Director of Product Line Management (US - Remote)

AXON Networks delivers AI-driven analytics, network orchestration, and high-speed networking products that help internet service providers manage networks and improve customer experiences. The Director of Product Line Management will define, build, and scale a portfolio of telecom enterprise services and network products, owning strategy, business performance, product development, lifecycle governance, go-to-market execution, and team leadership.

Responsibilities:

• Set the multi-year strategy, market segmentation, investment thesis, pricing, packaging, revenue plan, margin targets, and portfolio rationalization decisions using customer and competitive insight
• Lead the end-to-end development of Layer 2 switching, Carrier Ethernet demarcation, NID/eNID, access, and edge products, including market requirements, business cases, PRDs, platform choices, feature priorities, release criteria, and lifecycle plans
• Build scalable services including Ethernet Private Line and Virtual Private Line, E-LAN, DIA access, managed LAN, cloud connectivity, and adjacent secure or assured connectivity offers
• Partner with Engineering and Architecture on switching silicon, system architecture, network operating software, optics, timing, power, thermal, security, manageability, and service-assurance requirements
• Evaluate and manage chipset, ODM/JDM, contract manufacturing, optics, software, certification, and technology partners; balance cost, differentiation, quality, availability, and roadmap control
• Establish disciplined stage gates from discovery and concept through development, field trials, launch, sustaining engineering, refresh, migration, and end-of-sale/end-of-support
• Define positioning, competitive differentiation, sales plays, solution bundles, enablement, launch readiness, reference customers, and adoption programs with Sales and Marketing
• Ensure products and services are deployable, observable, supportable, and automatable through OSS/BSS, inventory, orchestration, telemetry, assurance, and zero-touch provisioning capabilities
• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing product line management team; create clear decision rights, operating rhythms, accountability, and succession plans

Requirements:

• 12+ years in product management or product line leadership in telecom, networking, or enterprise connectivity, including 5+ years leading teams or major portfolios
• A record of launching and scaling physical networking products such as Layer 2 switches, NIDs/eNIDs, access devices, routers, or edge appliances, together with software and service capabilities
• Demonstrated responsibility for a product line business plan, revenue and margin performance, pricing, roadmap investment, and lifecycle decisions
• Ability to engage credibly with system architects and engineers on hardware, silicon, NOS/software, optics, protocols, APIs, telemetry, and deployment tradeoffs without losing sight of customer and commercial outcomes
• Strong understanding of enterprise buyer needs, telecom operator economics, global competitive dynamics, routes to market, and standards-based service delivery
• Success aligning Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Legal, and external partners around high-stakes product decisions
• Exceptional communication and cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to simplify complex topics, align senior stakeholders, and drive decisions
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Telecommunications, or a related field
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally, typically up to 25-35%, with a valid passport and no material travel restrictions
• The role requires extended computer use and periodic visits to offices, laboratories, manufacturing partners, data centers, and customer network sites
• Layer 2 switching architectures; VLANs and IEEE 802.1Q; QinQ/802.1ad; LAG and MC-LAG; STP/RSTP/MSTP; LLDP; QoS, buffering, multicast, and resiliency
• E-Line/E-LAN/E-Tree service constructs, EPL/EVPL, bandwidth profiles, class of service, service OAM, SLA design, UNI/NNI concepts, and MEF-aligned lifecycle automation
• NIDs/eNIDs, CPE/uCPE, fixed and mobile access, multi-rate GbE interfaces, optics, synchronization, timing, and carrier-grade deployment considerations
• Merchant silicon and SDK ecosystems, BSPs, embedded systems, network operating systems, APIs, telemetry, secure boot, software maintenance, component lifecycle, and supply-chain risk
• IEEE 802.1ag CFM, ITU-T Y.1731, performance monitoring, fault isolation, zero-touch provisioning, streaming telemetry, orchestration, inventory, and closed-loop assurance
• Market sizing, competitive analysis, portfolio economics, pricing, gross margin, unit cost, forecasting, business cases, channel strategy, and contract or SLA implications
• MBA or advanced technical degree preferred