Director, Professional Services, Netsec (Central & Eastern)

Palo Alto Networks•Austin, TX

5d•Remote

About The Position

Our Mission At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place. Who We Are In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us! This role is remote, but distance is no barrier to impact. Our hybrid teams collaborate across geographies to solve big problems, stay close to our customers, and grow together. You will be part of a culture that values trust, accountability, and shared success where your work truly matters. Job Summary As the Director of Professional Services for NAM Central and Eastern Strategic segments, you will be the strategic leader driving the execution of our Network Security (NGFW) and SASE consulting business. You will architect a scalable operating model for technical delivery, leading a high-caliber team of managers and experts. This role serves as a critical bridge between Sales, Product Engineering, and the customer, ensuring our technology transforms into realized security value and drives business outcomes.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in Professional Services, Customer Success, or Technical Support within a high-growth SaaS/Cloud environment
5+ years in a formal leadership role managing regional and/or matrixed teams.
Demonstrated success in managing performance against KPIs related to deployment, adoption, margin, utilization, and CSAT.
Strong foundational understanding of Internet security concepts and products, with a demonstrated knowledge of NGFW and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) architecture and its components.
Demonstrated experience running a profitable Professional Services or Customer Success business, including achieving revenue/margin targets, managing backlog health, and optimizing project closure rates.
Experience with Professional Services Automation (PSA), Sales Management (e.g., Salesforce), and Business Intelligence (BI) tools (e.g., Tableau).
Demonstrated ability to manage critical customer escalations effectively and ensure prompt resolution for high-profile clients.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
Ability to travel up to 25%+ domestically to customer sites and internal business meetings.

Nice To Haves

Background in cybersecurity or enterprise IT.
Relevant industry certifications such as CISSP and/or PMP.
Ability to travel up to 25%+ domestically to customer sites and for internal meetings.

Responsibilities

Set the strategic vision and direction for all post-sales technical service delivery, ensuring consistent, high-quality execution for NetSec Products.
Act as the single point of accountability for technical services, ensuring alignment with GCS, Sales, Product, and Engineering to deliver business outcomes.
Serve as the Leadership Sponsor for strategic accounts, engaging with executive customer stakeholders to provide value reviews and resolve high-stakes escalations.
Build and develop a high-performing team by hiring, mentoring, and managing performance in line with defined capability requirements.
Drive key business objectives including consultant utilization, service sales growth, service margin, and customer satisfaction (CSAT).
Collaborate with sales leadership, product, portfolio, and support teams, acting as the Professional Services liaison to enable client success.
Drive continuous improvement across delivery through automation and AI to enhance efficiency, quality, and scale.
Standardize and optimize the NetSec operating rhythm and delivery practices to improve service health and reduce Time to Value (TTV).