Role Description The Network for AI (NFAI) Inside Sales Specialist is responsible for driving data center networking and routing solution opportunities across commercial and lower-tier enterprise accounts through a virtual-first engagement model. This role serves as the inside counterpart to field-led enterprise specialist coverage, owning a defined segment of accounts where opportunities may involve meaningful technical complexity, multi-stakeholder buying processes, and executive alignment. In addition to sales responsibilities, the role acts as a subject matter expert (SME) for the NFAI portfolio, providing solution design guidance and architectural perspective to Account Managers and Sales Engineers. Key Responsibilities - Sales Execution & Opportunity Development: - Drive pipeline development and revenue growth for HPE Networking’s data center networking, routing, and AI infrastructure connectivity portfolio across assigned commercial and lower-tier enterprise accounts. - Lead consultative discovery conversations to understand customer business objectives, infrastructure requirements, and modernization initiatives. - Translate business and technical requirements into solution architectures in collaboration with Sales Engineers, recommending appropriate designs, deployment models, and phased adoption strategies. - Provide architectural guidance during early opportunity stages, helping customers and internal teams evaluate topology options, fabric architectures, scalability considerations, and integration points. - Progress opportunities using structured sales methodologies (such as MEDDPICC), ensuring alignment around decision criteria, business value, and stakeholder sponsorship. - Build and communicate compelling business cases that connect networking modernization initiatives to measurable business outcomes such as scalability, performance, resilience, operational efficiency, and cost optimization. - Customer & Executive Engagement: - Establish trusted relationships with technical and business stakeholders including network architects, IT managers, infrastructure leaders, and operations teams. - Engage confidently with director-, VP-, and selected C-level stakeholders when executive sponsorship is required to advance an opportunity. - Navigate complex buying committees and align internal and external stakeholders around architecture direction and investment rationale. - Technical Leadership & SME Support: - Act as a subject matter expert for the NFAI portfolio, supporting Account Managers and Sales Engineers with technical positioning, solution architecture guidance, and competitive differentiation. - Assist account teams in designing networking solutions that align with validated architectures, customer requirements, and HPE Networking best practices. - Provide architectural input during account strategy development, helping teams identify modernization opportunities and expansion paths. - Support technical discussions such as solution topology, scalability planning, integration with compute/storage platforms, and AI infrastructure connectivity requirements. - Collaborate with Sales Engineers on detailed solution validation while maintaining ownership of overall solution strategy and value articulation. - Partner & Internal Collaboration: - Collaborate closely with Account Managers, Sales Engineers, channel partners, and field specialists to advance complex opportunities and ensure coordinated pursuit strategies. - Qualify when to lead independently versus when to engage additional technical, executive, or specialist resources based on opportunity complexity and account dynamics. - Leverage partner ecosystems to expand reach, accelerate solution adoption, and support joint account strategies. - Pipeline & Forecast Discipline: - Maintain accurate pipeline visibility, forecasting, and opportunity hygiene within Salesforce and associated sales tools. - Apply disciplined opportunity qualification and prioritization to ensure efficient use of time and resources across a higher-volume inside sales environment. - Portfolio & Market Expertise: - Maintain deep working knowledge of HPE Networking’s data center switching, routing, AI networking, and fabric architectures. - Understand how networking infrastructure integrates with compute, storage, and AI workloads within modern data center and hybrid cloud environments. - Stay current on validated designs, architectural best practices, and evolving networking technologies relevant to AI and data center modernization. - Maintain awareness of competitive networking technologies to articulate architectural differentiation and displacement strategies. - Scope & Complexity: - Owns a defined set of commercial and lower-tier enterprise accounts, typically domestic or regional in scope. - Opportunities may range from incremental infrastructure expansion to competitive replacements and architectural modernization initiatives. - Handles a higher volume of opportunities than field-led specialist roles while still navigating meaningful technical complexity and multi-stakeholder buying environments. - Frequently supports account teams as an architectural SME while advancing sales pursuits through an inside engagement model. Qualifications - 6–8+ years of experience in networking technology sales, specialist sales, or hybrid technical-commercial roles. - Proven success selling and positioning networking infrastructure solutions within commercial and/or enterprise environments. - Demonstrated ability to participate in or lead solution architecture discussions related to switching, routing, and data center networking. - Experience collaborating with Sales Engineers on solution design and technical validation. - Candidates with slightly less experience must demonstrate exceptional technical credibility, executive communication skills, and a track record of supporting complex infrastructure solutions. Knowledge & Skills - Strong understanding of data center networking architectures including leaf-spine designs, fabric architectures, and scalable routing solutions. - Ability to translate customer requirements into credible solution designs and architectural approaches. - Capability to provide SME support to account teams by guiding solution positioning, architecture decisions, and technical strategy. - Strong executive communication skills and ability to build credibility with both technical and business stakeholders. - High level of sales discipline, forecasting accuracy, and opportunity management rigor. - Ability to thrive in a fast-paced inside sales environment that requires balancing technical engagement with opportunity volume. Benefits - Health & Wellbeing: Comprehensive suite of benefits that supports physical, financial, and emotional wellbeing. - Personal & Professional Development: Programs catered to helping you reach career goals. - Unconditional Inclusion: A commitment to inclusivity and celebrating individual uniqueness.