Director of Strategic Sales Programs & Operations

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

Are you a seasoned GTM Sales expert  with a passion for program management and driving global adoption of strategic sales frameworks? This Director-level role is designed for a visionary leader who can act as a high-level Program Manager for strategic projects within North America (NAM) Sales Operations. You will be responsible for ensuring the field organization drives deep adoption of Account Strategy Reviews (ASRs) while leveraging cutting-edge technology—specifically AI and data automation—to modernize how we assess and iterate on our most critical accounts.

Your Impact

• Top Account Strategy Development: Drive the global adoption of Account Strategy Reviews (ASRs) across the NAM field organization, ensuring every top-tier account has a high-quality, actionable strategy.

• AI & Data Innovation: Continually innovate by identifying ways to leverage data and AI to automate ASR creation, assessment, and iteration, maximizing every opportunity to sell the full Palo Alto Networks portfolio.

• Sales Excellence & Best Practices: Identify and drive improvements in common sales practices, including optimizing in-theater Deal Reviews by leveraging methodologies like MEDDICC.

• Operational Execution: Lead close-plan assessments and enforce forecasting best practices to ensure predictable performance.

• Quarter-End Support: Provide critical operational support during month-end and quarter-end close processes to ensure a smooth and compliant finish.

• Flexible Strategic Support: Serve as a key partner for varied NAM Sales Ops initiatives, including Annual Planning strategy, milestone management, and streamlining communications to sales managers.

• IT & Automation Initiatives: Collaborate with IT and Business Ops to lead initiatives that automate manual efforts, increasing the "field time" for our sales teams.

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• Strategic Leadership: Proven experience, 12+ years of applied experience, as a business partner to sales leadership (VP/GM level) with the ability to plan and manage at both strategic and operational levels.

• Program Management Excellence: Exceptional ability to manage complex, cross-functional initiatives with numerous stakeholders, ensuring timelines and milestones are met.

• Data & AI Proficiency: Hands-on experience in business analysis and data analytics, with an interest in applying AI to optimize sales processes.

• Sales Methodology Knowledge: Strong understanding of sales processes, methodologies (e.g., MEDDICC), and forecasting cadences.

• Operational Rigor: Well-experienced in a Sales Operations or Finance environment, with a self-starter mindset to resolve inefficiencies.

Additional Information

The Team

Our sales operation team members support our sales account managers and systems engineers to assist in large organization’s migrations to more cybersecurity. Sales operations work behind the scenes to make sure that our sales relationships run smoothly, enabling and empowering the teams across the world.  You support the sales team by providing research, reports, and craft and support systems and processes that enable the process of sales. It’s a true partnership, one built on building the best cybersecurity solutions for each individual client.

Compensation Disclosure

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) is expected to be between $167,000 - $219,000/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that take risks and challeng