Director of Global Distribution Business Operations

Company Description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

Job Description

Your Career

The Director of Global Distribution Business Operations will serve as a strategic and operational leader responsible for scaling and optimizing business functions across product, channel and sales operations within the cybersecurity hardware and software market. This role will drive operational efficiencies, partner engagement, distributor digital platform integration, and business analytics initiatives.

The Director of Distribution Business Operations will play a critical role leading the evolution, development and delivery of our Distribution Stocking program as well as other strategic initiatives across our distributor landscape such as digital eCommerce and business platform integrations. This individual will work closely with cross-functional teams — including Product Development, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Customer Success, IT infrastructure, Partner Programs and Operations — to optimize processes, manage resources, drive operational efficiency, and ensure alignment between business strategy and execution.  Additionally, this individual will leverage business analytics for smarter decision-making within Palo Alto Networks.

This position relies on an understanding of program management, sales, operations, various routes to market (distributors, resellers, system integrators, service providers, technology partnerships, etc.), as well as experience in providing innovative end-to-end sales enablement solutions.

The ideal candidate is a results-driven operator who can work with cross-functional teams, develop scalable processes, and translate business data into actionable strategies — all while working closely with ecosystem distributors to maximize growth.

Your Impact

• Manage Distribution stocking program:  lead program execution with our distributors, acting as the liaison for all sales-related elements related to the program.  Enable new distributor onboarding - materials, training, processes and procedures, initiating agreements/contracts, etc.  Lead program design and manage projects to implement changes within Palo Alto Networks’ systems
• Distributor marketplace optimization: Lead efforts to launch and grow our presence on key Distributor Marketplaces. Collaborate with internal and Distributor departments to expand awareness and revenue via these marketplaces.  Manage and execute related projects
• Process Optimization and System Implementation: Understand the Palo Alto Networks’ business and system processes, identify gaps and inefficiencies as they relate to optimizing for Distributor and channel best practices; lead initiatives to streamline workflows, improve speed to market within the channel, and facilitate channel autonomous selling
• Strategic Planning and Execution: Collaborate with leadership to develop and implement business strategies that support channel-led business growth, operational excellence, and partner velocity
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with product, IT, sales, marketing, and ecosystem channel teams to ensure seamless program launches, partner enablement, and operational alignment
• Business Analytics and Reporting: Lead the development of dashboards, KPIs, and data-driven insights to track operational health, Distributor performance, and market opportunities.  Identify trends, growth opportunities, and areas for improvement and efficiency.  Translate data-driven insights into actionable strategies that drive efficiency, growth, and profitability

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• BA/BS degree or higher in Business Administration or similar field or equivalent military experience required
• 10+ years of partner, channel or sales experience
• Deep knowledge of Channel selling models and Distributor business processes
• Experience working with and communicating to IT distributors
• Experience with developing training tools, incentives and resources
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively at all organizational levels
• Cross-functional collaboration skills to drive results
• Attention to detail and strong project management skills
• Possess solid understanding of channel and go-to-market strategy 
• Demonstrated ability to swiftly grasp new concepts or adapt with a growth mindset
• Proven problem solver
• Excellent time management

Additional Information

The Team

The Ecosystems team at Palo Alto Networks is a critical component of our continued growth and a strategic pillar for accomplishing our mission. Partner coverage, capacity, and capabilities are key elements of success for the territory sales team, with the ultimate goal of empowering partners to accelerate customer adoption of Palo Alto Networks products and services.

Compensation Disclosure

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/commissioned roles) is expected to be between $200000/YR - $274000/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that take risks and challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at  accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.