Partner Development Manager

Summary

Join Palo Alto Networks as a SASE Ecosystem Plan Owner, where you will be responsible for driving the SASE Ecosystem Strategy across a designated region. You will act as the subject matter expert for SASE within the ecosystems and internal channel communities, monitoring plan execution and collaborating with various teams to create compelling initiatives. Your role will involve strategy development, performance management, pipeline management, partner process and program management, and ecosystem community engagement and enablement. You will also participate in external events, conduct market analysis, and stay updated on competitive intelligence. This position requires strong experience in SASE sales, a hunter mentality, and proven ability to build relationships with key executives.

Requirements

• Strong experience in SASE sales - direct or through partners
• A hunter mentality, ideally with a combination of channel and end user sales experience
• Prior experience building relationships with MSSP's, SI/GSI or Service Providers with proven ability to work with key executives
• Experience selling across the Northern Europe market (Benelux + Nordics)
• Knowledge of sales, marketing, and solution development
• Demonstrate strong initiative and ability to think creatively with excellent presentation, written, and overall communication skills
• Consistent track record of leading complex sales situations through negotiation and conflict resolution
• Regular travel will be required

Responsibilities

• Act as the Plan owner of the SASE Ecosystems plan for the covered region
• Carry the SASE Ecosystem Strategy by defining North Star objectives, Demand generation campaigns, Closing and Enablement plans
• Act as the SASE Subject Matter Expert for the ecosystems and internal channel communities
• Monitoring execution of Plan across the partner patch in the region
• Collaborate across the board ( Ecosystems leadership, Region leadership and Sales teams, Ecosystem teams, Marketing, Pre-sales, Enablement, Services, Acceleration office ) to proactively create compelling initiatives to sustain business objectives
• Strategy Development: Collaborate with EMEAL & Regional Channel teams to define SASE sales acceleration goals and objectives by Partner and other high level metrics such as Joint offering, GTM, Capacity and Capability by region
• Performance Management: Establishing and tracking against key performance indicators (KPIs) and sales metrics, analyzing data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas of improvement
• Pipeline Management: Working closely with Alliance Directors and Region CBMs to propose pipeline generation frameworks and activities to manage and increase the sales pipeline, and lead generation activities
• Partner SASE engagement Process Optimisation: Evaluating and enhancing the partner process to identify areas for improvement, streamline workflows, and increase efficiency
• Partner SASE Selling Industrialisation: Developing SASE campaigns and selling initiatives to meet the adoption and growth goals of SASE, and supporting their execution
• Partner Execution Improvement: Identifying internal bottlenecks and streamlining processes with Mktg, Sales Ops, Business units and IT support
• Ecosystem team Coaching and Mentoring on developing SASE motion within their partners: Providing guidance, coaching, and support to the partner team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development
• Sales Pitch Enablement Support: Supporting the training programs in conjunction with Sales Enablement Team & GTM, tools, and resources to equip the Ecosystems Community with the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve sales targets
• Partner Team Performance Analysis: Conducting regular assessments of the territory PartnerTeams to identify team strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement on SASE engagement
• External Event Participation: Participating in Exec partner SASE Pitches, Partner Roadshows, and other external events, representing Palo Alto Networks’ strategy in access security transformation and implementing Zero Trust strategy
• Market Analysis and Competitive Intelligence: Staying updated on market trends, competitor activities, partner offerings and customer needs to feedback/influence GTM with our GSI partners

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven ability to recognize, analyze, and take action on go to market approaches, marketing programs, joint value propositions, and business cases around strategic partnerships
• Cross-functional influence, relationship building, and project management skills toward a broad constituency ranging from customers, channel partners, sales, marketing, and technical management
• Strong business acumen and negotiation abilities
• Great team player with strong drive - Willing to take a leadership role in driving initiatives, working across organizations, and structuring approaches to new opportunities

Benefits

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