Head of Supply Chain Optimisation

Ciena•Remote-US-MD, MD

2d•$169,400 - $270,600•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Head of Supply Chain Optimisation, you will report to the Director of Supply Chain Data and play a pivotal role in shaping the strategy for leveraging data and analytics to optimize supply chain operations across a complex, global organization. This role sits within the Supply Chain Data team, partnering closely with Data Analysts, Data Architects, and business stakeholders, while directly leading a small but impactful team of Data Scientists. You will work across procurement, planning, engineering, operations and logistics functions to deliver end-to-end supply chain optimization strategies that drive measurable business outcomes, such as cost reduction, service improvement, efficiency gains, and sustainability advancements. Success in this role will depend on your ability to partner with stakeholders to understand business problems, translate them into analytical approaches, and communicate insights that drive action and alignment across diverse teams and geographies. Additionally, your expertise in change management will be critical to ensuring adoption of data-driven solutions across the organization.

Requirements

Degree in a quantitative field (e.g. Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Operations Research, Engineering, Economics)
8+ years of experience in analytics, data science, or quantitative modelling roles
Proven experience leading and developing data and analytics professionals to deliver measurable business outcomes in complex, global organisations
Strong expertise in the application of optimisation and statistical modelling techniques to solve business problems
Hands-on experience with data science tools (e.g. Python, R)
Strong understanding of data management, data structures, and data quality, including working with incomplete or imperfect data
Experience contributing to or shaping data governance practices
Experience working in cross-functional, consulting-style analytics teams
Proficiency in using BI tools (e.g. Power BI, Looker) to visualize and communicate insights
Exceptional stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex analytics into business decisions that resonate with non-technical audiences.
Demonstrated ability to define strategy and deliver against a long-term

Nice To Haves

Experience with optimisation libraries (e.g. OR-Tools, Pyomo, Gurobi or similar)
Experience in network analytics
Familiarity with modern data platforms (e.g. Snowflake) and transformation tools (e.g. dbt)
Awareness of sustainability and cost optimisation trade-offs in supply chain decision-making

Responsibilities

Partner with stakeholders across procurement, manufacturing, distribution, and other business functions to deeply understand complex supply chain challenges, translate them into analytical approaches, and deliver actionable insights that drive measurable improvements.
Lead and develop a team of Data Scientists, empowering them to deliver impactful optimization and advanced analytics use cases while fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning.
Define and execute the supply chain optimization roadmap, starting with network optimization and expanding into broader decision optimization across the global supply chain.
Balance cost optimization with sustainability goals, ensuring that decision-making frameworks account for environmental impact and long-term resilience.
Drive adoption of data-driven decision-making by effectively managing change, aligning stakeholders, and communicating complex analytical concepts in clear, actionable terms to diverse audiences.
Contribute to data governance standards and ensure data quality to support robust, scalable analytics that can be trusted across the organization.
Set the long-term vision for how data science can be used as a consulting capability to deliver transformative business improvements across the global supply chain.