Technical Partner Manager

Summary

Join Palo Alto Networks as a Technical Partner Manager (TPM) and ensure Authorized Professional Services (APS) Partners meet program requirements. Drive improvements by identifying upskilling opportunities through SOW/SEF and technical case reviews. Collaborate with Partner Services Managers to develop training plans. Analyze APS Program metrics to assess partner performance and identify technical skill gaps. Review SOW/SEFs to pinpoint areas needing improvement. Work with PSMs to create appropriate training paths and provide recommendations to Palo Alto Networks teams. Review escalations and prepare case summaries. Effectively communicate with various teams and partners. A successful TPM will possess excellent soft skills, adaptability, proactiveness, analytical and technical skills.

Requirements

• BA/BS in computer science or equivalent (MBA a plus) or similar experience
• 2+ years experience in Palo Alto Networks professional services with a deep understanding of our products - with a history of strong performance
• Detailed technical experience in the installation, configuration and operation of high-end firewall appliances, ideally our products
• Deep understanding of different security threats, internet protocols, and applications
• Detailed technical experience in the installation, configuration, and operation of high-end firewall appliances, ideally our products
• Strong TCP/IP networking skills
• Can effectively handle many different tasks at a time
• Extensive background in internetworking, LAN, and WAN technologies required
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Self-motivated and detail oriented with the ability to think and act strategically
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong problem-solving, analytical and negotiating skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment a must
• Ability to work with a diverse group of people of different skills, backgrounds, organizations, and management levels
• Ability to become a Trusted Advisor: provides advice across multiple areas of expertise and builds broader capability
• Fluent in written and spoken English

Responsibilities

• Perform SOW/SEF reviews and case scrubs across partners, countries, and territories to determine technical cause for the case
• Utilize Tableau, Salesforce, and scorecards to determine potential areas of improvement
• Create detailed analysis and reports on findings from case scrubs and other investigations as to the reasons why partners are opening cases
• Identify operating strategies that help partners gain technical skills to contribute to realizing the corporate strategic goal of expanding our partner ecosystem
• Help Identify, develop, and implement operational processes for the team including program auditing and coaching, process improvement and adherence, and training
• Develop and apply analytics that identifies areas of improvement opportunities; recommend processes that help close identified partner performance gaps
• Develop, implement and deliver innovative enablement strategies to ensure consistently excellent APS Partner service delivery interactions
• Develop, deliver and maintain peer to peer internal methodology enablement to assist in creating high functioning teams within the working theater of focus
• Analyze metrics to identify opportunities for improvement with respect to APS Partner performance, program objectives, etc
• Communicate effectively with partners, stakeholders, and colleagues to drive performance excellence within the APS program
• Gain a detailed understanding of our APS program, its metrics, and the behaviors that lead to excellent customer experiences
• Participate in the APS LIVECommunity site providing technical assistance and provide recommendations to partner engineers regarding tools use, best practices, KB recommendations, etc

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge on Cortex products, specifically Cortex XDR, Cortex XSOAR, and/or Cortex XSIAM strongly preferred
• Knowledge of SASE products (Prisma Access, Prisma SD-WAN a strong bonus!