Senior Product Manager - Network Automation

Description

_As a Senior Product Manager for Network Automation at Itential, you will orchestrate the strategy, roadmap, and execution of our automation products that empower customers to transform their network operations. You will lead the product vision for network automation solutions while collaborating with cross-functional teams including engineering, design, marketing, and operations to deliver high-impact automation products that meet customer needs and business objectives. This role requires a unique blend of technical expertise in networking and automation, strategic product thinking, and exceptional stakeholder management skills.

_Key Responsibilities:

_Product Strategy & Vision

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• Define and communicate the product vision, strategy, and roadmap for network automation solutions based on business needs and technical capabilities
• Identify market trends and evolving technologies in network automation to inform long-term product strategy
• Create business cases that justify product investments and calculate expected ROI for automation initiatives
• Translate high-level business requirements into technical solutions and communicate technical constraints to business stakeholders

_Product Roadmap & Execution

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• Develop and manage comprehensive product roadmaps that address customer pain points in network automation and orchestration
• Create detailed product requirements and technical specifications in partnership with engineering teams
• Prioritize features and resources based on customer impact and business value, ensuring timely delivery of automation solutions
• Establish and track key performance metrics to measure product success and identify improvement opportunities

_Stakeholder Collaboration & Leadership

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• Align diverse stakeholders on priorities, timelines, and resource allocations across engineering, operations, and business teams
• Drive cross-functional collaboration to ensure successful product launches and continuous improvements
• Present technical concepts and product strategy to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership
• Facilitate decision-making across organizational boundaries, influencing without direct authority

_Customer Focus & Market Intelligence

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• Collect and analyze customer feedback specific to network automation challenges and opportunities
• Conduct market research to understand competitive landscape and emerging trends in NetDevOps
• Be the voice of the customer, ensuring automation solutions address real operational challenges
• Drive operational excellence by establishing monitoring systems, reliability standards, and incident management processes for automation products

_Go-to-Market & Product Success

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• Develop and execute go-to-market strategies for automation products, including launch plans and customer rollouts
• Partner with marketing and sales teams to articulate product value propositions and competitive differentiation
• Lead retrospectives to capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement across product execution
• Monitor product performance metrics and make data-driven recommendations for enhancements

Requirements

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field
• 7+ years of experience in product management, specifically in infrastructure, networking, or automation domains
• Proven track record of delivering products that meet business objectives in enterprise or technical environments
• Strong understanding of network infrastructure, automation principles, and orchestration concepts
• Experience managing complex technical products with multiple workstreams and dependencies
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to manage multiple competing priorities
• Strong understanding of customer needs, market dynamics, and technology trends in the networking space
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills with ability to present to diverse audiences
• Solid understanding of software development processes and hands-on experience working with Agile-driven engineering teams

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or MBA
• 10+ years of experience in product management for infrastructure or networking initiatives
• Direct experience with network automation platforms, orchestration tools, or NetDevOps workflows
• Experience with AWS network services and cloud infrastructure automation
• Background in implementing large-scale network transformation or automation programs
• Familiarity with network protocols, APIs, and automation frameworks (REST, NETCONF, Ansible, etc.)
• Track record of leading distributed teams across multiple time zones
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code and configuration management tools
• Understanding of enterprise networking challenges and compliance requirements