Senior Product Manager, Layer 2 Switching

Our Mission
At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place.
Who We Are
In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us!
We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes.
Job Summary
Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Senior Product Manager, Layer 2 Switching to define and drive the evolution of our enterprise switching capabilities.
In this role, you will own the product experience across the full switch lifecycle — from onboarding and provisioning through configuration, operations, observability, troubleshooting, and ongoing management. You will work at the intersection of enterprise networking, cloud-managed infrastructure, network security, and platform user experience.
You will define product strategy and roadmap for Layer 2 switching capabilities across enterprise campus, edge, and data center environments, while partnering closely with engineering, user experience, technical marketing, sales engineering, and other Network Security product teams.
This role requires strong technical depth in Layer 2 networking and switching architectures, combined with demonstrated product leadership and the ability to translate complex network operations into scalable, intuitive product experiences.
Your Impact
Define and drive the product strategy, roadmap, and lifecycle for Layer 2 switching capabilities
Own product requirements across the switch lifecycle, including onboarding, provisioning, configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, and decommissioning
Define and improve Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP), cloud-managed enrollment, and guided setup workflows to reduce deployment complexity and time to value
Define configuration workflows across CLI, APIs, and graphical user interfaces for core Layer 2 capabilities
Drive product requirements for technologies including VLANs, 802.1Q trunking, STP/RSTP/MSTP, LACP, LLDP, MAC learning, multicast snooping, QoS, and related switching functionality
Define operational dashboards and observability experiences that provide visibility into network topology, link health, port utilization, VLAN state, MAC/ARP tables, and device health
Partner with engineering on telemetry and management capabilities using technologies such as gNMI, OpenConfig, sFlow, and SNMP
Work closely with customers, partners, sales engineering, and field teams to understand networking workflows, operational pain points, and deployment challenges
Translate customer and market requirements into clear product requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, and measurable success metrics
Partner with UX and design teams to simplify complex networking workflows and improve usability for network and security administrators
Collaborate with engineering throughout the development lifecycle to ensure high-quality, scalable, and reliable product delivery
Partner with technical marketing, sales engineering, and go-to-market teams to support product positioning, enablement, launches, and strategic customer engagements
Define and monitor product KPIs and use customer, product, and operational data to guide roadmap priorities and product improvements
Use AI and modern product-development tools to accelerate research, prototyping, analytics, requirements development, and product decision-making
This role is availabile as a hybrid position at our headquarters location in Santa Clara, California onsite 3 days a week and remote 2 days a week.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
5+ years of relevant experience in product management, technical product management, technical marketing, engineering leadership, or a related technical role
3+ years of experience working with networking, switching infrastructure, network management, or related platform products
Strong working knowledge of Layer 2 networking fundamentals, including VLANs, 802.1Q trunking, STP variants, LACP, LLDP, MAC learning, and multicast behavior
Experience with enterprise switching architectures and network operations
Experience defining or managing infrastructure configuration through one or more of the following: CLI, REST APIs, YANG-based APIs, or graphical management interfaces
Experience working with engineering teams to define technical requirements and deliver complex networking or infrastructure products
Experience conducting customer discovery and translating customer pain points into prioritized product requirements and roadmap decisions
Experience using qualitative and quantitative data to inform product strategy and product decisions
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate effectively across engineering, customers, sales, and executive stakeholders
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with cloud-managed networking or switching platforms
Experience with platforms such as Arista CloudVision, Cisco Catalyst Center, Cisco Meraki, Juniper Mist, or comparable enterprise networking solutions
Experience with EVPN/VxLAN or other data-center and overlay networking technologies
Familiarity with network telemetry and observability technologies such as gNMI, OpenConfig, sFlow, or SNMP
Experience with network automation and infrastructure-as-code technologies such as Ansible or Terraform
Experience designing or managing network topology, device health, port utilization, or operational observability experiences
Experience taking networking or infrastructure products from concept through launch and adoption
Experience working directly with enterprise customers, partners, sales engineering, or technical support organizations
Compensation Disclosure
The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/com-missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.
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Our Commitment
We’re trailblazers that dream big, take risks, and challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.
Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.