Senior Principal, Solution Test & Automation Engineer

Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 187,000 - 378,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & wellbeing benefits

Professional development opportunities

Inclusive culture and collaboration

Job summary

Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Sunnyvale, CA, seeks a Senior Principal Solution Test & Automation Engineer to lead validation for large‑scale networking and software solutions. Hybrid work arrangement with 2 days per week in‑office, interacting with engineering, architecture, product management, and customers to ensure quality across the lifecycle.

The role emphasizes automation, observability, and strategic quality initiatives, with mentorship and leadership across functions to accelerate

Qualifications

• Software engineering & automation expert‑level programming in Python, Go, or C++, with deep proficiency in at least one language.
• Extensive experience designing and building automation platforms and quality engineering ecosystems.
• Experience integrating large‑scale automated testing into CI/CD environments.
• Proven history of driving transformational automation initiatives.
• Systems & networking expertise and strong Linux/UNIX fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Understand customer deployments and develop validation strategies for large‑scale solutions.
• Lead validation efforts and collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure reliability and observability.
• Define and drive automation strategy across products and engineering teams.
• Lead system‑level testing, debugging, and root‑cause investigations across domains.
• Provide technical leadership and mentor engineers on quality engineering practices.

Skills

Python/Go/C++

CI/CD

Linux/UNIX

Networking

Tools

Ixia

Spirent

Job description

Senior Principal, Solution Test & Automation Engineer This role has been designed as 'Hybrid' with a requirement that you will work on average 2 days per week from an HPE 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

Senior Principal Solution Test & Automation Engineer - Customer Engagement Location (HYBRID): Sunnyvale, CA. HPE Networking is seeking a Senior Principal Solution Test & Automation Engineer to lead quality engineering for large-scale networking and distributed software solutions. This is a highly technical Individual Contributor role requiring substantial technical impact on strategic products, architectural initiatives, and customer success. The role combines deep software testing expertise, system-level engineering knowledge, customer engagement, and technical leadership. The successful candidate will serve as a go-to authority for complex quality engineering challenges, drive innovation in automation and validation, and influence product quality, scalability, observability, and reliability across the entire product lifecycle. You will partner closely with engineering, architecture, product management, sales engineering, services, support, and customers to validate complex networking solutions, establish scalable quality engineering practices, and deliver long-lasting improvements to engineering productivity and product quality. In addition to technical execution, you will provide leadership across functions, mentor engineers, and help define the future direction of solution validation and automation. Success in this role requires substantial technical impact on significant products and programs, recognized expertise within the organization, leadership across functions, delivery of long-lasting test engineering improvements, mentorship of technical talent, and innovation that advances customer outcomes and business objectives.

Solution Validation & Customer Engagement

Understand customer deployments, business requirements, architectures, and large-scale operational environments to develop comprehensive validation strategies. Lead validation efforts for strategic customer solutions and complex networking deployments. Collaborate with customers, field engineers, solution architects, sales engineers, and services teams to validate real-world networking solutions and operational readiness. Participate in and influence technical design workshops, architecture reviews, and strategic planning discussions to improve reliability, scalability, observability, and serviceability. Translate customer requirements into repeatable, solution-focused validation frameworks. Present technical findings, risk assessments, quality recommendations, and executive-level updates to customers and internal stakeholders. Drive cross‑functional initiatives that improve customer outcomes and product quality.

Automation & Quality Engineering

Define and drive automation strategy across products, programs, and engineering teams. Architect, develop, and evolve scalable automation frameworks supporting functional, integration, system, resiliency, scale, performance, and solution validation. Establish engineering best practices and standards for continuous validation through CI/CD pipelines. Lead innovation in automation infrastructure, tooling, and AI‑assisted engineering practices. Drive organization‑wide adoption of quality engineering methodologies that improve time‑to‑market and engineering productivity. Identify opportunities to simplify validation workflows and reduce operational costs through automation.

