Distribution Program Director

Summary

Join Palo Alto Networks as their EMEA Program Director and drive demand generation and pipeline development for sales and marketing campaigns with EMEA distributors. You will lead the vision, strategies, and best practices to optimize distribution performance in sales, marketing, and partner enablement, aligning with theater sales priorities. This role requires aligning efforts between EMEA distributors, Palo Alto Networks country channel teams, and the global Ecosystems Programs team, focusing on accelerating mid-market and commercial business. You will work with stakeholders to set strategies and execute impactful pipeline development and sales campaigns. Manage executive relationships in global distributors and drive governance to measure progress. This position reports directly to the EMEA VP of Ecosystems.

Requirements

• Extensive Distribution leadership experience within the emerging and advanced technologies industry with extensive executive relationships across the region
• Channel or Direct Sales team Management
• Experience in owning a sales quota with a track record of high achievement through two tier channel
• BA or BS degree, MBA preferred or equivalent military experience required
• Able to think strategically and to translate into measurable actions
• Skilled in developing business plans, contributing to strategic plans, and for devising reporting to track business Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and return on investments (ROI)
• Proven experience influencing senior level partner executives
• Strong presentation skills and ability to describe market transitions
• Proven ability to communicate effectively and professionally (verbal and written) with customers and interface with a variety of organizations
• Strong leadership skills with ability to develop and manage virtual sales teams
• Strong time management, organizational, and negotiation skills
• Global/Multi-national business experience
• Ability to travel

Responsibilities

• Drive demand generation and pipeline development sales and marketing campaigns with Palo Alto Networks EMEA Distributors
• Drive the vision, strategies, and best practices to optimize distribution performance in the areas of sales, marketing, and partner enablement, and in alignment with theater sales priorities
• Align the sales, marketing, and enablement efforts between EMEA distributors and Palo Alto Networks country channel teams, as well as our global Ecosystems Programs team
• Accelerate mid-market and commercial business, low-touch/no-touch sales motion, and volume business via distribution managed partners (DMP) and high-velocity transactional partners
• Set strategies and execute measurable, impactful pipeline development and sales campaigns for specific market opportunities, industry sectors, and sales segments
• Manage the executive relationships in our global distributors, and drive the required governance and cadence that allows us to measure and monitor our progress together across all focus markets
• Develop strategic vision and roadmap to evolve distribution sales model to meet evolving company needs
• Design whitespace and install base sales campaign with distributors, aligned at field-level
• Manage Distribution Sales, Program, Marketing, and Partner Enablement Performance
• Achieve internal alignment with and advocacy to Sales/SE, Renewals, and Marketing organizations
• Set annual and quarterly goals and KPIs for distribution business plans and sales campaigns
• Build sales plans to drive accelerated growth and channel productivity in the Commercial accounts
• Align with marketing and field sales to the channel organization and partner ecosystem and will engage regularly to build distribution marketing and demand generation plans with the Distribution and Channel Programs Manager
• Act as a liaison to Marketing and Product Management on product portfolio needs, competitive intelligence / attack programs, and promotional/incentive strategies required in order for Palo Alto Networks to be successful in the Commercial market segment
• Manage the sales performance of key distributors through quarterly and annual sales planning, forecasting and reporting for whitespace (new customer), install base expansion, product refresh, and renewal sales
• Work in close collaboration with the Channel Renewals Manager in order to establish a performance management cadence with the distributors and Distribution Managers on Renewals business and to continually improve processes related to our two-tier Renewals business
• Work closely with Renewals team and distributors in order to improve renewals process efficiency and to improve key Renewal business KPIs
• Develop a plan for effective hand-off and follow-up of Marketing generated Pre-Qualified Leads for accounts in the Commercial space - Build rules and process to have the channel take responsibility for these PQLs and maximize their return through closed business
• Develop or provide input on sales training plans for the distribution team, for the distributors, and for the channel partners
• Accelerate a channel sales strategy through the distributors, and primarily through their distribution managed partners, to address the commercial market business across the theater
• Align with cross-functional teams (i.e. Field Marketing) to achieve performant channel marketing and demand generation activities through Distribution - Set Distribution Marketing annual and quarterly priorities
• Manage semi-annual NextWave Program Compliance efforts for Distribution Managed Partners, including working with distributor on plans to address gaps in Partner requirements and to make decision on up-leveling, downgrading, or off-boarding these Partners
• Build and monitor plans with distributors to drive attendance to important Palo Alto Networks global, regional, and local events
• Plan and execute business with consistent cadence and rigor in order to optimize investments and performance of distributors
• Ensure distributors are recruiting, onboarding, and enabling new partners and Development and Distribution Managed partners to meet JAPAC channel objectives and needs
• Develop best practices, process and methodology to ensure maximum effectiveness of distributors across EMEA, in line with expectations of local territories and conform to global corporate guidelines
• Work with Channel ops and Channel marketing to develop two tier channel incentives, programs and rebates to drive over achievement of sales targets