Principal Network Sales Engineer

Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 412,000; Full time

Job summary

Hewlett Packard Enterprise seeks a Principal Network Sales Engineer to lead complex networking opportunities within Service Provider Pre-Sales. You will work with account teams, product management and engineering to drive design guidance, POCs and RFP responses for service provider customers.

The role emphasizes deep routing, data center networking, and automation expertise, with travel up to 20–30% and preference for Seattle or Kansas City locations, or remote work from a major airport hub.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of networking experience in a customer-facing pre-sales role or equivalent
• Bachelor's degree or higher in a technical discipline
• Hands-on skills with POC tests involving new products/technologies
• Outstanding communication across technical to executive levels
• Ability to work in virtual multinational teams with diverse stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Drive technical consulting across routing, automation, and cross-segment technologies
• Build relationships with account teams and engineering
• Support requirements understanding and design guidance, POC tests, and RFPs
• Be a go-to person for the customer and sales team on portfolio and trends
• Speak at internal and external conferences and industry events
• Link proposed solutions to customer business needs up to executive decision-makers

Skills

BGP

ISIS

OSPF

Multicast

L2/L3 VPNs

MPLS

SR-TE

SRv6

Data center networking

Netconf/REST APIs

YANG

OpenConfig

gRPC

Docker

Kubernetes

Python

Ansible

Linux

Paragon

MIST

Apstra

Education

Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline

Tools

Paragon

MIST

Apstra

Job description

This role has been designed as ‘’Onsite’ with an expectation that you will primarily work from an HPE partner/customer office.

Who We Are

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is the global edge-to-cloud company advancing the way people live and work. We help companies connect, protect, analyze, and act on their data and applications wherever they live, from edge to cloud, so they can turn insights into outcomes at the speed required to thrive in today’s complex world. Our culture thrives on finding new and better ways to accelerate what’s next. We know varied backgrounds are valued and succeed here. We have the flexibility to manage our work and personal needs. We make bold moves, together, and are a force for good. If you are looking to stretch and grow your career our culture will embrace you. Open up opportunities with HPE.

Job Description

We are looking for a Principal Network Sales Engineer to join our Service Provider Pre-Sales Engineering team supporting a Tier 1 Service Provider customer. This is a remote opportunity, with a preference for candidates located in Seattle or Kansas City, or within close proximity to a major airport to support customer travel. This is a highly visible, customer‑facing role for an experienced technical leader who thrives at the intersection of networking, architecture, and strategic pre‑sales. Working closely with account managers, product management, engineering, and customer technical teams, you will drive complex networking opportunities, provide trusted technical guidance, and help customers solve business challenges through innovative networking, automation, security, and data center solutions. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in service provider networking, outstanding communication skills, and the ability to build lasting relationships while influencing technical and executive stakeholders throughout the sales cycle.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical consulting activities in both new and existing opportunities, acting as a trusted adviser to the account team and customer across a wide range of routing, automation, and cross‑segment technologies in cooperation with other domain architects.
• Build and maintain close relationships with account management teams and cooperative functions such as Product Line Management and Engineering.
• Support customers with understanding requirements, providing guidance in solution design, delivering technical deep‑dive presentations and demonstrations, contributing to Proof‑of‑Concept tests, and assisting with RFP responses.
• Become a go‑to person and trusted advisor for the customer and sales team on our product portfolio, automation solutions, wider industry trends, and competitive landscape in your area of focus.
• Speak at internal and external conferences, technology days, innovation days, and other industry events.
• Make and communicate relevant connections between proposed technical solutions and customers' business requirements, up to and including executive‑level decision‑makers.

Education And Experience

• 10+ years of relevant experience in networking, with a proven track record in a customer‑facing pre‑sales role selling networking equipment, or equivalent end‑user experience in design, architecture, or vendor selection.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in a technical discipline required
• Exceptional hands‑on skills and the ability to support complex proof‑of‑concept tests involving new products and emerging technologies.
• Outstanding communication skills — written, verbal, and presentation — with the ability to engage audiences from deeply technical to executive level.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in virtual, multinational teams with little supervision and diverse stakeholder demands.
• Credible technical interaction with Enterprise and Service Provider engineering teams on service provider domain topics at a detailed technical level.
• Comfortable with travel to visit customers, partners, and account teams (typically 20‑30% of working time).

Knowledge And Skills

• Expert‑level, hands‑on knowledge of routing protocols including BGP, ISIS, OSPF, Multicast, L2/L3 VPNs, BNG, and Carrier Ethernet, as well as tunneling technologies such as MPLS, RSVP, SR‑TE, and SRv6.
• Strong knowledge of mobile wireless architecture, virtualization technologies, and data center networking.
• Outstanding knowledge of network management, service provisioning, automation, monitoring, and telemetry interfaces — including Netconf/REST APIs, YANG, OpenConfig, and gRPC — and how these apply to modern WAN architectures especially in service providers. Experience with solutions such as Paragon, MIST, Apstra, or equivalent competitive products is an advantage.
• Extensive knowledge of containers and container‑related technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes, as well as familiarity with Linux operating systems.
• Automation and programming skills (e.g. Python, Ansible).
• General knowledge of emerging protocols and technologies being shaped in standards bodies.
• General knowledge of high‑performance security solutions for network infrastructure, cloud, and mobility.
• Familiarity with merchant silicon technologies (Trident, Tomahawk, Jericho, etc.).
• Understanding of products across relevant categories, including MX/PTX Series or equivalent core routers, SRX or equivalent security platforms, QFX/Nexus/Arista or equivalent switching platforms.
• Professional‑level industry certification desired.

What We Can Offer You

Health & Wellbeing

We strive to provide our team members and their loved ones with a comprehensive suite of benefits that supports their physical, financial and emotional wellbeing.

Personal & Professional Development

We also invest in your career because the better you are, the better we all are. We have specific programs catered to helping you reach any career goals you have — whether you want to become a knowledge expert in your field or apply your skills to another division.

Unconditional Inclusion

We are unconditionally inclusive in the way we work and celebrate individual uniqueness. We know varied backgrounds are valued and succeed here. We have the flexibility to manage our work and personal needs. We make bold moves, together, and are a force for good.

Let's Stay Connected

Follow @HPECareers on Instagram to see the latest on people, culture and tech at HPE.

Job

Sales

Job Level

TCP_05

Salary

– United States of America: Annual Salary USD 175,000 - 411,500 in Texas & Washington

This range reflects the minimum to maximum combined base and target‑level sales compensation that would be paid if the hire performs at 100% of their sales plan. Of that on‑target pay amount, the mix of base salary and target‑level sales compensation is 75%/25%.

Information about employee benefits offered in the US can be found at https://myhperewards.com/main/new-hire-enrollment.html

HPE is an Equal Employment Opportunity/ Veterans/Disabled/LGBT employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, or any other protected category, and all decisions we make are made on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. Our goal is to be one global team that is representative of our customers, in an inclusive environment where we can continue to innovate and grow together. Please click here: Equal Employment Opportunity.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is EEO Protected Veteran/ Individual with Disabilities.

HPE will comply with all applicable laws related to employer use of arrest and conviction records, including laws requiring employers to consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories.