve functionality, usability, and customer satisfaction. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to prioritize feature requests, manage the development backlog, and ensure timely delivery of updates and new features. As a strong advocate for user experience, you will incorporate best practices in UX/UI design and accessibility to create an intuitive and engaging portal. Staying ahead of the curve is essential, as you will need to keep abreast of emerging technologies and industry best practices in customer portal development to ensure the platform remains innovative and cutting-edge. Key capabilities of the customer portal you will help develop include self-service functionality, personalized experiences, a comprehensive knowledge base, account management features, community engagement, mobile responsiveness, robust security measures, and comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities. You will also be responsible for monitoring and analyzing data to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and measure the impact of enhancements, as well as managing the budget allocated to the customer portal development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic vision and roadmap for the customer portal, aligning with business objectives and customer needs.
• Manage the end-to-end development process from ideation and design to implementation, testing, launch, and ongoing maintenance.
• Analyze portal performance, gather user feedback, and implement iterative improvements to enhance functionality and customer satisfaction.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to prioritize feature requests and manage the development backlog.
• Advocate for user experience by incorporating best practices in UX/UI design and accessibility.
• Stay updated on emerging technologies and industry best practices in customer portal development.
• Develop self-service functionality for customers to manage their accounts and access information independently.
• Deliver personalized experiences based on customer profiles and preferences.
• Provide a comprehensive knowledge base and integrated support channels for customer assistance.
• Enable effective account management features for customers to view and manage their information.
• Foster community engagement through forums and customer interactions.
• Ensure mobile responsiveness for a seamless experience across devices.
• Implement robust security measures to protect customer data and ensure platform reliability.
• Provide analytics and reporting capabilities to track key metrics and measure portal effectiveness.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in software development, with at least 3 years specifically as a customer portal product owner.
• Proven track record of successfully leading and delivering complex software development projects from concept to launch.
• Experience with agile methodologies and tools for project management and software development.
• Strong understanding of UX/UI design principles and a passion for creating exceptional customer experiences.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in a technology company with a focus on customer engagement.
• Familiarity with data analytics tools and techniques for measuring portal effectiveness.
• Knowledge of security best practices in software development.

Benefits

• RSU (Restricted Stock Units)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Paid time off
• Family leave