Finance Manager

Palo Alto Networks•Santa Clara, CA

20d•$116,000 - $188,000•Onsite

About The Position

Palo Alto Networks is looking for a highly skilled professional to join its Finance team as a FP&A Finance Manager. This individual will support the team with financial reporting, modeling, monthly/quarterly close cycles, forecasting, annual planning, and ad-hoc financial projects and analyses. Success in this role requires a self-starter with strong problem-solving and analytical skills, a passion for driving change in a fast-paced environment, and the ability to collaborate cross-functionally with various departments. To excel in this role, the ideal candidate must demonstrate a strong balance of technical precision, personal initiative, and collaborative leadership—taking full ownership of deliverables, maintaining flawless detail, and translating complex data into clear, actionable insights for senior leaders.

Requirements

5-8+ years of experience in high-tech FP&A or business support roles working with large datasets, consolidating, analyzing, and creating data-driven models.
Proven top-line and bookings management experience, along with direct experience supporting Go-to-Market or Sales organizations.
Expertise in Profit and Loss (P&L) management, headcount and OPEX tracking, accounting principles, and ROI evaluation.
Strong analytical skills with flawless attention to detail, maintaining accuracy across financial modeling and executive reporting.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with a proven ability to synthesize complex financial concepts into clear, executive-ready insights for non-financial stakeholders.
Demonstrated ownership, accountability, and a strong work ethic to navigate intense close cycles and manage competing business demands.
Proven track record of working collaboratively cross-functionally within a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. MBA preferred.
Experience with financial systems (e.g., SAP, SAC), BI tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI), and G-Suite applications.

Responsibilities

Lead the monthly and quarterly close and forecasting process for HC and OPEX.
Build scalable, data-driven reporting frameworks to improve forecast accuracy and streamline reporting.
Translate NAM Go-to-Market goals into actionable annual plans for Bookings, OPEX, and HC using robust modeling.
Evaluate key investments and GTM initiatives to optimize resource allocation, drive operational efficiencies, and identify P&L risks and growth opportunities.
Serve as a trusted advisor to Sales Leadership.
Provide regular financial oversight, manage operational approvals (headcount requisitions, program spend, T&E), and champion critical financial trade-offs to protect profitability.