Principal Account Executive- BNK

F5 Networks, Inc.; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 154,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

F5 Networks, Inc. is seeking a Principal Account Executive for BNK (BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes) to drive new logo acquisition and expansion across Neoclouds, AI-Native Platforms, Sovereign AI clouds, and Hyperscalers.

You will partner with a Solutions Architect to lead strategic account plans and engage CIOs, CTOs, and Cloud Infrastructure leaders across high-value, complex deals. This quota-carrying role emphasizes forecasting, multi-year contracts, and delivering ROI through cutting-edge AI

Qualifications

• Executive presence with the ability to communicate profound business value to senior leaders.
• Exceptional consultative selling, discovery, and account planning skills.
• Skilled at orchestrating complex sales motions across highly technical infrastructure teams and C-level executives.

Responsibilities

• Own the Strategic AI Territory: Drive new logo acquisition and expansion within targeted accounts.
• Lead the Sales Team: Partner with BNK Solutions Architect to build and execute account plans.
• Engage the C-Suite: Pitch to CIOs, CTOs, Chief Architects, and Cloud Infrastructure leaders.

Skills

Executive presence

Consultative selling

Account planning

Forecasting

Job description

At F5, we strive to bring a better digital world to life. Our teams empower organizations across the globe to create, secure, and run applications that enhance how we experience our evolving digital world. We are passionate about cybersecurity, from protecting consumers from fraud to enabling companies to focus on innovation. Everything we do centers around people. That means we obsess over how to make the lives of our customers, and their customers, better. And it means we prioritize a diverse F5 community where each individual can thrive. Principal Account Executive, BNK (BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes) F5 is transforming how organizations deliver, secure, and operate modern applications. BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes (BNK) is F5's cloud-native platform for Kubernetes networking, application delivery, and edge security. We are building a specialized sales team to target the most explosive-growth sector in technology: Neoclouds, AI-Native Platforms, Hyperscalers, and AI Foundationals. The Principal Account Executive, BNK, is a quota-carrying, hunter-focused role responsible for driving new logo acquisition and expansion across these strategic accounts. Partnering completely in lockstep with a Solutions Architect, you will sell complex, high-value AI infrastructure solutions to senior technology leaders (CTOs, VP of Infrastructure), building long-term partnerships that drive growth.

What You’ll Do

• Own the Strategic AI Territory: Drive new logo acquisition and expansion within a targeted portfolio of Neoclouds, AI-Native Platforms, Sovereign AI clouds, and Hyperscalers.
• Lead the Sales Team: Partner seamlessly with a BNK Solutions Architect to build and execute strategic account plans, operating as a unified commercial and technical front.
• Engage the C‑Suite: Pitch directly to CIOs, CTOs, Chief Architects, and Cloud Infrastructure leaders, focusing on critical business drivers like "Time-to-Compute," "Energy Margin Defense," and "Sovereign AI Isolation."
• Position BNK at the AI Edge: Position BNK as the critical North‑South infrastructure layer for Kubernetes, optimizing GPU utilization and delivering security on NVIDIA BlueField DPUs.
• Drive ROI‑Based Sales Cycles: Develop comprehensive business cases that quantify the value of host CPU reclamation, thermal smoothing, and rapid deployment velocity.
• Manage Complex Deal Execution: Lead multi‑stakeholder sales cycles, contract negotiations, and massive multi‑year capacity agreements.
• Forecast & Pipeline Rigor: Maintain accurate forecasting, pipeline management, and CRM discipline to ensure 3‑4x qualified pipeline coverage.

Required Qualifications

10+ years of successful enterprise technology sales experience, specifically targeting Hyperscalers, Cloud Providers, or major AI/Infrastructure platforms. Proven track record of exceeding quota, winning new business, and managing six‑and seven‑figure enterprise agreements. Deep experience selling complex software, cloud, bare‑metal infrastructure, networking, or platform engineering solutions. Strong understanding of the AI ecosystem, cloud‑native architectures (Kubernetes), and high‑performance networking economics. Proven ability to thrive in a high‑growth, hyper‑competitive emerging technology landscape.

Skills & Competencies

• Executive presence with the ability to communicate profound business value (e.g., Megawatt scaling, infrastructure TCO) to senior leaders.
• Exceptional consultative selling, discovery, and account planning skills.
• Skilled at orchestrating complex sales motions across highly technical infrastructure teams and C‑level executives.
• Fierce collaboration skills, particularly in maximizing the impact of your Solutions Architect partner.
• Disciplined approach to forecasting and territory planning.

Why F5?

You’ll help the world's most ambitious Neoclouds and Hyperscalers build the AI Factories of the future. You will work with cutting‑edge technologies across Kubernetes, NVIDIA hardware, AI infrastructure, and extreme‑throughput networking, fundamentally changing how AI capacity is delivered to the market. #LI-DJ1 #LI-Remote

The Job Description is intended to be a general representation of the responsibilities and requirements of the job. However, the description may not be all‑inclusive, and responsibilities and requirements are subject to change.

The annual base pay for this position is: $153,600.00 - $230,400.00

F5 maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, geographic locations, and market conditions, as well as to reflect F5’s differing products, industries, and lines of business.

The pay range referenced is as of the time of the job posting and is subject to change.

You may also be offered incentive compensation, bonus, restricted stock units, and benefits. More details about F5’s benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.f5.com/company/careers/benefits. F5 reserves the right to change or terminate any benefit plan without notice.

Please note that F5 only contacts candidates through F5 email address (ending with @f5.com) or auto email notification from Workday (ending with f5.com or @myworkday.com).

Equal Employment Opportunity

It is the policy of F5 to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to unlawful considerations of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, sensory, physical, or mental disability, marital status, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, discipline, and termination. F5 offers a variety of reasonable accommodations for candidates. Requesting an accommodation is completely voluntary. F5 will assess the need for accommodations in the application process separately from those that may be needed to perform the job. Request by contacting [e-mail].

Hybrid: Employees within 30 commutable miles of an F5 office are required to work from the office a minimum of 30 business days per quarter. Remote: Primarily work from designated home location but can come into an F5 office to work or travel to an offsite location as needed.

Together, we're building a better digital world. Founded in 1996, F5 is a global leader in application delivery and security. Our premier platform helps customers secure and deliver every app, API, and piece of infrastructure across all environments. Backed by over three decades of expertise and 553 patents, our solutions protect against threats while ensuring fast, reliable digital experiences. With over 6,400 employees, we serve more than 23,000 customers in over 170 countries. To continue this work, we need people like you—the best minds in the industry. We're committed to a unique, human‑first culture that encourages authenticity, prioritizes diversity and inclusion, and fosters the growth and success of our employees.