Director, Professional Services, Program Management

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 take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Job Description

Your Career 

The Director of Professional Services Program Management will lead a theater team (EMEA wide or similar) of Managers and Program Managers overseeing customer-facing project and program management efforts. This role focuses on ensuring the successful deployment of Palo Alto Networks solutions, enabling customers to achieve maximum value from their investment. The Director will drive key deployment initiatives, including program execution and process optimization, while collaborating with the Global PMO to establish and promote standards and best practices. With a strong focus on customer outcomes, this position is accountable for driving portfolio delivery efficiency, meeting revenue targets, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Your Impact 

• Strategic Portfolio Oversight - As the theater leader, own the overall portfolio of projects, ensuring alignment with business objectives, regional priorities, and long-term strategic goals
• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management - Collaborate with internal teams such as Sales, Customer Success, Operations, Resource Management, Technical Center of Excellence and Support to ensure overall deployment success
• Champion Operational Excellence - Lead the implementation of disciplined execution practices across project management activities, setting the standard for operational excellence and driving a culture of accountability and continuous improvement in all areas of project delivery
• Strategic Partner Collaboration - Define and optimize project team structures, working closely with cross-functional partners (technical, business, and external stakeholders) to ensure projects are resourced effectively and executed in alignment with scope, requirements, and deliverables
• Resource Planning and Forecasting - Lead theater-level strategic resource planning efforts across the region, forecasting staffing needs, managing overall headcount allocation, and providing quality assurance on  onboarding processes to ensure optimal staffing levels in line with customer demand and project requirements
• Escalation and Issue Resolution - Be a senior escalation point for complex or high-risk Professional Services engagements, proactively identifying issues, mitigating risks, and providing strategic guidance to resolve escalations effectively and in alignment with customer needs while driving faster time to deploy
• Performance Metrics and Continuous Improvement - Manage  operational performance to accelerate revenue, time to deploy and quality targets, including - but not limited to - project backlog, utilization targets, high customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores, and driving faster time to value
• Delivery Governance - Oversee and ensure the effective usage and governance of project management methodology across the region, maintaining consistent adherence to best practices and driving process improvements that optimize project execution and drive high quality an