District Systems Engineer

Palo Alto Networks•Chicago, IL

15h•Remote

About The Position

The District Systems Engineer, Commercial, is a vital part of our sales team, serving as a trusted technical advisor to customers and helping them secure their businesses with Palo Alto Networks solutions. You will provide pre-sales technical support to our commercial sales teams, aligning security solutions with customer needs and ensuring successful deployments that drive adoption and business value. As a District Systems Engineer, you will work with customers to understand their security challenges, architect solutions that address those challenges, and demonstrate the value of Palo Alto Networks' comprehensive cybersecurity platform. You will be responsible for driving technical wins and ensuring the continued satisfaction of our customers in the commercial sector. 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.

Requirements

3+ years of experience in pre-sales/sales engineering and/or completion of the SC Academy
Understanding of data networking, security architectures, and modern cloud computing environments
Experience in delivering cybersecurity solutions that solve technical challenges and influence new business initiatives is preferred
Influencing and gaining buy-in from key stakeholders, either in a customer-facing or internal role; prior experience in a pre-sales role is ideal
Creating and delivering technical presentations, workshops, or technical validation engagements
Experience in selling, designing, implementing, or managing one or more of the following solutions: Network Security, SASE, SaaS, CNAPP and/or SOC Transformation Technologies
Partnering with Customer Support functions to ensure successful implementation and adoption of sold solutions
Experience in complex sales involving long sales processes with multiple buying centers and multi-product solutions are preferred
Proficient in English

Nice To Haves

Experience in delivering cybersecurity solutions that solve technical challenges and influence new business initiatives
Prior experience in a pre-sales role
Experience in complex sales involving long sales processes with multiple buying centers and multi-product solutions

Responsibilities

Partnering with sales teams to meet and exceed sales quotas by building and implementing strategic technical account plans
Positioning, demonstrating, and designing security architectures across the Palo Alto Networks portfolio based on customer business needs and architecting complex environments, including network security, security operations, and cloud security.
Driving customer adoption of the Palo Alto Networks security platform by helping customers achieve enhanced security, operational efficiency, and business flexibility
Conducting technical discovery to understand customer requirements and aligning solutions to their specific needs
Leading proof-of-concept (PoC) engagements, technical workshops, and product demonstrations to showcase the capabilities of our security platform
Collaborating with Professional Services, Customer Success, and Specialist teams to ensure seamless implementation and adoption of solutions
Effectively communicating complex security concepts to a variety of stakeholders, from technical practitioners to executive leadership
Orchestrating supporting resources (Specialists, Channel Partners, Customer Support) to drive a unified strategy for customer success
Promoting end-to-end security solutions, including Palo Alto Networks and partner professional services, to maximize customer security posture and business value
Staying ahead of industry trends, competitive landscapes, and emerging security threats to position Palo Alto Networks as the cybersecurity leader
Continuously investing in personal development to enhance technical expertise and professional skills while actively contributing to the District Systems Engineer community and industry events
Demonstrating diversity in technical knowledge across SOC, Cloud, Networking, and NetSec, with an emphasis on SOC and Cloud, to drive cross-training and develop platform expertise across the team
Becoming a technical leader with the desire to grow into a Palo Alto Networks portfolio architect, gaining expertise from NGFW to SASE, SOC, Cloud, and Unit 42 consulting services
Balancing technical acumen with strategic thinking—acting as one part technical architect and one part CTO
Building and maintaining strong relationships while demonstrating strong consulting skills
Understanding the competitive landscape deeply, at least in your area of specialty
Designing and architecting large, complex environments, leveraging expertise in your technical domain
Developing strong business acumen with near-term potential to grow into CTO/CIO/CISO-level leadership
Willingness to travel up to 50% within the assigned district
Serving as a role model and mentor for inside Systems Engineers