System‑Level Testing & Debugging

Lead validation of distributed, multi‑component software and networking platforms at scale. Execute and automate regression, longevity, fault‑injection, recovery, scalability, interoperability, and performance testing. Utilize logs, metrics, traces, telemetry, observability platforms, and diagnostic frameworks to troubleshoot complex failures. Lead root‑cause investigations spanning multiple teams and technology domains. Differentiate product defects from infrastructure, automation, and environmental issues. Influence architecture and design decisions to improve product testability, diagnosability, and operational excellence.

Technical Leadership

Provide technical leadership for strategic initiatives, major releases, and architectural programs. Serve as a recognized authority for solution validation, automation, and quality engineering. Lead and connect engineering teams across functions to align around common quality objectives. Drive quality‑first engineering practices throughout the development lifecycle. Mentor engineers through technical guidance, reviews, coaching, and knowledge sharing. Contribute to technical innovation through patents, white papers, standards participation, publications, and architectural proposals. Build long‑term technical capabilities that create recurring business value and customer impact.

Basic Qualifications

• Software Engineering & Automation Expert‑level programming expertise in Python, Go, or C++, with deep proficiency in at least one language.
• Extensive experience designing and building automation platforms, frameworks, and quality engineering ecosystems.
• Experience integrating large‑scale automated testing into CI/CD environments.
• Proven history of driving transformational automation initiatives.
• Systems & Networking Strong understanding of Linux/UNIX operating systems, networking, processes, memory management, and system internals.
• Extensive experience validating distributed and multi‑component systems.
• Deep hands‑on expertise configuring and validating multi‑vendor networking environments.
• Experience supporting service provider, enterprise, and cloud networking deployments.
• Strong knowledge of performance testing and traffic‑generation platforms such as Ixia and Spirent.
• Testing & Quality Engineering Deep expertise in system‑level and end‑to‑end validation.
• Multi‑feature, longevity, resiliency, interoperability, scale, and performance testing.
• Fault injection and recovery validation.
• Root‑cause analysis and complex defect investigation.
• Advanced troubleshooting across multiple software and infrastructure layers.
• Leadership & Influence Demonstrated history of leading significant technical initiatives with measurable business impact.
• Proven ability to influence engineering decisions, architecture, and strategic direction.
• Experience mentoring engineers and leading cross‑functional technical initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced networking expertise in Layer 2, Layer 3, TCP/IP, Routing, MPLS, EVPN, and data center technologies.
• Experience with network operating systems, cloud infrastructure, observability platforms, and distributed architectures.
• Working knowledge of JUNOS.
• Industry certifications such as JNCIE, CCIE, or equivalent.
• Experience leveraging AI‑assisted engineering tools for automation development, test generation, diagnostics, failure analysis, and productivity improvements.
• Track record of innovation resulting in patents, publications, standards contributions, or architectural leadership.

Accessibility

HPE is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including those with disabilities. If you believe you require accommodation during any stage of the application or interview process, please submit your request by completing our secure form linked here. Note: This option is reserved for applicants needing assistance/reasonable accommodation related to a disability.

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. #unitedstates #networking

Job: Engineering Job Level: TCP_06

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 187,000 - 377,500 in California. The listed salary range reflects base salary. Variable incentives may also be offered.

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

Equal Employment Opportunity / Veterans / Disabled / LGBT Employer

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.

EEO & Legal Compliance

HPE is an 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law

Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law

Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law - Supplement E-Verify (US & PR only) HPE is an E-Verify employer.

Accessibility (Reiterated)

HPE is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including those with disabilities. If you believe you require accommodation during any stage of the application or interview process, please submit your request by completing our secure form linked here. Note: This option is reserved for applicants needing assistance/reasonable accommodation related to a disability.

Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Data

Please ensure the resume you submit to us does not include any sensitive personal data. Sensitive personal data includes data revealing information about your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sex life or sexual orientation. To the extent the resume you submit does contain this type of personal data, you consent to the storing and processing of this data by HPE for the purpose of reviewing and managing your application.