Sr. Contracts Manager - Public Sector

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.

Our Approach to Work

We lead with flexibility and choice in all of our people programs. We have disrupted the traditional view that all employees have the same needs and wants. We offer personalization and offer our employees the opportunity to choose what works best for them as often as possible - from your wellbeing support to your growth and development, and beyond!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work from the office three days per week, leaving two days for choice and flexibility to work where you feel most effective. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. While details may evolve, our goal is to create an environment where innovation thrives, with office-based teams coming together three days a week to collaborate and thrive, together!

Job Description

Your Career

The Senior Contracts Manager role for our US Public Sector will primarily focus on Federal Government Contracts and serve as a secondary resource for State and Local Government and Education. In this individual contributor role supporting the US Public Sector Field Sales team you will be responsible for the contract management lifecycle to include contract initiation, contract creation and negotiation, contract approval, contract execution, contract monitoring and management, contract renewal, and end of life. In this role you will work with a team of professionals and collaborate with Sales, Legal, Finance, Operations, IT departments, Product Management, and more. The contracts you manage will support direct and indirect sales to support key customers and partners.

You Impact

• Manage contracts and related processes leveraged across Palo Alto Network’s  public sector portfolio, including aiding in the establishment of new contracting vehicles, updating/maintaining existing vehicles, and monitoring end of life
• Develop and implement new and improved processes relating to Palo Alto Network’s public sector go-to-market to support contracts
• Provide contracting guidance to Sales and related teams, in conjunction with the public sector legal team
• Successfully support Field Sales, Partners, and Customer to provide contracts to support the growth of Palo Alto products and services
• Support enablement for various groups within the company, including sales teams
• Assist in the creation and maintenance of customer and partner communication

Qualifications

Your Experience

• At least 10+ years of relevant contracts management/administration with the government in the high tech sector  in both Federal and SLED
• Capable of assessing and mitigating risks associated with contracts, and developing risk management strategies 
• Record of establishing both Federal and SLED contracts via the contract management lifecycle from creation to renewal or end of life 
• Successful record of partnering with sales to drive active use of contract vehicles and operational monitoring activities 
• Demonstrated experience of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS),  State and Local Government, and other procurement regulation regimes
• Detail oriented and able to work in a virtual team environment
• Ability to self-start and independently monitor own workload, handle multiple assignments simultaneously and achieve program goals and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to assess risk and provide concise business-focused advice
• Excellent negotiation, drafting and communication skills with the ability to foster relationships and collaborate with internal clients

Additional Information

The Team

Our GTM team members work hand-in-hand with our sales team to help large organizations around the world to keep their digital environments protected. We educate, inspire, and empower our potential clients in their journey to security.

As part of our Public Sector GTM team, you are the tip of the spear to drive our growth flywheel and you are motivated by a solutions-focused sales environment and find fulfillment in working with client, sales team and partners to resolve incredibly complex cyberthrea