AVP, Collaboration Security- Sales Specialists

Proofpoint•New York, NY

6d•Remote

About The Position

Proofpoint continues to advance its product portfolio through ongoing innovation and strategic acquisitions, strengthening our core platforms in Email Security, Collaboration Protection, and Data Security. To support this momentum, we have established a specialized organization called the Advanced Technologies Group. This team is responsible for incubating, developing, and scaling emerging technologies as they enter the market. Its members are subject matter experts in their respective product domains and target markets, providing external support in selling new solutions and internal guidance through expert feedback to business units while enabling the broader sales organization. We are seeking an outstanding Area Vice President, Sales – Advanced Technology (AVP) to lead our global People Protection specialist organization. This is a high‑visibility, customer‑facing leadership role responsible for driving strategy, scaling a world‑class team, and accelerating revenue growth across our Collaboration Protection portfolio. As the AVP, you will lead four global specialist sales teams with three Regional Directors (RDs) as your direct reports. Each RD manages a team of approximately five Sales Specialists, giving you overall leadership of a high‑impact organization responsible for bringing advanced technologies to market and enabling the broader field. You will be accountable for developing and executing the Collaboration Protection go‑to‑market strategy, coaching and developing leaders and specialists, and ensuring consistent performance and growth in partnership with core sales leadership.

Requirements

Proven Leadership Experience: Demonstrated success leading high-performing field sales teams across large or distributed geographies.
Matrix Selling Expertise: Experience selling within a matrixed organizational environment, collaborating cross-functionally to influence outcomes.
Security Background: Prior experience selling Security solutions with strong knowledge of security technologies and industry trends.
Consultative Selling Strength: Exceptional ability to articulate value, conduct impactful sales presentations, and guide customers through complex solution decisions.
Business Acumen: Strong capability to build business plans, generate pipeline, forecast accurately, and close high-value deals.
Outbound Sales Discipline: Hands-on experience driving and participating in outbound calling and proactive prospecting activities.
Communication Excellence: Outstanding verbal and written communication skills; effective at all levels of customer and internal interaction.
Demand Generation Experience: Proven ability to partner with marketing to develop and execute demand generation plans that fuel pipeline growth.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop three Regional Directors and their global specialist teams (~17 Sales Specialists total).
Build, retain, and scale a high-performing sales organization with deep expertise in Collaboration Protection solutions.
Create a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
Own and refine the global Collaboration Protection GTM strategy, including segmentation, positioning, enablement, and execution plans.
Ensure alignment with Core Sales leadership to drive seamless collaboration and maximize field adoption.
Establish regional and global operating rhythms, forecast accuracy, and performance visibility.
Carry quota for the Collaboration Protection products within the Advanced Technology Group (ATG) portfolio.
Lead your teams to expand presence in existing accounts while developing net-new opportunities across all regions.
Play a hands-on role in major deals: support sales cycles, join customer meetings, deliver executive presentations, and help close strategic opportunities.
Partner with Marketing, Product, and Sales Engineering to accelerate product adoption and customer success.
Serve as the primary bridge between ATG, Core Sales, Product, and Executive Leadership, ensuring clear communication and shared priorities.
Provide actionable field insights to influence product roadmap and innovation.
Support enablement programs to ensure the broader sales organization can effectively position and sell new technologies.
Drive Field Engagement: Serve as a hands-on leader in a highly visible, customer-facing role; actively engage in key account strategies and directly support closing high‑value deals.
Lead, Mentor & Develop Talent: Recruit, hire, train, and coach a high-performing specialist sales team, ensuring consistent skills development and performance improvement.
Operate as a Data‑Driven Leader: Use metrics, analytics, and performance insights to guide decision-making, refine strategy, and improve execution.
Channel & Partner Strategy: Define partner plans and collaborate with channel teams to generate incremental revenue and expand market reach.
Pipeline & Forecasting Excellence: Manage pipeline health, ensure rigorous deal inspection, and deliver accurate forecasting.
Drive Sales Discipline: Guide teams in executing a structured sales process—including territory planning, account and opportunity plans, and MEDDICC methodology.
Market & Competitive Awareness: Maintain deep knowledge of the competitive landscape and evolving market trends to inform positioning and sales strategy.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Sales Engineering, Professional Services, Marketing, and Support to accelerate deal cycles, enhance customer outcomes, and drive product adoption.
Customer Relationship Leadership: Build and nurture strategic customer relationships; create and execute plans that expand the company’s footprint within key accounts and across the broader market.