Senior Director FP&A Deals Desk (NAM)

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

The Senior Director of FP&A, Deals Desk (NAM), is a pivotal leader responsible for optimizing the financial performance of all North American commercial agreements. As the Head of NAM Deal Desk, you will lead our centralized deal structuring, pricing, quoting, and contracting function, acting as a strategic partner to Sales, Finance, Legal, and Product teams. You will build and scale a high-performing team, define deal approval policies and governance, and accelerate complex deal cycles while maintaining risk control and profitability.

This is an in office role 3 days/week in our HQ, Santa Clara, CA 

Your Impact

North American Deal Strategy & Execution

• Lead the North America Deals Desk FP&A function, serving as the financial approver for all high-value, non-standard, and complex commercial transactions in the US and Canada.

• Develop region-specific pricing and discount strategies that align with NAM market dynamics, competitive landscape, and the company's long-term financial objectives.

• Provide sophisticated financial modeling and analysis for sales proposals, assessing the impact of deal terms (e.g., pricing, payment schedules, volume commitments) on Gross Margin, ARR, and RPO as some of the KPI’s.

• Accelerate deal velocity by streamlining the financial review and approval workflow for deals  while maintaining rigorous financial controls and governance.

• Drive financial accountability for regional bookings, ensuring all commercial agreements adhere to US GAAP and company revenue recognition policies.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance / Revenue Ops on revenue recognition, forecasting, margin analysis, and deal economics

• Work with Legal to standardize terms, review redlines, and manage risk tradeoffs

• Analyze trends in discounting, win/loss, pricing sensitivity, and deal outcomes; provide feedback and recommendations to GTM leadership

• Develop training, enablement materials, and playbooks for sales, deal desk, and cross-functional teams

• Leverage the use AI to automate repeatable deal workflows, identify discount outliers, and provide data-driven guidance that empowers teams to structure healthier deals.

Leadership and Process Improvement

• Manage and mentor a high-performing Deals Desk FP&A team, fostering expertise in commercial finance, deal structuring, and North American market knowledge.

• Establish and enforce regional deal governance policies, ensuring consistency and compliance across the US and Canadian markets while balancing regional competitive needs.

• Collaborate with Global/International FP&A teams to share best practices and ensure global consistency where appropriate, while providing regional context to corporate strategy.

• Drive continuous improvement in deal desk processes and system utilization (e.g., CPQ/CRM enhancements) to increase efficiency and support high-volume growth.

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• 10+ years of progressive experience in Finance, FP&A, or Sales Finance, with a minimum of 5 years of direct experience leading a Deals Desk or Commercial Finance function.

• Proven experience supporting a sales organization, with a strong understanding of the US and Canadian business environments and contracting nuances.

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related quantitative field. An MBA or CPA is highly preferred.

• Strong track record in a SaaS, Technology, or recurring revenue business model environment.

• Expert-level financial modeling and analytical skills with a strong focus on revenue, gross margin, and working capital impacts of commercial terms.

• Deep knowledge of US GAAP and revenue recognition principles (e.g., ASC 606).

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