Systems Engineering Director- Strategic Accounts

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.

We have the vision of a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. These aren’t easy goals to accomplish – but we’re not here for easy. We’re here for better. 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.

Disruption is at the core of our technology and on our way of work to meet the needs of our employees now and in the future through FLEXWORK, our approach to how we work. We’re changing the nature of work from benefits to learning, location to leadership, we’ve rethought and recreated every aspect of the employee experience at Palo Alto Networks. And because it FLEXes around each individual employee based on their individual choices, employees are empowered to push boundaries and help us all evolve, together.

Job Description

Your Career

The Strategic Accounts Systems Engineering Director (SED) reports to the Regional Vice President of Systems Engineering for the Americas and will lead our team of Strategics Accounts Systems Engineers (SE) who are the go-to technical experts assisting the sales team in generating growth. 

This is a virtual position that will require a business savvy individual with a strong background in security platform, application architecture, and sales coupled with a successful track record in team management.

Your Impact

• Report and make visible the successes and deficiencies of the initiatives within your area
• Play a key role in driving strategic, enterprise-wide sales related initiatives within our largest and most strategic accounts
• Oversee technical pre-sales operations and achieve revenue generation, individual, team, and organizational quotas
• Interact at a senior level with customers and partners and provide valuable insight into industry trends, customer challenges, technical evolutions, and business changes that will help the customer make their security decisions
• Metric-based results should be evident across all areas of focus
• Develop and own outcome oriented Systems Engineering initiatives that drive pipeline and sales with your AVP, RVPs, Systems Engineering Managers (SEMs) and SEs to drive greater efficiencies and success within the Area
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Palo Alto Networks’ partners (reseller, distribution, system integrators, and alliances) and drive and measure initiatives to improve sales productivity through partner leverage
• Selling strategic emerging solutions within a broader portfolio
• Leading portfolio expansion initiatives, with factual results upselling subscriptions and strategic solutions
• Plan and architect compelling technical and business-focused solutions which drive adoption and growth after the initial sale and across the portfolio with our team
• Understand and articulate the key technical, operational, and commercial challenges faced by our prospects and customers that the Palo Alto Networks solution addresses
• Develop and maintain strong technical relationships with Palo Alto Networks’ partners (reseller, distribution, system integrators, and alliances) which improve sales productivity
• Pristine personnel management – including demonstrated development plans and execution, reduced attrition results and initiatives, a clear history of promotions and success, etc.
• Provide account support through SE assignments, load balancing, continuity, strategic planning with Sales management, Sales Reps, and SEs, and customer meetings including sales calls, relationship building, and problem resolution
• Operate effectively in a matrix manner with extended teams, such as Support, Finance, WW SE, HR, Product Management and other relevant organizations.
• Act as an escalation point for pre-sales and post-sales technical issues that arise in the territory
• Develop, mentor, manage and support reporting sales engineers with technical and organizational leadership
• Manage successful evaluations and timely return of evaluation equipment 

Qualifications

Your Experience

• A minimum combination of 8 years of first and second line, Systems Engineering management experience
• Reputation with the customers and partners in the Area as a trusted advisor who will always take care of their needs
• Possess a combination of management, technical and business skills.  A challenger sales mentality and a fast-growing mindset are a must
• Prove