Vice President of Engineering – Wireless

Vice President of Engineering – Wireless

Location: San Jose, CA (Hybrid)

Department: Engineering 

About the Role

Extreme Networks is seeking a Vice President of Engineering – Wireless to lead the strategy, architecture, and execution of our wireless networking portfolio, spanning wireless access points, controllers, and cloud-managed wireless software with a focus on Agentic AI capabilities across the portfolio. This is a senior leadership role responsible for running and scaling a world-class engineering organization that delivers secure, high-performance, and innovative wireless solutions for enterprise customers across all major verticals.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in wireless networking (802.11 standards, RF engineering, embedded systems) with proven experience leading large, distributed engineering teams and driving products from concept to market with a priority of scale, performance, and quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end engineering roadmap, architecture, and delivery for the wireless hardware and software portfolio, including access points, controllers, and cloud management platforms.

• Lead, mentor, and grow a multi-disciplinary organization of engineering directors, managers, and individual contributors across hardware, firmware, software, and RF/wireless systems engineering.

• Partner with Product Management, Sales, and Customer Success to translate market requirements and customer feedback into technical strategy and product roadmaps.

• Drive engineering best practices across the software development lifecycle, utilizing AI toolsets to increase velocity and quality using agile delivery, CI/CD, quality assurance, and security-by-design.

• Ensure the wireless portfolio meets performance, scalability, reliability, and regulatory/compliance requirements (FCC, CE, Wi-Fi Alliance certifications, federal certifications and any country-specific requirements).

• Collaborate cross-functionally with wired networking, cloud platform, and AI engineering teams to ensure a cohesive Extreme Platform ONE experience.

• Manage engineering budgets, vendor/ODM relationships, and resource planning to meet business objectives.

• Represent engineering in executive reviews, board updates, and customer/analyst briefings as needed.

• Champion innovation in emerging areas such as Wi-Fi 8, Agentic AI, and private wireless/cellular convergence.

• Foster a culture of accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (Master's degree preferred).

• 12–15+ years of engineering experience in networking or wireless technology, with 8+ years in engineering leadership roles managing managers.

• Deep technical knowledge of Wi-Fi/WLAN technologies (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be), RF engineering, wireless controllers, and embedded networking systems.

• Proven track record of shipping complex hardware and software products at scale in a fast-paced, competitive market.

• Experience building and scaling distributed engineering teams, including offshore/nearshore development centers.

• Strong understanding of cloud-managed networking architectures and SaaS delivery models.

• Excellent executive communication skills, with experience presenting to C-level stakeholders, customers, and industry analysts.

• Demonstrated ability to balance long-term technical vision with short-term delivery commitments.

What We Offer

• Competitive base salary, bonus, and equity compensation.

• Comprehensive health benefits.

• 401(k) with company match.

• Flexible hybrid work model based out of our San Jose, CA headquarters.

• Opportunity to lead innovation in one of the fastest-growing segments of enterprise networking.

Extreme Networks is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.