Sr. Sales Operations Manager, Commercial

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 156,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks in Santa Clara, CA is seeking an outstanding strategic operator to join the North America Sales Strategy & Operations organization. You will support the sales leadership for Commercial accounts, serving as an internal consultant and driving sales productivity, forecasting, segmentation, and analytics.

This role partners with Finance, Marketing, HR, IT, and Ecosystem teams, owning planning, territory design, and performance dashboards to enable growth.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in an enterprise subscription software sales strategy & operations role supporting Commercial Business.
• Understanding Partner Ecosystem and multi-tiered channel go-to-market process.
• Knowledge of SaaS / subscription based business models and KPIs (Retention & Renewal Rates, ARR, Expansion & Cross-Sell Rates).
• Proficiency with CRM & connected planning systems (e.g., Salesforce, Pigment, Anaplan)
• Attention to detail and ability to execute.
• Strong business acumen, analytical and problem-solving skills; proficient with Excel/Google Sheets, SQL & Tableau.
• Strong communication & collaboration skills; ability to partner with all levels; proficient in PowerPoint/Google Slides.
• Self-starter, highly motivated with curiosity to learn and influence the business.
• Works well in a matrixed environment with multiple projects and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Act as key business partner & Chief of Staff to the Senior Vice President of Commercial Accounts and regional sales management; establish, maintain, refine the rhythm of business.
• Drive forecasting, deal structuring and participate in month-end and quarter-end close processes.
• Set up cadences for inspection of quarterly targets and forecasts; optimize forecast accuracy.
• Facilitate tracking of orders, bookings reports and non-standard transactions; improve metrics.
• Drive sales planning, account strategy & quarterly business review meetings; run data analytics with Finance/Market Intelligence teams.
• Own and drive annual planning for Commercial accounts - quota setting, territory design.
• Partner with sales leadership on account & opportunity planning motion.
• Manage operations, tools, dashboards and reporting; identify efficiency improvements.
• Coordinate enablement activities for new hires and ongoing sales processes; drive alignment to sales strategy.
• Develop & maintain scorecards and dashboards with Finance, Sales Compensation and Central Analytics.

Skills

Sales strategy

CRM systems

Excel/Sheets

SQL & Tableau

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Problem solving

PowerPoint/Slides

Analytical mindset

Execution

Tools

Salesforce

Pigment

Anaplan

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.

Job Summary

The Team Palo Alto Networks has brought technology to market that is reshaping the cybersecurity threat and protection landscape. Our ability to protect digital transactions is limited only by our ability to establish relationships with our potential customers to help them understand how our products can secure their environment. This is where our sales operation teams come in.

Our Sales Operation Team members support our sales account managers and systems engineers to assist in large organization’s migrations to more cybersecurity. Sales operations work behind the scenes to make sure that our sales relationships run smoothly, enabling and empowering the teams across the world. As part of our sales operations, you support the sales team by providing research, reports, and craft and support systems and processes that enable the process of sales. You are committed to your team’s success – and enjoy pitching in to assist when it comes to solutions selling, learning, and development. It’s a true partnership, one built on building the best cybersecurity solutions for each individual client.

We are looking for an outstanding strategic operator to join the North America Sales Strategy & Operations organization.

You will be a thought partner to support the sales leadership team for our Commercial accounts in all aspects of the business. You will also work closely with cross-functional stakeholders (Finance, Marketing, HR, Central operations, Ecosystem, IT etc.). This role is a great fit for a self-starter who enjoys driving business impact and operational efficiency, can serve as an internal consultant (e.g., problem solver) and owner and will have the opportunity for significant exposure and visibility across the business. The candidate in this role will provide leadership, advisory & execution support in driving sales productivity, sales planning, sales forecasting, segmentation, and sales analytics.

Your Impact

• Act as key business partner & Chief of Staff to the Senior Vice President of Commercial Accounts and regional sales management team; establish, maintain, refine the rhythm of business
• Drive forecasting, deal structuring and participate in a month-end and quarter-end close process
  • Set up cadences for inspection of quarterly targets and forecasts
  • Optimize forecast accuracy by driving discipline with pipeline hygiene and forecast management
  • Facilitate tracking of outstanding purchase orders, ensuring order compliance, bookings reports, etc
  • Manage compliance of the non-standard transactions process; track quarterly metrics on average discounts, non-standard exceptions and recommend actions to improve these metrics
• Drive sales planning, account strategy & quarterly business review meetings with the sales management team
  • Run data analytics and partner with finance/market intelligence teams to assess TAM, product propensity to buy and optimize territory coverage
  • Work closely with sales management on GTM segmentation and coverage strategy implementation
  • Own and drive annual planning exercise for Commercial accounts - quota setting, territory & organization design
  • Partner with sales leadership to drive account & opportunity planning motion
• Manage all aspects of operations, tools, dashboards and reporting
  • Review and identify areas for improvement leading to operational efficiency
  • Assist in driving field readiness for new sales hires and ongoing sales processes training; Coordinate activities and priorities of enablement functions to improve alignment to sales strategy
  • Set up and manage sales programs to drive pipe generation and growth in accounts
  • Manage sales compensation escalations with the Sales Compensation team
  • Work closely with Finance, Sales Compensation and Central Analytics teams to develop & maintain scorecards and dashboards that bring transparency into business performance and arms sales leadership with insights needed to drive their business

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in an enterprise subscription software sales strategy & operations role supporting Commercial Business
• Understanding Partner Ecosystem and multi-tiered channel go to market process
• Knowledge of SaaS / subscription based business models and associated KPIs (Retention & Renewal Rates, ARR, Expansion & Cross-Sell Rates, etc), sales processes and methodologies
• Proficiency with CRM & connected planning systems (e.g., Salesforce, Pigment, Anaplan)
• Attention to detail and ability to execute
• Strong business acumen and judgment, analytical and problem-solving skills, and ability to structure solutions to complex problems; Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets, SQL & Tableau
• Strong communication & collaboration skills and the ability to effectively partner with all levels of management; Proficiency in PowerPoint/Google Slides
• Self-starter, highly motivated with insatiable curiosity to learn about and influence the business
• Works well within a matrixed environment, with ability to manage simultaneous projects, and tight deadlines

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.

$156,400.00 - $253,000.00/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.