Sr. Director Global Business Development, GSIs

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!

Job Description

Your Career

The Sr. Director of Global Business Development for Global System Integrators (GSI) will assume complete ownership of Palo Alto Networks' worldwide GSI alliances. This pivotal leadership role involves building, scaling, and managing the company’s most crucial relationships with Global System Integrators. You will play a key role in shaping our GSI strategy, identifying new, transformative partnerships, and executing a global business plan to drive significant revenue and market growth.

You will engage at the executive level with both Palo Alto Networks and our GSI partners. This position requires a leader capable of defining and executing a multi-year vision, leveraging every part of our organization—from product to sales—to unlock new routes to market. Your success will depend on your ability to build trust-based relationships and articulate a compelling joint value proposition that resonates with GSI leadership and their clients. In addition to managing a GSI portfolio, you will also mentor and guide BD team as required.

Your Impact

• Define, build, and lead the global business strategy for Palo Alto Networks' GSI partnerships, including assessing partner potential, setting ambitious business targets, and developing a multi-year roadmap.
• Cultivate and manage executive-level relationships with GSI partners, serving as the primary liaison for all strategic initiatives, joint offers, and major business opportunities.
• Lead the development of innovative, co-branded solutions and joint offers with GSI partners. You will identify key market challenges and orchestrate cross-functional efforts with product, marketing, and engineering to deliver compelling, integrated solutions.
• Own the global go-to-market strategy, ensuring alignment and execution across Palo Alto Networks’ regional sales, channel, and marketing teams to drive net new pipeline and bookings.
• Be accountable for all GSI-related business metrics, including bookings, pipeline generation, and partner capacity building, and report on these metrics to the senior leadership team.
• Lead the company’s efforts on transformational, high-value deals with GSIs, shaping and navigating complex contracts and negotiations.

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• BA/BS required; MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
• Prior experience at a GSI in a business development or sales leadership role.
• 10+ years of leadership experience in business development, alliance management, or strategic partnerships at a major technology company
• Extensive experience working with Global System Integrators (GSIs), with a deep understanding of their business models, service portfolios, and go-to-market strategies.
• A proven track record of building and scaling a global partner business that drives significant revenue and market share.
• Exceptional executive-level communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence in a highly matrixed organization, driving alignment and execution across multiple internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of the cybersecurity market, including key trends in Cloud Security, SASE, and Security Operations.
• Willingness to travel