Senior Director, Channel Sales DACH

Palo Alto Networks; München; Remote; EUR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Senior Director, Ecosystems DACH to build and drive the ecosystems function across the DACH region. You will shape a high-impact, platform-led sales culture, drive bookings and forecast accuracy, and mentor senior teams to achieve ambitious goals.

You will report to the VP, EMEA Ecosystems, guiding the transformation from traditional reselling to platform-based growth, leveraging AI-enabled security solutions and strong partner networks to maximize profitability

Qualifications

• 10+ years direct people management experience.
• 12+ years driving complex GTM with GSIs, MSSPs, Cloud providers in DACH.
• Strong foundations in enterprise sales motions and deal structuring.
• Experience with AI, automation, and ML in cybersecurity GTM.
• Regional expertise in DACH markets and government purchasing patterns.
• Bachelor’s degree; MBA is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Sales & Revenue Growth: Partner with VP of Sales DACH to co-own regional bookings targets and execute an integrated Ecosystem GTM strategy.
• Transformational People Leadership: Lead and grow a diverse team of managers and senior ICs; foster agile, growth-oriented culture.
• Complex Route-to-Market Management: Architect GTM across GSIs, MSSPs, Cloud providers, VADs and VARs.
• AI-Driven Transformation: Drive AI enablement and modernization of partner capabilities and solutions.
• Executive Gravitas: Advise internal sales leaders and partners’ stakeholders, positioning the company as a platform for digital transformation.
• Operational Excellence & Telemetry: Ensure rigorous execution, forecasting accuracy, and data-backed pipeline metrics.
• Corporate & Regional Collaboration: Align programs with HQ while reflecting market maturities and geopolitics across DACH.

Skills

People management

GTM strategy

Enterprise sales

C-level stakeholder management

Regional expertise (DACH)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/CS

MBA (advantage)

Job description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place.

Who We Are

In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us!

This role is remote, but distance is no barrier to impact. Our hybrid teams collaborate across geographies to solve big problems, stay close to our customers, and grow together. You will be part of a culture that values trust, accountability, and shared success where your work truly matters.

Job Summary

Your Career

As a member of the DACH executive leadership team , you will build and drive the Ecosystems team to exceed company objectives. You’ll be responsible for building a results-driven sales culture that delivers in bookings, sales development, and forecast accuracy while simultaneously mentoring and developing your team members to accomplish individual and organizational goals.

As a Senior Director, Ecosystems DACH you will report to the VP, EMEA Ecosystems with a dotted line into the VP, Sales DACH. In this executive role, you will lead Palo Alto Networks’ ecosystem transformation from legacy transactional reselling to high-margin Platformization (Strata, Cortex, Idira) powered by Precision AI. You are an AI-ready forward thinker who will maximize partner profitability, expand new routes to market (MSSPs/Service Providers, GSIs, Sovereign Cloud Providers), and elevate our talent to its fullest potential.

Your Impact

• Strategic Sales & Revenue Growth: Partner directly with the VP of Sales DACH to co-own regional bookings targets. Build and execute an integrated Ecosystem GTM strategy that drives incremental, platform-led revenue across enterprise, public sector, and commercial segments.

• Transformational People Leadership: Lead, inspire, and grow a diverse team of people managers and senior individual contributors. Cultivate an agile, growth-minded culture focused on continuous innovation, high accountability. Attract and retain exceptional channel sales talents. Leverage the “matrix” organization, and excel at leveraging resources across all critical functions in the organisation globally.

• Complex Route-to-Market Management: Architect high-growth GTM strategies across GSIs, MSSPs, Cloud Hyperscalers, Value-Added Distributors (VADs) and Value-Added Resellers (VARs) to create seamless, high-touch buying options for regional enterprise clients.

• AI-Driven Transformation: Lead the channel through the AI revolution. Modernize partner capability models by driving adoption of Palo Alto Networks’ solutions such as advanced, automated SOC practices, SASE, identity and cloud security. .

• Executive Gravitas: Act as a trusted advisor to internal sales leaders and partners’ stakeholders, positioning Palo Alto Networks as the primary platform for digital transformation, sovereign cloud compliance, and enterprise AI resilience.

• Operational Excellence & Telemetry: Drive rigorous execution, forecasting accuracy, and data-backed pipeline metrics. Implement AI-ready enablement tools and clear operational cadence across daily business operations.

• Corporate & Regional Collaboration: I nfluence global ecosystem and program architecture at HQ, tailoring programs to reflect the unique market maturities, geopolitical considerations and digital investments across DACH.

Qualifications

Your Experience

• 10+ years of direct people management experience , with a proven track record of managing people managers and senior leaders in global SaaS, Cloud, or Enterprise Security organizations.

• 12+ years of demonstrable success driving complex GTM models through Global System Integrators (GSIs), Service Providers/MSSPs, Cloud Hyperscalers, and Tier-1 Distributors across DACH.

• Strong foundations in enterprise sales motions with a clear understanding of complex deal structuring, executive co-selling, and joint GTM campaigns alongside direct field teams.

• Demonstrated capacity to embrace disruptive technology shifts. A vision for how AI, automation, and machine learning redefine cybersecurity GTM, partner services, and sales productivity.

• Regional expertise with deep understanding of the business landscape, government initiatives, sovereignty requirements, and enterprise purchasing patterns across DACH.

• Exceptional communication skills with a track record of building long-term, trust-based relationships with C-level partner executives and internal cross-functional stakeholders.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience/military background; Advanced degree (MBA) is an advantage.

Additional information

The Team

The channel organization at Palo Alto Networks is a strategic pillar for our continued growth within cybersecurity, and a critical component to accomplishing our mission. Channel development is an extension of the territory sales team, with the ultimate goal to train and enable our channel partners to become empowered in the use and sales of our products.

Our Commitment

We’re trailblazers that dream big, 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 [e-mail] .

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.