Director, Global Events Center of Excellence

Palo Alto Networks•Office - USA - CA - Headquarters, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Palo Alto Networks is looking for a visionary Director, Center of Excellence (CoE) for Global Events to build and lead a centralized hub of operational excellence. You will design the blueprint for how events are executed globally. You will be responsible for standardizing our event technology stack, creating global playbooks, standardizing event content and establishing a rigorous data framework to measure ROI and pipeline impact. This is a strategic leadership role that bridges the gap between Corporate Marketing, Regional Field Marketing, and Marketing Operations.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive experience in Global Integrated Marketing, Experiential Operations, or Marketing COE leadership within a high-growth B2B Tech or Enterprise environment.
Proven track record of building a CoE: You have experience moving an organization from siloed event execution to a centralized, scalable model.
Operational & Scale Mastery: Deep expertise in building scalable operational frameworks, managing complex global budgets, and driving brand consistency across diverse international markets.
Framework Expert: Expert-level knowledge of Experiential Marketing best practices, including event lifecycle management, tiered sponsorship models, and multi-channel engagement strategies.
Program Scaling: Proven track record of designing, documenting, and scaling global "Playbooks" and COE methodologies from the ground up in a complex, matrixed organization.
Stakeholder Influence: Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, aligning regional marketing heads and cross-functional executives around a unified global standard.
MarTech Proficiency: Advanced understanding of the experiential tech stack (e.g., RainFocus, Cvent, Salesforce, 6sense) and how to leverage data for attribution and AI-driven insights.

Nice To Haves

Advanced Educational Background: MBA or advanced degree in Marketing, Business Operations, or a related field; PMP is a plus.
AI & Automation Savvy: Hands-on experience implementing Generative AI tools to automate content localization, attendee persona development, or predictive event analytics.
Global Perspective: Previous experience living or working internationally, with a nuanced understanding of how to adapt global standards for diverse cultural and regional market requirements.
Analytical Powerhouse: Proficiency in data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, PowerBI) to translate complex experiential data into executive-level impact narratives.
Change Management Expertise: Proven ability to lead large-scale organizational transformations and drive adoption of new processes in high-pressure environments.
Agency & Vendor Management: Experience managing high-tier global creative and production agencies to ensure they adhere to COE standards and delivery benchmarks.

Responsibilities

Establish the CoE Blueprint: Build the foundational frameworks, governance models, and standardized "Playbooks" that allow our global teams to scale events with speed and quality.
Global Event Tech Strategy: Own the event technology requirements (e.g., RainFocus, Cvent, ON24, Salesforce integration) in partnership with the Marketing Operations Team. Ensure seamless data flow from registration to CRM for hyper-accurate lead attribution.
Operational Governance: Oversee global vendor management and strategic sourcing, ensuring we leverage our scale to drive cost efficiencies and world-class service-level agreements (SLAs).
Data-Driven Insights: Develop and manage a global "Event Dashboard" that tracks KPIs such as Cost-per-Attendee, Pipeline Acceleration, and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Regional Enablement: Act as a consultant to regional teams in EMEA, JAPAC, and LATAM, providing them with the tools and processes to execute local "Ignite on Tour" events while maintaining global brand consistency.
Innovation & AI: Lead the integration of AI-driven tools into the event lifecycle—from personalized attendee journeys to automated post-event follow-up workflows.
Asset Ownership: Own the complete lifecycle, maintenance, and development of all experiential assets, including event brand kits, standardized vendor RFPs, onsite "run-of-show" templates, and post-event reporting modules.
Cross-Functional Integration: Partner with Product Marketing, Global Partner Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Sales teams to ensure experiential data (attendee behavior and intent) is seamlessly integrated into CRM workflows and the broader customer journey.
Enablement: Develop and deliver advanced enablement programs and certification tracks that empower regional marketing teams to effectively implement, scale, and defend the global experiential standards.