Systems Engineer (District Sales Engineer)

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.

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

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in pre-sales, sales engineering, or a similar technical role
• Strong understanding of data networking, security architectures, and modern cloud computing environments
• Experience delivering cybersecurity solutions that solve complex technical challenges and align with customer business initiatives
• Ability to influence and gain buy-in from key stakeholders, whether in customer-facing or internal engagements
• Strong technical presentation, workshop, and proof-of-concept delivery skills
• Expertise in designing, implementing, or managing one or more of the following security solutions: Network Security, SASE, SaaS, CNAPP, or SOC Transformation Technologies
• Experience collaborating with Customer Support teams to ensure successful implementation and adoption of security solutions
• Background in complex sales cycles involving multiple decision-makers and multi-product solutions is preferred

Benefits

• FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees
• Mental and financial health resources
• Personalized learning opportunities
• Restricted stock units and a bonus