Sr. Sales Operations Manager, Commercial

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

1d•$156,400 - $253,000•Onsite

About The Position

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a strategic operator for its North America Sales Strategy & Operations organization. The role partners with the sales leadership team for Commercial accounts and works with cross-functional stakeholders including Finance, Marketing, HR, Central Operations, Ecosystem, and IT. The position provides leadership, advisory, and execution support in sales productivity, planning, forecasting, segmentation, and analytics, with significant visibility across the business. The role serves as a key business partner and Chief of Staff to the Senior Vice President of Commercial Accounts and regional sales management team. It owns the operating rhythm and supports planning, forecasting, territory and organization design, deal and order processes, sales programs, dashboards, reporting, and operational improvements. It also coordinates sales readiness and training activities and provides leadership with insights into business performance.

Requirements

At least 8 years of experience in an enterprise subscription software sales strategy and operations role supporting Commercial Business.
Understanding of the partner ecosystem and multi-tiered channel go-to-market processes.
Knowledge of SaaS or subscription-based business models and related KPIs, including retention and renewal rates, ARR, expansion, and cross-sell rates, as well as sales processes and methodologies.
Proficiency with CRM and connected planning systems, such as Salesforce, Pigment, or Anaplan.
Attention to detail and ability to execute.
Strong business acumen and judgment, analytical and problem-solving skills, and ability to structure solutions to complex problems.
Proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets, SQL, and Tableau.
Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to partner effectively with all levels of management.
Proficiency in PowerPoint or Google Slides.
Self-starter with high motivation and strong curiosity to learn about and influence the business.
Ability to work in a matrixed environment, manage simultaneous projects, and meet tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

Act as a key business partner and Chief of Staff to the Senior Vice President of Commercial Accounts and regional sales management team, establishing and refining the rhythm of business.
Drive forecasting and deal structuring, and participate in month-end and quarter-end close processes.
Establish cadences for inspecting quarterly targets and forecasts.
Improve forecast accuracy through pipeline hygiene and forecast management.
Track outstanding purchase orders and support order compliance and bookings reporting.
Manage compliance with the non-standard transactions process; track quarterly metrics on average discounts and non-standard exceptions, and recommend improvements.
Drive sales planning, account strategy, and quarterly business review meetings with sales management.
Conduct data analytics and partner with Finance and market intelligence teams to assess total addressable market, product propensity to buy, and territory coverage.
Work with sales management to implement go-to-market segmentation and coverage strategy.
Own the annual planning exercise for Commercial accounts, including quota setting and territory and organization design.
Partner with sales leadership to drive account and opportunity planning.
Manage operations, tools, dashboards, and reporting.
Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency.
Support field readiness for new sales hires and ongoing sales-process training, and coordinate enablement functions to align activities and priorities with sales strategy.
Set up and manage sales programs that drive pipeline generation and account growth.
Manage sales compensation escalations with the Sales Compensation team.
Work with Finance, Sales Compensation, and Central Analytics to develop and maintain scorecards and dashboards that provide visibility into business performance and insights for sales leadership.