Sr. Manager, Strategic Segment Sales 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

We are looking for an outstanding strategic operator to join the North America Sales Strategy & Operations organization.

You will be a thought partner to support the sales leadership team for our Strategic accounts in all aspects of the business. You will also work closely with cross-functional stakeholders (Finance, Marketing, HR, Central operations, Ecosystem, IT etc.). This role is a great fit for a self-starter who enjoys driving business impact and operational efficiency, can serve as an internal consultant (e.g., problem solver) and owner and will have the opportunity for significant exposure and visibility across the business. The candidate in this role will provide leadership, advisory & execution support in driving sales productivity, sales planning, sales forecasting, segmentation, and sales analytics.

Your Impact

• Act as key business partner & Chief of Staff to the President of Strategic Accounts and regional sales management team; establish, maintain, refine the rhythm of business
• Drive forecasting, deal structuring and participate in a month-end and quarter-end close process
• Set up cadences for inspection of quarterly targets and forecasts
• Optimize forecast accuracy by driving discipline with pipeline hygiene and forecast management
• Facilitate tracking of outstanding purchase orders, ensuring order compliance, bookings reports, etc
• Manage compliance of the non-standard transactions process; track quarterly metrics on average discounts, non-standard exceptions and recommend actions to improve these metrics
• Drive sales planning, account strategy & quarterly business review meetings with the sales management team
• Run data analytics and partner with finance/market intelligence teams to assess TAM, product propensity to buy and optimize territory coverage
• Work closely with sales management on GTM segmentation and coverage strategy implementation
• Own and drive annual planning exercise for Strategic accounts - quota setting, territory & organization design
• Partner with sales leadership to drive account & opportunity planning motion
• Manage all aspects of operations, tools, dashboards and reporting
• Review and identify areas for improvement leading to operational efficiency
• Assist in driving field readiness for new sales hires and ongoing sales processes training; Coordinate activities and priorities of enablement functions to improve alignment to sales strategy
• Set up and manage sales programs to drive pipe generation and growth in accounts
• Manage sales compensation escalations with the Sales Compensation team
• Work closely with Finance, Sales Compensation and Central Analytics teams to develop & maintain scorecards and dashboards that bring transparency into business performance and arms sales leadership with insights needed to drive their business
• Set up cadences for inspection of quarterly targets and forecasts
• Optimize forecast accuracy by driving discipline with pipeline hygiene and forecast management
• Facilitate tracking of outstanding purchase orders, ensuring order compliance, bookings reports, etc
• Manage compliance of the non-standard transactions process; track quarterly metrics on average discounts, non-standard exceptions and recommend actions to improve these metrics
• Run data analytics and partner with finance/market intelligence teams to assess TAM, product propensity to buy and optimize territory coverage
• Work closely with sales management on GTM segmentation and coverage strategy implementation
• Own and drive annual planning exercise for Strategic accounts - quota setting, territory & organization design
• Partner with sales leadership to drive account & opportunity planning motion
• Review and identify areas for improvement leading to operational efficiency
• Assist in driving field readiness for new sales hires and ongoing sales processes training; Coordinate activities and priorities of enablement functions to improve alignment to sales strategy
• Set up and manage sales programs to drive pipe generation and growth in accounts
• Manage sales compensation escalations with the Sales Compensation team
• Work closely with Finance, Sales Compensation and Central Analytics teams to develop & maintain scorecards and dashboards that bring transparency into business performance and arms sales leadership with insights needed to drive their business

Qualifications

Your Experience

• 10+ years of experience in an enterprise subscription software sales strategy & operations role supporting large/strategic accounts
• Knowledge of SaaS / subscription based business models and associated KPIs (Retention & Renewal Rates, ARR, Expansion & Cross-Sell Rates, etc), sales processes and methodologies
• Proficiency with CRM & connected planning systems (e.g., Salesforce, Pigment, Anaplan)
• Attention to detail and ability to execute
• Strong business acumen and judgment, analytical and problem-solving skills, and ability to structure solutions to complex problems; Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets, SQL & Tableau
• Strong communication & collaboration skills and the ability to effectively partner with all levels of management; Proficiency in PowerPoint/Google Slides
• Self-starter, highly motivated with insatiable curiosity to learn about and influence the business
• Works well within a matrixed environment, with ability to manage simultaneous projects, and tight deadlines

Additional Information

The Team

Palo Alto Networks has brought technology to market that is reshaping the cybersecurity threat and protection landscape. Our ability to protect digital transactions is limited only by our ability to establish relationships with our potential customers to help them understand how our products can secure their environment. This is where our sales operation teams come in. 

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. As part of our sales operations, you support the sales team by providing research, reports, and craft and support systems and processes that enable the process of sales. You are committed to your team’s success – and enjoy pitching in to assist when it comes to solutions selling, learning, and development. 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) or base salary + commission target (for sales/commissioned roles) is expected to be between $145,000 - $213,000/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 challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at  accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.