Senior Principal, Product Manager - Data Center and AI Networking Hardware Architecture

Hewlett Packard Enterprise • Sunnyvale, CA

1d • $187,000 - $377,500 • Hybrid

About The Position

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Networking is seeking a Senior Principal Product Manager to shape the hardware architecture and product direction of next-generation data center switching platforms, particularly networking for AI clusters and high-performance Ethernet fabrics. This senior individual-contributor role translates technical choices into customer and new product introduction (NPI) decisions and helps determine the direction of future switching hardware platforms. It evaluates emerging technologies and competing architectures, translates customer and market needs into product choices, and drives alignment across product management, engineering, operations, partners, and executive leadership. The role combines technical expertise and product judgment to turn complex trade-offs into portfolio, investment, and NPI decisions. The position leads across functions, mentors colleagues, and contributes to HPE’s technical community.

The role independently leads end-to-end product strategy and operational roadmaps for complex products and portfolios. It shapes multi-generation data center switching architectures, including AI scale-up, scale-out, front-end, and data center interconnect networks. It defines platform requirements and leads fact-based evaluations of performance, power, reliability, manufacturability, cost, ecosystem readiness, supply, and time to market. It converts those evaluations into platform definitions, product requirements, business cases, investment priorities, and NPI recommendations.

The Product Manager partners with AI infrastructure, hyperscale, cloud, and enterprise customers; engages technology and manufacturing partners; and presents recommendations to cross-functional teams and executives. For selected NPI programs, the role may also take Product Line Manager ownership, including product requirements, cross-functional execution, lifecycle management, SKU and inventory management, pricing, go-to-market strategy, and adoption. The position is hybrid, with an average of two days per week in an HPE office, and is located in Sunnyvale, California.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in computer science, engineering, or a related field.
• 12 or more years of work experience in a related field.
• Technical understanding and knowledge of the relevant industry.
• Ability to translate technical requirements and functions into customer business value.
• Strong teamwork skills and the ability to drive and influence work cross-functionally through others.
• Effective communication skills, including tailoring messages to different audiences.
• Extensive experience in data center networking, Ethernet switching, high-speed hardware systems, optical networking, semiconductor products, or related infrastructure technologies.
• Deep understanding of switching system architecture, including ASICs, SerDes, PHYs, high-speed interfaces, optics, signal integrity, power, thermal design, packaging, and system reliability.
• Strong understanding of networking for AI clusters and how GPU and accelerator roadmaps affect bandwidth, radix, topology, latency, congestion management, power density, cooling, optics, and rack design.
• Ability to convert complex technology evaluations into clear customer, product, portfolio, and NPI decisions.
• Strong product and business judgment, including assessment of differentiation, customer readiness, cost, reliability, ecosystem maturity, development risk, and time to market.
• Ability to influence senior executives and drive consequential cross-functional decisions without direct organizational authority.
• Willingness and ability to take hands-on Product Line Manager ownership of selected NPI programs as needed.
• Excellent customer engagement, communication, and executive presentation skills.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or advanced degree in computer science or engineering.
• Experience with 800GbE, 1.6TbE and beyond, OSFP, LPO, LRO, XPO, NPO, CPO, silicon photonics, high-speed copper, liquid cooling, or rack-scale architecture.

Responsibilities

• Independently lead end-to-end product strategy and operational product roadmaps for complex products and portfolios.
• Shape multi-generation architecture and product direction for data center switching, including AI scale-up, scale-out, front-end, and data center interconnect networks.
• Define platform requirements for bandwidth, radix, topology, latency, congestion management, power, cooling, optics, cabling, form factor, and rack integration.
• Evaluate emerging switching, interconnect, optics, cooling, power-delivery, and rack-scale technologies and competing architectures.
• Lead fact-based trade-off analyses covering customer value, performance, power, density, reliability, serviceability, manufacturability, cost, ecosystem readiness, supply availability, and time to market.
• Translate technical analyses into platform definitions, product requirements, business cases, investment priorities, and NPI recommendations.
• Determine when to adopt a single architecture or support multiple options for different use cases.
• Partner with AI infrastructure, hyperscale, cloud, and enterprise customers to anticipate requirements and validate product and architecture choices.
• Drive cross-functional and executive alignment with clear recommendations describing benefits, risks, assumptions, dependencies, and commercial implications.
• Engage silicon, optics, connectivity, cooling, compute, accelerator, and manufacturing partners to understand roadmaps, maturity, and differentiation opportunities.
• As needed, serve as Product Line Manager for selected NPI programs, defining requirements, leading cross-functional execution, and managing product lifecycle activities across engineering, supply chain, and marketing.
• Manage product development, SKU and inventory, pricing, go-to-market strategy, and adoption for selected programs.
• Represent HPE Networking in strategic customer discussions, partner engagements, executive briefings, and relevant industry forums.
• Guide and mentor less-experienced team members and influence them to develop effective requirements and roadmaps.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits intended to support physical, financial, and emotional wellbeing.
• Career-development programs to help employees pursue career goals and develop expertise or move to another division.
• Variable incentives may also be offered.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior