Director, Technical Services, Public Sector, Cortex & Cloud

Palo Alto Networks Public Sector • Arlington, VA

9d • Remote

About The Position

As the Director of Technical Services for the US Public Sector, you will lead the Cortex & Cloud organization responsible for guiding our most critical government customers through the post-sale customer lifecycle—from mission-critical value realization through renewal. This role sits at the center of our Public Sector services strategy, guiding Professional Services and Technical Customer Success teams through deployment, adoption, complex escalation management, and expansion within high-stakes environments. As Public Sector organizations modernize cybersecurity operations amid increasingly complex threats, this leader will play a critical role in helping customers operationalize and scale next-generation security capabilities across cloud, SOC, automation, and AI-driven environments. You will partner closely with Regional Leaders, Support, Product, Engineering, and Customer Experience teams to drive alignment across mission-oriented organizations and deliver consistent customer outcomes. Your insights from the unique requirements of State & Local, Education, Federal, DoD/DoW, and Intel customers will shape delivery innovation, influence product direction, and help evolve how Palo Alto Networks scales AI-enabled services globally. This is a role for an action-oriented leader who brings clarity to complexity, navigates rapid change with confidence, and translates technical strategy into measurable business and mission outcomes. You will help shape the future direction of Public Sector Technical Services by advancing scalable delivery models, operational frameworks, and modernization initiatives that improve customer experience, operational efficiency, and long-term mission success.

Requirements

• 10+ years of leadership experience within Technical Services, Professional Services, or Customer Success organizations in high-growth SaaS, cloud, or cybersecurity environments
• 5+ years leading large-scale technical organizations with both direct and matrixed reporting structures
• Deep experience supporting cybersecurity programs across US Federal Government, DoD/DoW, Intel communities, State & Local Government, and Education customers
• Proven track record serving as a senior technical advisor within complex cybersecurity or mission-critical operational environments
• Experience working within military, government, or highly regulated environments is strongly preferred
• Deep familiarity with Cloud, Endpoint, SOAR, SIEM, SOC, and enterprise cybersecurity operations; experience with industry-leading security platforms is required
• Strong understanding of operational security requirements, enterprise governance frameworks, and large-scale architecture environments
• Demonstrated ability to influence executive stakeholders across Product Management, Engineering, Sales, Customer Experience, and customer leadership organizations
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to navigate ambiguity, operational complexity, and organizational change
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent military experience

Nice To Haves

• Industry-recognized certifications such as CISSP, CRISC, or equivalent credentials are preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead Technical Services delivery across the US Public Sector, ensuring consistent, high-quality execution for both civilian and sensitive government engagements.
• Align with Sales, Product, and Partner teams to drive customer outcomes and maintain a 100% client retention rate within the public sector portfolio.
• Collaborate with Area Leaders in CIO/CISO-level engagements, value reviews, and high-visibility escalations within Public Sector
• Serve as the authority for Technical Services in the Public Sector on governing delivery frameworks adopted across Professional Services and Customer Success.
• Build, develop, and mentor a high-performing technical organization of 100+ FTEs and contractors.
• Foster a culture grounded in accountability, continuous learning, and operational excellence.
• Coach teams through complex customer situations, transitioning ad-hoc processes into standardized, data-driven delivery models.
• Maintain strong utilization, backlog health, and delivery predictability across the Public Sector sub-theater.
• Optimize resource mix to maximize agility and cost efficiency while meeting global margin targets.
• Reduce Time to Value and Time to Deploy by architecting scalable delivery platforms for Health Checks and Value Realization Programs (VRPs).
• Influence net-new revenue by leading technical pre-sales discussions and positioning solutions to meet specific mission objectives.
• Advance automation and AI across services to improve scale and consistency for Cloud, SOAR, and SOC environments.
• Standardize delivery practices through global accreditation and product badging models, ensuring consistent service quality across all theaters.
• Direct the development of automated tools to modernize internal service capabilities and optimize global delivery.

Benefits

• 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/com-missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director