Professional Services Program Manager

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; California; Remote; USD 156,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking a Professional Services Program Manager to lead high-impact customer deployment, scale, and optimization programs across the global delivery cycle.

You will own end-to-end program lifecycle—from executive kickoffs to on-time, under-budget delivery—diagnosing requirements, managing cross-functional risk, and embedding governance to accelerate value for enterprise clients.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS, MIS, or related field.
• 8+ years leading large global technology programs or cybersecurity services.
• Proven ability to optimize program financials and resource utilization.
• Experience with enterprise PM tools and AI-driven automation.
• Superior communication with executives and stakeholders.
• Strong analytical rigor and risk management in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end delivery programs, kickoff, milestones, and scope adherence.
• Manage strategic resource allocation and budgeting while tracking profitability.
• Identify and mitigate delivery risks; handle high-visibility escalations.
• Establish governance cadences and executive reporting dashboards.
• Mentor project managers and coordinators to raise delivery capability.
• Improve PM methods with automation and AI-enhanced tools.
• Ensure QA across engagements and CSAT targets.

Skills

Program leadership

Financial acumen

Executive facilitation

Operational rigor

Automation & AI

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, MIS, Business Administration, or equivalent

Tools

Smartsheet

Microsoft Project

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

The Professional Services Program Manager plays a pivotal role in leading high-impact customer deployment, scale, and optimization programs across our global delivery cycle. Serving as a strategic partner and operational leader, this role takes full ownership of the end-to-end program lifecycle—from orchestrating initial executive kickoffs and strategic resource allocation to driving on-time, under-budget delivery. By diagnosing complex customer requirements, managing cross-functional risk, and embedding governance rigor, the Program Manager ensures seamless execution and accelerates time-to-value for our enterprise clients. This leader empowers technical delivery teams, optimizes program financials, and continuously elevates delivery standards through process innovation and automation (including AI integration)—reinforcing Palo Alto Networks as the global leader in cybersecurity.

Your Impact / Key Responsibilities

• Program & Lifecycle Orchestration: Oversee the end-to-end coordination and execution of complex, multi-project delivery programs, driving initial customer kickoffs, tracking critical milestones, and enforcing strict scope adherence to maximize customer value realization.
• Strategic Resource & Financial Leadership: Manage the strategic allocation and scheduling of delivery consultants across portfolios while driving total financial rigor, including tracking program profitability, gross margins, bill rates, team hours, and resource utilization.
• Proactive Risk Mitigation & Escalation Control: Identify, assess, and resolve complex technical and operational delivery risks early, facilitating rapid problem-solving sessions and managing high-visibility customer escalations to protect program stability and momentum.
• Stakeholder Trust & Governance: Establish transparent governance cadences, executive reporting dashboards, and formal change management frameworks to ensure seamless alignment across client leadership, internal executives, and cross-functional teams.
• Team Enablement & Mentorship: Provide operational support and strategic direction to empower deploy, scale, and optimize technical teams, while mentoring project managers and coordinators to elevate overall delivery capabilities.
• Operational Excellence & Automation: Continuously evaluate and optimize program management methodologies, integrating best practices, post-engagement lessons learned, and modern automation tools (including AI) to enhance team efficiency and delivery speed.
• Scope & Quality Assurance: Enforce strict quality assurance standards across all program deliverables prior to client sign-off, ensuring every engagement fulfills core security solution objectives and maintains customer satisfaction (CSAT).

Qualifications

Your Experience (Required)

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems (MIS), Business Administration, or equivalent technical education and practical experience.
• Program Leadership: 8+ years of experience leading complex, large-scale (global) technology programs or cybersecurity professional services deployments involving multi-threaded projects, diverse technical teams, and cross-functional resources.
• Financial & Portfolio Acumen: Proven capability to own and optimize program financials, including tracking margin health, controlling project burn rates, forecasting revenue, and maximizing resource utilization.
• Enterprise Tooling & Automation: Advanced proficiency with enterprise program management and orchestration platforms (e.g., Smartsheet, Microsoft Project) alongside familiarity with integrating automation or AI-driven workflows to streamline delivery.
• Executive Facilitation & Influence: Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills with demonstrated success navigating high-stakes customer conversations, aligning executive stakeholders, and managing complex change.
• Operational & Analytical Rigor: Deep expertise in tool utilization, structured information gathering, risk management frameworks, and dynamic prioritization in fast-paced, shifting enterprise environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Certification: Active Project Management Professional (PMP®), Program Management Professional (PgMP®), or equivalent formal project/program management accreditation.
• Productivity Suites: Advanced proficiency with Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides) for collaborative leadership and executive dashboarding.
• Domain Expertise: Direct experience managing large-scale enterprise deployments within network security, cloud security, or enterprise SaaS environments.

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.

$156,000.00 - $214,500.00/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.