Partner Solutions Architect - Cortex

Palo Alto Networks; Illinois; Remote; USD 170,000 - 233,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a remote Senior Pre-sales System Engineer Manager to lead partner-focused initiatives across next-generation security platforms. The role emphasizes advisory services, technical enablement, and solution architecture for Cortex-based offerings and cloud security engagements.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in pre-sales leadership, strong communication, and a track record with SP/MSSP/GSI partnerships.

Qualifications

• Experience as a 5+ pre-sales System Engineer Manager.
• Knowledge of security product market trends and roadmap awareness.
• Experience with cloud security solutions and partners (SP, MSSP, GSI).
• Strong written and verbal communication, and presentations.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% within the region.

Responsibilities

• Develop partner-led offerings including service descriptions and customer use cases.
• Advise on advisory, implementation, and managed offers for partner requirements.
• Vet partner technical capabilities and support offer launches.
• Provide technical enablement for partner personnel via webinars and training.
• Create technical documentation and reference architectures.
• Manage labs, demos, and technology showcases for partner offerings.
• Refine offerings throughout lifecycle and align with business goals.
• Collaborate with internal partners to support partner offers.
• Highlight product alignment with partner requirements and differentiation.
• Architect solutions to strengthen partner security postures.
• Help customers develop services around Cortex products.

Skills

Pre-sales System Engineer

Security industry knowledge

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Quota-driven

Education

Bachelor of Science or higher

Tools

SIEM

SOAR

XDR/EDR

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.

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 Impact

• Develop pre-defined, partner-led offerings based on PANW next-gen security platforms, including but not limited to service descriptions, end-customer use cases, technology capabilities mapping, support models, delivery flows, runbooks, and troubleshooting guides.
• Recommend advisory, implementation, and/or managed offers and best practices curated to the requirements provided by and/or interpreted from the partner, as well as based on subject matter expertise.
• Assist Business Development with vetting of partner technical capabilities, both prior to offer development and ahead of offer launch.
• Provide technical enablement and support for relevant partner personnel (ex., pre-sales support, delivery, operations, professional services, and/or consulting personas) as a trusted advisor through partner-specific webinars, workshops, and ongoing discussions, as well as product-specific on-demand and instructor-led training.
• Create and influence technical documentation, including but not limited to offer development processes, technical offer collateral, internal systems flows, reference architectures, and learnings for future enhancements.
• Facilitate and manage environments for labs, demos, partner training, and technology showcases, in support of partner offerings.
• Maintain, Optimize, and Refine our partner offerings through their lifecycle with new capabilities while ensuring efficient and consistent consumption by partners and end-customers
• Champion internal enhancements that benefit partner offers based on key learnings and partner feedback in collaboration with Business Development to ensure broader business goal alignment, including product innovations, new reference architecture models, process/systems optimization, and technical program benefits.
• Collaborate with internal technical partners and support them as a subject matter expert on technical partner offers, including but not limited to Domain Consultants, Developer Relations, Product Management & Engineering, Professional Services, Customer Success, and other internal SMEs
• Responsible for discussing and highlighting product alignment with partner requirements and differentiation.
• Architect solutions that will help our partners strengthen and simplify their security posture.
• Help our customers build and develop further their services around Cortex products.

Qualifications

Your Experience

• Experience as a 5+ pre-sales System Engineer Manager
• Industry knowledge of security product market trends and directional awareness of our roadmap and technology development efforts, knowledge of competitor offerings and products
• Experience in selling, designing, implementing or managing one or more of the following solutions: Network Security, SASE, SaaS, CNAPP and/or SOC Transformation Technologies
• Partnering with Customer Support functions to ensure the successful implementation and adoption of sold solutions
• Strong communication (written and verbal) and presentation skills
• Quota-driven attitude, focused on being a trusted advisor to partners
• Experience selling, demonstrating, installing and/or troubleshooting cloud security products. Working with both hardware and cloud-based security platforms will be beneficial.
• Experience with Security Operations Center technologies such as SIEM, SOAR, XDR/EDR and related components with cloud security a plus.
• Proven experience developing, managing, and/or supporting technical offers with SP, MSSP, and/or GSI partners.
• Technical documentation experience preferred
• Experience and understanding of cybersecurity and the latest market trends are encouraged, as is directional familiarity with and/or certification in Palo Alto Networks technologies.
• Experience & good understanding of API’s, orchestration tools, scripting, etc. will be an added advantage.
• Good understanding of Unix/Linux and Windows operating systems. Proficiency with G‑Suite preferred.
• Travel of at least 25% within the designated region and subject to travel policy

Preferred Skills

• Experience with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in the context of enterprise security, including but not limited to: Threat detection and prediction, Automated security response, Security analytics and reporting, AI-driven security tools and platforms
• Bachelor of Science degree or higher and/or relevant industry certifications (e.g., CCSP, CCSK) preferred.

Compensation Disclosure

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/com‑missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here. The compensation range is $169,600.00 - $233,200.00/yr

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.