Principal NPI Program Manager

Company Description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

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 Description

Your Career

As a key member of the Technical Operations team, you will be responsible for driving development and supporting the launch of X86 hardware appliances, primarily with global contract manufacturing. You will work closely with cross-functional teams that include various development engineering teams (Electrical/Hardware, Mechanical, Compliance, Software, etc), operations teams (Test Engineering, Quality, Planning, Manufacturing Engineering, Component Engineering, Supply Base Management, Supply Chain Mgmt, etc.), and manufacturing partners. The ideal candidate will be able to drive programs at both a tactical & strategic level and have a blend of technical expertise & business acumen.  Your efforts will result in cybersecurity products that provide industry-leading protection to our customers and outstanding business results for the company

Your Impact

• Subject Matter Expert  in new product introduction for x86 hardware appliances 

• Collaborate on product development with cross-functional teams, including Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Product Management, Mechanical Engineering, Hardware Validation, Test Engineering, Quality, Compliance, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Mgmt, etc.

• Create schedules for hardware development and prototyping that align with software development schedule(s) to ensure a smooth transition into system integration  

• Ensure that quality and reliability objectives are met through hardware validation, manufacturing test, and release management

• Develop phase gate release criteria and enforce completion of hardware validation with buy-in from cross-functional team 

• Ensure Order Fulfillment readiness for all new SKUs and FRUs by collaborating with Business Systems, Planning, Supply Chain, Repair & Failure Analysis Engineering, Service Logistics, etc.  

• Facilitate the Design for Manufacturing (DFM) process with global contract manufacturer and printed circuit board fabrication

• Ensure the Design for Assembly (DFA) process meets objectives for cost, quality and speed 

• Identify and mitigate risks through early engagement, bug tracking and cross-functional risk assessment  

• Support the Test Engineering team in meeting Design for Test (DFT) objectives 

• Facilitate Product Characterization and Component Characterization to derisk DFM issues and assembly defects    

• Make recommendations for risk buys based on product architecture and lead time analysis  

• Identify cost-reduction opportunities through the development of should cost model and multi-sourcing 

• Drive ECO (Engineering Change Order) and implement corrective actions

• Establish Traceability on components to trace the history, location and genealogy through multi-level BOM tracking 

• Continuously improve the hardware product lifecycle through retrospectives and best practices

• Lead Post Ramp Qualification (PRQ) process for technical initiatives such as Hard Tooling and Optical Transceivers   

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to team members

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• 10+ Yrs Experience in product development and manufacturing environment

• Bachelor degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent experience

• Proven experience managing cross-functional teams in NPI program management of x86 hardware platforms.

• Knowledge of Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) 

• Strong knowledge of product development processes, including Hardware Validation, Product Characterization, Design for Test, Design for Manufacturing, and Design for Assembly

• Familiar with Product Development tools such as Valor, Arena, Jira and CAD

• Experience managing manufacturing processes and identifying cost-reduction opportunities

• Excellent communicat