HPE Networking Proof of Concept Consultant

HPE Networking Proof of Concept Consultant This role has been designed as ‘Hybrid’ with an expectation 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: HPE Networking delivers enterprise-grade campus, branch, and edge networking solutions trusted by organizations worldwide. Join Us as a Proof-of-Concept Technical Consultant - Shape the Future of Campus & Branch Networking We’re looking for a hands-on technical leader to join our Campus & Branch team at HPE Networking to help show our customers that self-driving networks are a reality . In this role, you’ll be the person who makes our technology real for Customers – designing, building, and running Proof of Concept engagements that prove what HPE Networking can do in their environment. You'll partner with account teams and Customers to define what success looks like for each engagement. You'll architect test topologies across wired, wireless, and SD-Branch scenarios, navigate complex technical requirements, and deliver results – whether that's in an HPE lab or on a Customer's live network. Your technical depth will span our full portfolio: campus switching, Wi-Fi 6E/7, SD-Branch and microbranch architectures, security, AIOps-driven management platforms, and the tooling that ties it all together. Y ou’ll own the logistics, priorities testing activities, and document every test case so that Customers and internal stakeholders get clear, actionable reporting. As our portfolio evolves – and it moves fast – you’ll keep test plans current, working with PLM, R&D, and subject matter experts to ensure our PoC s reflect the latest features and competitive differentiators. Beyond execution, you’ll scale our reach by training field teams across multiple regions, sharing best practices, and enabling them to run successful evaluations independently. You’ll collaborate with sales leadership to arm the field with the tools and positioning needed to win in competitive scenarios. This role involves travel and direct Customer engagement – you’ll be in the room when buying decisions are made, demonstrating HPE Networking’s technical leadership in real-world environments. If you thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes technical settings and want to directly influence pipeline and revenue, this is your role. Responsibilities: Execute complex Proof of Concept (PoC) engagements as the vehicle to validate HPE Networking solutions during the sales cycle – spanning campus switching, wireless, SD-Branch, and edge use cases. Gather technical requirements from Customers and account teams, translating business outcomes into testable success criteria. Work with Customers and account teams to define quantitative success metrics for each PoC. Create detailed, scenario-driven test plans covering wired, wireless, security, and management platform capabilities. Collaborate with technical experts (PLM, Dev/R&D, QA, TME) to validate and refine test plans before execution. Investigate and optimise technical solutions to meet or exceed opportunity requirements – both current deployment needs and future scalability. Identify growth paths, scalability options, and architectural best practices, incorporating these into solution design activities. Anticipate and mitigate potential challenges within proposed test plans. Differentiate HPE Networking above the competition – find the angles, build the platform , and create preference. Optimise solutions to maximise HPE Networking’s competitive advantages across campus, branch, and edge scenarios. Represent HPE Networking as a subject matter expert to Customers, partners, and internal stakeholders. Actively support account teams with solution guidance, proposals, presentations, and Customer communications. Transfer knowledge to presales peers through mentoring, peer education programmes, and structured enablement sessions. Serve as the trusted technical advisor for Customers and account teams on networking consultative expertise. Stay current on industry trends, competitor positioning, and emerging technologies (AIOps, SASE/SSE, Wi-Fi 7, Zero Trust, NaaS ) to engage credibly with Customers at all management levels. R equired Qualifications & Experience 5+ years of industry experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent hands-on experience. Deep, comprehensive understanding of networking technology with the ability to rapidly develop strong technical knowledge of HPE Networking products. Proven experience evaluating and benchmarking networking equipment in competitive scenarios. Strong understanding of LAN and WLAN networking protocols and technologies, including switching, routing, and security. Well-recognised industry certifications beneficial – ACMX, CCIE, CWNP, JNCIP, JNCIA, or equivalent preferred. R ecognised expertise in wireless technologies including Wi-Fi 6E/Wi-Fi 7, 802.11ax/be standards, RF spectrum analysis, MIMO/MU-MIMO concepts, and wireless security. Experienced in networking technologies and protocols including but not limited to: Switching: VLANs (802.1Q), DHCP, multicast, L2/L3 forwarding, link aggregation (LACP), spanning tree, EVPN-VXLAN fabrics. Routing: OSPF, BGP, VXLAN, MPLS, VRF, route policies, SD-WAN overlay architectures. Security: 802.1X, NAC, RADIUS, TACACS+, ACLs, micro-segmentation, Zero Trust principles. Familiarity with modern network management and AIOps platforms (e.g., HPE Aruba Networking Central, Aruba Central NetConductor). Outstanding communication skills with demonstrated ability to develop and deliver complex technical presentations. Proficient presenting to varied audiences – sales teams, C-level executives, Customer stakeholders, and industry forums. Excellent written and verbal communication skills with proven experience producing technical papers and reports. Experience driving projects within cross-functional teams and managing multiple parallel engagements to deadline. Extensive travel may be required – ability and willingness to accommodate a minimum of 50% travel within the AMS region. Further Beneficial Experience Experience with HPE Networking (Aruba) and Juniper technologies. Experience working for HPE Networking in a technical or related role. Proficiency in network automation tools and frameworks (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, Python, Git, Jenkins, RESTful APIs). Experience with cloud networking platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and hybrid cloud integration. Knowledge of Zero Trust Architecture, identity-based access control, and SASE/SSE frameworks. Familiarity with network observability and AIOps platforms. Experience with AI-assisted development tools and platforms (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, AI code assistants). Awareness of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and agentic AI frameworks for tool and data integration. Understanding of AI/ML concepts as they apply to network operations, anomaly detection, and predictive analytics. 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: Services Job Level: TCP_04 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 120,000 - 243,000 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 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. Recruitment Fraud Alert We have become aware of an increase in fraudulent recruitment activities in which individuals impersonate our company or authorized recruitment agencies to offer fake employment opportunities. These scams may occur through false websites, emails, social media, or chat-based applications and often aim to obtain personal information or money. 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