Distribution Business Manager

Summary

Join Palo Alto Networks as a Distribution Business Manager to drive sales and channel engagement with distributors across the NextWave partner ecosystem. You will build and manage annual business plans, oversee relationships with key distributors, and ensure strong business execution and performance. Responsibilities include leading business review meetings, managing quarterly plans, increasing CPQ utilization, and ensuring NextWave program compliance. You will also collaborate with various teams, including sales, marketing, and services, to improve processes and drive attendance at company events. This role requires strong leadership, communication, and presentation skills, along with experience in distribution or channel management and technology sales.

Requirements

• Distribution or channel management experience
• Channel sales management experience in vendor environments
• Program Management or BU Management or close work in channel programs projects
• Working knowledge and experience selling technology solutions to mid-market and SMB customers
• Ability to develop complex partner and territory plans and strategies
• Skilled in developing business plans, contributing to strategic plans, and for devising reporting to track business Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and return on investment (ROI)
• Confirmed experience influencing senior level partner executives
• Strong presentation and leadership skills and the ability to describe market transitions and develop and lead virtual sales teams
• Proven ability to communicate effectively and professionally (verbal and written) with customers and collaborate with a variety of organizations
• Strong time management, organizational, and negotiation skills
• Professional IT Sales and business development experience
• An effective oral and written communicator - clear and concise
• Adequate public speaking skills

Responsibilities

• Drive our entire Sales & Channels engagement with distributor across entire NextWave partner ecosystem
• Work with large national distributors to build annual business plan within 30 days of the close of each fiscal year-end
• Specifically defining the evolution of distributors’ businesses, headcount, investments, and go-to-market strategies in each year based on Palo Alto Networks global, theatre, and regional priorities and strategies
• Manage the overall relationship with two large Palo Alto Networks distributors
• Responsible for the overall business execution and performance management with the distributors
• Play a significant role in driving PANW business through Distribution Managed Partners (DMP)
• Scheduling, preparing and leading recurring Business Review meetings (QBRs) three times per year with cross-functional audience Sales Management, Marketing, Services, Channel SE team, and optional attendees from Regional, Theatre, and WW management
• Meet with Distributors in the first two weeks of the quarter to update the annual business plan with the previous quarter’s results and set targets, objectives, and activities for the new quarter
• Lead monthly call update distributor to cover relevant new company information or content provided in the previous month. Ensure company content, programs, and update proper “land” within the distributor and share calls-to-action for distributors with said updates
• Increasing distributor’s CPQ quoting utilization. Provide adequate training. Monitor and share CPQ utilization statistics with distributors on a monthly basis
• Responsible for semi-annual NextWave Program Compliance efforts for Distribution Managed Partners, including working with the distributor on plans to address gaps in Partner requirements and to make a decision on up-leveling, downgrading, or off-boarding these Partners
• Work closely with the Renewals team and distributors in order to improve renewals process efficiency and to improve key Renewal business KPIs
• Responsible for building and monitoring plans with distributors to drive attendance to important Palo Alto Networks global, regional, and local events
• F2F presentation to distributors at the start of each quarter for product updates, business opportunities, best practices from other distributors in other regions
• Responsible for forwarding pertinent company and industry emails to distributors. Emails received from WW/HQ/EMEA that are appropriate for external audiences
• Facilitate cadence of “Peering” between local management teams
• Facilitate local Sales team engagement with Distribution
• Each distributor is invited to make a presentation to the PANW Sales organization during a weekly Sales meeting at least 1 time per quarter

Benefits

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