HPE Networking Proof of Concept Consultant

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. 

You’ll own the logistics, prioritise 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 PoCs 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. 

Required 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. 

• Recognised 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.