Innovation Lead - Office of the CTO

Innovation Lead - Office Of The CTO

Extreme Networks, Inc. (EXTR) is a global leader in AI-powered cloud networking, committed to simplifying and securing IT operations through its unified platform. We empower businesses to connect devices, applications, and users while addressing complex challenges with cutting-edge technology. By leveraging artificial intelligence, analytics, and automation, we drive value creation, innovation, and performance enhancement. Trusted by thousands of customers worldwide, our industry-leading solutions and exceptional support make us a partner of choice for organizations across industries.

The Role:

• The Innovation Lead will discover, prototype, and develop transformative ML/AI and edge computing solutions that position Extreme Networks at the forefront of intelligent networking. You will be a hands-on contributor who turns ambitious ideas into real products and validated business cases. Working as an individual contributor within a matrix of cross-functional teams—data scientists, product managers, engineers, architects, and customers—you
• Explore emerging technologies and build proofs of concept
• Drive adoption and help define product roadmaps
• Help commercialize innovations—ensuring that innovation without market realization remains just research

Success is measured by validated ideas that advance to product, launched innovations that expand our market position, customer and partner engagement on breakthrough solutions, and thought leadership that establishes Extreme as the industry voice on networked AI and edge intelligence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Discovery & Development
• Identify and evaluate emerging opportunities in ML/AI, edge computing, and adjacent technologies
• Conceptualize, prototype, and validate innovative solutions—moving fast from question to proof of concept
• Maintain awareness of industry trends, standards bodies, and competitive innovation
• Hands-On Prototyping & Implementation
• Build and architect real solution prototypes, not just advise on them—coding, validating, and documenting as needed
• Partner with data scientists, engineers, and product teams to turn validated ideas into production-ready features
• Contribute directly to solution delivery through prototyping, testing, and technical demonstrations
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying and fixing technical and architectural bottlenecks
• Customer & Partner Co-Innovation
• Engage customers, partners, and prospects to co-develop solutions and understand unmet needs
• Translate complex technical ideas into compelling narratives for CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and business executives
• Build reference and lighthouse accounts by delivering early access to breakthrough capabilities
• Help commercialize innovations—market realization is essential for innovation success
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Influence
• Work effectively in a matrix with product management, engineering, marketing, and field teams
• Participate in standards bodies and open-source communities to shape industry direction
• Influence product roadmaps and feature prioritization based on customer insights
• Champion a culture of critical thinking, experimentation, and calculated risk-taking
• Thought Leadership & Evangelism
• Author and present on emerging technologies, innovation frameworks, and breakthrough solutions
• Evangelize our leadership in AI-powered networking and edge intelligence to customers and prospects
• Build visibility for Extreme's innovation strategy and technical differentiation in the marketplace

Basic Requirements:

• Experience & Background
• Demonstrated track record of building or architecting real solutions across ML/AI, networking, edge computing, or related domains
• Proven ability to turn ideas into products: understanding the full journey from concept validation through commercialization
• Successful experience managing complex customer and partner relationships in technology or B2B SaaS
• Background in customer success, consulting, systems architecture, technical marketing, or cloud platform engineering
• Technical Skills
• Fluent in at least one programming language; expertise in Python, Java, or Go is highly preferred
• Deep knowledge of ML/AI principles, emerging architectures, and practical applications in enterprise systems
• Understanding of edge computing, distributed systems, and cloud networking architectures
• Knowledge of efficient data structures, query optimization, and analytics technologies
• Ability to evaluate and integrate third-party technologies and frameworks
• Collaboration & Communication
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills—able to work effectively across diverse audiences
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear narratives for CTOs, VPs, and executives
• Proven track record of driving issues to resolution with strong customer satisfaction
• Thrive working both independently and within high-performing cross-functional teams
• Comfortable with ambiguity and defining problems before solutions exist
• Professional Qualities
• Ambitious and driven, thriving in a demanding and fast-paced environment
• Willing to roll up your sleeves, take ownership, and be a proactive team player
• Excellent critical thinking and business acumen to identify solutions with widespread adoption potential
• Ability to balance exploration with execution, knowing when to pivot and when to commit
• Comfortable with occasional travel and significant remote engagement with customers and partners
• Education
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, related field, or equivalent professional experience

Nice to Have:

• 10+ years experience in networking, security, or cloud platforms (especially cloud-driven networking)
• Participation in open-source projects or standards bodies
• Background in product management or go-to-market strategy
• Published thought leadership or speaking experience at industry conferences
• Experience with AI operations (MLOps), data platforms, or analytics systems

What Success Looks Like

In your first year, you will

• Identify and validate 2–3 high-impact innovation opportunities
• Deliver working prototypes that demonstrate customer value
• Build relationships with key customers and partners co-innovating with us
• Contribute to product roadmap decisions that accelerate our leadership
• Establish thought leadership through speaking, writing, or industry participation
• Help evangelize our innovation strategy to the market

Why Join The OCTO

At Extreme Networks' Office of the CTO, you will work on problems that matter—networking the edge, securing cloud infrastructure, and bringing intelligence to billions of connected devices. You

• Be part of a team where critical thinking and human creativity set us apart in the age of AI
• Have the freedom to define the questions we need to ask
• Have support to pursue ambitious ideas
• See your innovations become products that change an industry

If you like being at the intersection of business, customer, and technology; if you have built real things and understand that innovation without commercialization is just research; and if you thrive in ambiguity and are energized by working on the next big question—we want you in the room.

Equal Employment Opportunity

1. Extreme Networks, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. We are committed to taking affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans, including disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active-duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces service medal veterans.
2. Extreme Networks also strives to prevent other, subtler forms of inappropriate behavior (for example, stereotyping) from ever gaining a foothold in our organization. Whether blatant or hidden, barriers to success have no place at Extreme Networks. We encourage people from underrepresented