Principal Technical Product Manager

F5 Networks, Inc.; Tower (MN); On-site; USD 195,000 - 293,000; Full time

Job summary

F5 Networks, Inc. is seeking a Principal Product Manager to lead the vision and expansion of the BIG-IP platform for AI workloads.

You will serve as the market expert on AI security and data delivery challenges, partnering with engineering to shape the next generation of AI-driven products. The role demands customer obsession, strategic analysis, and the ability to drive cross-functional programs from concept to launch.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of product management or an equivalent role.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• MBA or top-tier consulting experience is preferred.
• Technical understanding of load balancing, data center network architecture, and cloud technologies is preferred.
• Strategic thinker with strong cross-functional leadership and business judgment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and champion the business case, product requirements (PRDs), and go-to-market documents (PRFAQs) for new BIG-IP initiatives, especially AI.
• Lead strategic projects to analyze complex business problems and formulate actionable recommendations for leadership.
• Create and maintain structured financial models for 1- and 5-year planning.
• Develop market insights, competitive analysis, and user research to ensure product-market fit.
• Collaborate with product management, engineering, marketing, and sales to define direction and priorities.

Skills

Customer-obsessed

Strategic thinker

Execution-focused

Influential leader

Expert communicator

Collaborative & flexible

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

MBA or top-tier consulting experience

Tools

Load balancing

Data center networking

Cloud technologies

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.

About F5 F5 is a leading provider of multi-cloud application services, which enable our customers to develop, deploy, operate, secure, and govern applications in any architecture, from on-premises to the public cloud. Our cloud, software, and hardware solutions enable our customers to deliver digital experiences to their customers faster, reliably, and at scale. At F5, we believe our differences - when embraced with humility and respect - drive smarter decisions, increased innovation, and stronger performance.

Position Summary

As a Principal, Product Manager, you will be a strategic leader driving the vision and expansion of F5's BIG-IP platform for new and emerging AI workloads. You will serve as the subject matter expert on market trends and customer needs, specifically focusing on solving novel AI security and data delivery challenges (e.g., AI Data Delivery, AI Enterprise Firewall, Top-of-Rack hardware). Success in this role requires deep customer obsession, technical expertise, strong analytical skills, and exceptional cross-functional collaboration. You will represent the voice of the customer to our engineering teams and the broader F5 organization, shaping the future of our AI-driven product offerings.

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Vision

• Develop and champion the business case, product requirements (PRDs), and go-to-market documents (PRFAQs) for new BIG-IP initiatives, especially those in the AI space.
• Lead strategic projects to analyze complex business problems, such as new market entry, and formulate actionable recommendations for leadership.
• Create and maintain structured financial models to inform 1- and 5-year business planning, leveraging data from diverse internal and external sources.
• Develop timely market insights, including competitive analysis and user research, to ensure product-market fit and drive product strategy.

Execution & Leadership

• Drive strategic alignment across the organization by collaborating with product management, engineering, marketing, and sales to define product direction.
• Direct and manage cross-functional teams to execute the product strategy, establishing measurable goals that align with strategic objectives.
• Evaluate and decide on Buy, Build, or Partner solutions to deliver on the product roadmap.
• Proactively identify and manage the impact of strategic insights on the broader organization, presenting clear points of view, goals, and desired outcomes.
• Influence without direct authority to ensure strategic initiatives are successfully executed by the business.

Influence & Communication

• Communicate strategic recommendations and insights effectively to audiences at all levels, from the Board and executive leadership to the broader employee base.
• Influence without direct authority to ensure strategic initiatives are successfully executed by the business.
• Establish and nurture relationships with industry analysts to build F5's credibility in the market.
• Support and coach other product management leaders to test and validate prospective F5 strategies.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Customer-Obsessed: A strong customer orientation with the ability to listen, organize, and champion key initiatives.
• Strategic Thinker: Experience identifying, evaluating, and analyzing critical business questions with an outstanding record of sound business judgment.
• Execution-Focused: Highly focused on execution, with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple workstreams and deliver high-quality, synthesized analysis.
• Influential Leader: Demonstrated leadership and the ability to influence by initiating partnerships that promote organizational objectives and drive change.
• Expert Communicator: Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technology and business value clearly and persuasively.
• Collaborative & Flexible: A flexible, self-motivated team player who can work independently or lead others on complex projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in product management or an equivalent role is required.
• MBA or top-tier consulting experience is preferred.
• Technical understanding of load balancing, data center network architecture, and cloud technologies is preferred.

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: $195,400.00 - $293,000.00

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 foster the growth and success of our employees.