Sr Manager, Business Systems

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 163,000 - 263,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking a Senior Manager, Business Systems to lead the architecture, strategy, and daily operations powering our global GTM motions. You will own core sales technology, including Salesforce, Clari, Backstory, SAP Commissions, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

You will manage a team of analysts and admins, collaborate with Sales, Finance, and IT, and drive AI-enabled improvements and governance across the sales systems ecosystem.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business Administration, or related discipline.
• Minimum 7+ years of experience in Business Systems in high-tech SaaS environments
• Exceptional communication, executive presence, and stakeholder management
• Salesforce Administrator certification is highly preferred as well as advanced knowledge of Salesforce opportunity lifecycle, security profiles, role/forecast/territory hierarchies
• Experience with Forecasting platforms such as Clari is highly preferred
• Experience with compensation platforms such SAP Commissions or Callidus Commissions is a plus
• Proficiency with data manipulation, SQL, Workbench, Dataloader, JIRA, and ServiceNow is a plus
• Demonstrated track record of identifying opportunities for automation, self-service workflows, or AI agent integration to streamline operational support and data hygiene is a plus
• Proven track record leading large-scale cross-functional initiatives in an Agile environment is a plus

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale the business systems architecture, strategy, and daily operations for GTM.
• Partner with Sales Leadership, Finance, and IT to drive system enhancements and governance.
• Oversee and mentor a team of Business Systems Analysts and Administrators.
• Champion AI and automated workflows across sales systems.
• Drive SOX controls, data governance, and enterprise data hygiene across platforms.

Skills

Leadership

Executive presence

Stakeholder mgmt

Communication

Automation

Agile

Education

Bachelor’s degree in IS/CS/Business

MBA is a plus

Tools

Salesforce

Clari

Backstory

SAP Commissions

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

JIRA

ServiceNow

SQL

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!

We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real‑time problem‑solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes.

Your Career

As the Senior Manager, Business Systems within the Central Ops Organization, you will lead and scale the business systems architecture, strategy, and daily operations that power our global Go-To-Market (GTM) motions. You will act as the strategic domain owner for our core sales technology stack including, but not limited to, Salesforce (Opportunity Management), Clari (Forecasting & Funnel Management), Backstory (formerly People.ai), SAP Commissions, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

In this high‑impact leadership role, you will lead a team of direct Business Systems Analysts and Administrators, while providing cross‑functional technical direction and governance to a shared services team supporting system operations and ticket queues. You will partner directly with Sales Leadership, Sales Operations, GTM Strategy, Finance, and IT to drive system enhancements, ensure strict compliance and data governance (including SOX controls), and champion the adoption of AI and intelligent automation across our sales systems ecosystem.

Your Impact

People & Operational Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high‑performing team of Business Systems Analysts and Administrators, fostering a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous learning.


• Oversee and direct ticket handling, queue prioritization, and SLA adherence across onshore team members and offshore shared services partners managing Tier 1 and Tier 2 support queues.


• Manage vendor relationships, access governance, and license audits across various tools.

Strategic Domain Ownership

• Serve as the single point of ownership and domain authority across the following business systems:
  
  
  
  • Salesforce.com (SFDC): Opportunity management, role/territory/forecast hierarchies, competitor tracking, ASR heatmaps, profiles, workflows, and enterprise data integrity.
  
  
  • Clari: Global forecasting capabilities, product hierarchy alignments, funnel management, pipeline inspection, and executive visibility.
  
  
  • Backstory (FKA People.ai) & ClosePlan: Activity capture, relationship maps, ClosePlan licenses, web app access, and executive reporting.
  
  
  • SAP Commissions: Incentive compensation system architecture, data verification, pipeline calculations, and operational feeds.
  
  
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Enterprise provisioning and integrations with core sales workflows.
  
  
  
  


• Partner with Sales Operations, Finance, and Revenue Acceleration leadership to translate strategic business requirements into long‑term technology roadmaps, process flow architectures, and business cases.


• Serve as business systems lead for high‑priority enterprise programs and Acquisitions.

Business Process Optimization & AI Automation

• Champion the modernization and transformation of Operational processes by evaluating and implementing AI‑assisted workflows, robotic process automation (RPA), and self‑service options for improved adoption and enablement.


• Lead business process reengineering to eliminate or streamline manual operational tasks and reduce ticket resolution cycle times.


• Partner closely with IT Development teams to drive enhancements through an Agile lifecycle, from requirements gathering and backlog prioritization to user acceptance testing (UAT) sign‑off and deployment.

Governance, Audits & Compliance

• Ensure systemic accuracy, enterprise data hygiene, and stringent data security across all sales platforms.


• Oversee SOX controls, pipeline audit trails, and compliance requirements.


• Management of critical data refreshes and ownership of Sales attributes on Product SKUs

Qualifications

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business Administration, or related discipline is preferred (Master's degree or MBA is a plus).


• Minimum 7+ years of experience in Business Systems in high‑tech SaaS environments


• Exceptional communication, executive presence, and stakeholder management


• Salesforce Administrator certification is highly preferred as well as advanced knowledge of Salesforce opportunity lifecycle, security profiles, role/forecast/territory hierarchies


• Experience with Forecasting platforms such as Clari is highly preferred


• Experience with compensation platforms such SAP Commissions or Callidus Commissions is a plus


• Experience with Sales intelligence & engagement tools such as Backstory / People.ai, ClosePlan, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a plus


• Proficiency with data manipulation, SQL, Workbench, Dataloader, JIRA, and ServiceNow is a plus


• Demonstrated track record of identifying opportunities for automation, self‑service workflows, or AI agent integration to streamline operational support and data hygiene is a plus


• Proven track record leading large‑scale cross‑functional initiatives in an Agile environment is a plus

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.

$162,600.00 - $262,900.00/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.