Principal Technical Product Manager

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 Manage r , 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 & 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