Principal Solutions Architect - SASE/Zero Trust

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 are 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 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

Elevate your career as a Principal Solutions Architect at Palo Alto Networks. Dive into a role where you'll redefine sales productivity, shape the narrative of cybersecurity, and be the trusted advisor our clients seek by name. Join us in a senior technical customer-facing position to drive meaningful change in the world of security solutions.

The Principal Solutions Architect is responsible for partnering with Worldwide Sales and Sales Engineering leadership, Product Management, and Palo Alto’s strategic customers, prospects and partners. The Principal Architect develops a technical strategy that drives customer value  and  demonstrates how Palo Alto Networks solutions address the customers business requirements.

The Principal Solutions Architect is a network security expert,  a leader, is able to navigate complex customer organizations, communicates to influence, puts themselves in the seat of the customer to see the problem through their eyes, and develops solutions that are easy to understand and consume. 

The Principal Architect delivers architectural workshops and industry point of view presentations that emphasize Palo Alto Networks unique ability to strengthen customer, prospects, and partners business operations and demonstrate how the Palo Alto Networks platform enables a more effective, agile, and effective cyber security program.

Your Impact

• Play a key role in contributing to customer messaging that ties together the entire Palo Alto Networks Portfolio
• Use compelling communication to gain trust and buy-in from executive contacts at strategic customers and prospects
• Set and drive technical strategy with customers and prospects collaboratively with sales teams, through various engagements
• Develop and maintain a deep understanding of competing solutions and architectures
• Uncover new technology applications and use cases, aiding in creating presentations and deliverables that illustrate value
• Document technological/business value gaps between the Palo Alto Networks platform and competitive offerings, communicating these insights to the broader Palo Alto Networks Sales organization
• Partner with Product Management to provide insights into current shortcomings and competitive aspects of Palo Alto Networks Solutions
• Work closely with the EBC Team, Senior Leadership, Sales, Palo Alto Networks’ CISO and Theater CISO’s, Sales Engineering leadership, Product Management, Marketing, Channel Partners, and the Consulting Engineering team to continuously uplevel how we partner with our customers and drive value through the Palo Alto Networks platform
• Engage and establish advisory relationships with key contacts to transform security strategy
• Educate prospects and customers on evolving network security, accelerated by hybrid workforces and cloud/SaaS adoption
• Engage directly with senior technical and business leaders to penetrate whitespace accounts and expand Palo Alto Networks’ install base
• Work with sales teams on strategic opportunities for differentiated proposals demonstrating business and technical value
• Provide summarized and business-relevant feedback to improve communication of Palo Alto Networks' value proposition
• Continuous self-improvement to maintain technical leadership
• Work closely with theater CISO, Architect, and Business Value resources for a coordinated market approach

Qualifications

Your Experience

• Proven self-motivation with a "whatever it takes" mindset
• Develops effective relationships where internal and external stakeholders ask for you by name
• 10+ years of experience as a solutions architect or sr solutions engineer focused on network, cloud, endpoint or operational security
• Proven ability to develop effective technical strategy in large, complex companies
• Proven Ability to navigate large enterprise organizational structures
• Proven ability to lead cross-departmental collaboration on strategic initiatives
• Proven expertise in networking and security
• Experience managing executive-level relationships
• Communicates creatively and concisely to influence (written and verbal)
• Willingness to undertake significant travel
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science (BSCS) or equivalent, or equivalent military experience

Additional Information

The Team

The Worldwide Shared Services team is dedicated to empowering Palo Alto Networks’ go-to-market teams through innovative solutions and strategic guidance to drive superior outcomes. We strive to equip our teams with the expertise and resources needed to make a meaningful and lasting impact with the customers we serve while achieving sales excellence. We are committed to fostering an environment where our team members can thrive, creating a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing to drive collective growth and success.

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 $239000 - $278500/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.