Principal Presales, Systems Engineer

Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 199,000 - 412,000; Full time

Job summary

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is seeking a senior pre-sales Solutions Architect for a remote role in the United States. The position focuses on data center, WAN, cloud, and AI infrastructure solutions with direct engagement from sales teams and executives.

You will lead architecture workshops, deliver compelling proposals, and advise customers on modernization and open networking strategies. A strong background in networking and pre-sales is required.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in technical pre-sales or related customer-facing roles.
• Bachelor's or Master's in Engineering, CS, IT, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience delivering Data Center, WAN, Cloud, AI infrastructure solutions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as trusted technical advisor to customers, partners, and account teams.
• Design and position data center, WAN, cloud, AI infrastructure solutions.
• Lead discovery sessions, architecture workshops, and PoC engagements.

Skills

Technical pre-sales

Solutions Architecture

Networking expertise

Customer engagement

Executive presentations

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Engineering/CS/IT

Tools

HPE Networking

Juniper or other platforms

Job description

This role has been designated as ‘Remote/Teleworker’, which means you will primarily work from home.

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

About HPE Networking

HPE Networking is a global leader in AI-driven networking solutions, helping organizations connect, protect, and accelerate their businesses in an increasingly digital world. From data center and WAN infrastructures to cloud and edge environments, our portfolio of networking, security, automation, and AI-powered operations solutions enables customers to build resilient, intelligent infrastructures that drive innovation and digital transformation. We partner with some of the world's largest enterprises, cloud providers, service providers, and public sector organizations to modernize their networks, simplify operations, and unlock the full potential of AI, cloud, and digital transformation initiatives.

At HPE, our culture thrives on finding new and better ways to accelerate what's next. We believe diverse perspectives fuel innovation and create an environment where people from all backgrounds can grow and succeed. We offer the flexibility to balance work and personal commitments while empowering our teams to make bold moves, collaborate openly, and be a force for good. If you're looking to broaden your impact, deepen your expertise, and accelerate your career, HPE is a place where opportunity and innovation go hand in hand.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to customers, partners, and account teams throughout the sales lifecycle.
• Partner with sales teams to understand customer business and technical requirements, develop account strategies, and identify opportunities to drive business outcomes.
• Design, architect, validate, and position data center, WAN, cloud, AI infrastructure, and open networking solutions that address complex customer challenges and business objectives.
• Lead technical discovery sessions, architecture workshops, executive presentations, product demonstrations, and proof-of-concept (PoC) engagements.
• Develop solution architectures, implementation strategies, migration plans, and engineering bills of materials (BOMs) for enterprise, cloud provider, and service provider environments.
• Own and deliver technical responses for RFPs, RFIs, and RFQs, ensuring accurate, competitive, and compelling proposals.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with customer stakeholders, including engineers, architects, technical decision-makers, executives, and industry partners.
• Advise customers on data center modernization, AI networking architectures, cloud connectivity, WAN transformation, network automation, and open networking adoption, including disaggregated networking and SONiC-based solutions.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Engineering, Customer Success, and strategic partners to advocate for customer requirements, provide market intelligence, influence product strategy, and drive successful customer outcomes.
• Maintain expertise in industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitive solutions while sharing knowledge through customer enablement, technical presentations, mentorship, and continuous professional development.

Education & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in technical pre-sales, Systems Engineering, Solutions Architecture, Network Engineering, Consulting, or related customer-facing technical roles.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Proven experience designing, architecting, and delivering large-scale Data Center, WAN, Cloud, AI Infrastructure, and Service Provider networking solutions.
• Deep expertise in modern data center architectures, including EVPN/VXLAN, spine-leaf and Clos fabrics, underlay/overlay networking, Data Center Interconnect (DCI), and Ethernet fabric technologies.
• Strong understanding of routing and transport technologies, including BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, MPLS, Segment Routing (SR-MPLS/SRv6), Traffic Engineering, and Layer 2/Layer 3 VPN services.
• Experience designing and implementing enterprise, cloud, and service provider WAN architectures, network modernization initiatives, and cloud connectivity solutions.
• Experience supporting AI, high-performance computing (HPC), cloud, and large-scale distributed application environments.
• Strong technical expertise across routing, switching, and network infrastructure technologies gained through pre-sales, operational, engineering, or consulting experience.
• Demonstrated ability to engage technical and business stakeholders, including architects, engineers, decision-makers, and executive leadership through presentations, workshops, and consultative selling engagements.
• Experience developing technical responses for RFPs, RFIs, and RFQs and leading solution validation through demonstrations, workshops, and proof-of-concept engagements.
• Hands‑on experience with HPE Networking, Juniper, or other leading networking platforms and management solutions, including familiarity with open networking concepts, network disaggregation, or SONiC-based solutions.
• Experience positioning, selling, or supporting data center switching solutions based on SONiC, Linux‑based network operating systems, or open networking ecosystems is highly desirable.

What We Would Love You To Have

• Experience with SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud), open networking architectures, network disaggregation, and merchant silicon‑based networking platforms.
• Experience supporting hyperscale, cloud provider, AI fabric, large‑scale data center, or service provider environments.
• Experience positioning or supporting SONiC‑based switching solutions, Linux‑based network operating systems, or open networking ecosystems.
• Experience with public cloud networking, automation, and cloud‑native technologies, including AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, VMware, and OpenStack.
• Industry certifications such as JNCIP, JNCIE, CCNP, CCIE, AWS, Azure, GCP, or equivalent technical certifications.

What Makes You a Phenomenal Fit

• A customer‑first mindset with a passion for solving complex technical and business challenges.
• Strong communication, presentation, and relationship‑building skills with the ability to influence both technical and executive audiences.
• Curiosity, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous learning in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
• A collaborative approach with the ability to work effectively across sales, engineering, product, and partner organizations while managing competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
• An advocate for HPE's culture and values who thrives in customer‑facing roles and is willing to travel as needed to support business and customer objectives.

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

The expected salary/wage range for this position is provided below. Actual offer may vary from this range based upon geographic location, work experience, education/training, and/or skill level.

– United States of America: Annual Salary USD 199,000 - 411,500 in California // 175,000 - 411,500 in 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.