Sr. Supply Base Manager

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 138,000 - 221,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking an experienced Sr. Supply Base Manager to lead end-to-end commercial operations and supplier relationships for our silicon supply chain.

You will own sourcing strategies for ASICs, processors, and other semiconductors powering our security infrastructure. This high-visibility role reports to the Director of Supply Base Management and is based at our Santa Clara, CA headquarters.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, supply chain management, business, or a related technical field.
• 8+ years of experience in direct procurement, strategic sourcing, or other technical experience in the semiconductor industry.
• Deep understanding of the OEM semiconductor landscape and manufacturing ecosystem, including front-end wafer fabrication, back-end assembly/test, and ASIC cost modeling.
• Proven track record negotiating complex Master Services Agreements (MSAs), new product awards, and technology licensing agreements.

Responsibilities

• Lead executive-level commercial engagements, contract negotiations, and quarterly business reviews with key semiconductor suppliers.
• Structure high-impact pricing models, should-cost roadmaps, and NRE investments to optimize total cost of ownership.
• Partner with supply planning to secure long-term allocation and drive alternate-sourcing strategies.
• Collaborate with hardware engineering, silicon engineering, quality, and legal teams on silicon sourcing strategies.
• Advise leadership on sourcing risks and opportunities based on industry roadmaps and technology trends.

Skills

Supplier & Relationship Management

Strategic Cost Architecture

Supply Continuity & Risk Mitigation

Cross-Functional Leadership

Market Intelligence

Contract Negotiation

AI tools & models

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, supply chain management, business, or a related technical field

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

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission: Being the cybersecurity partner of choice and protecting our digital way of life. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take the mission of protecting our digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contribute to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us every day; from disruptive innovation and collaboration to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity, to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

We are seeking an experienced Sr. Supply Base Manager (SBM) to lead end-to-end commercial operations, vendor relationships, and long-term capacity planning across our silicon supply chain. In this role, you will own sourcing strategies for custom ASICs, processors, ethernet switches and other key semiconductors powering our next-generation security infrastructure.

Thisis a high-visibility, individual contributor role for a professional who thrives on product ownership, and high-stakes execution and works relentlessly to provide operations and engineering with 'best in class quality' and commercial terms, while also leveraging emerging AI tools and technologies. This position reports to the Director of Supply Base Management and will be based at our corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, CA.

Key Responsibilities

• Supplier & Relationship Management: Lead executive-level commercial engagements, contract negotiations, and quarterly business reviews (QBRs) with key semiconductor suppliers in IC Switch, CPUs, FPGAs and other key silicon
• Strategic Cost Architecture: Structure high-impact pricing models, should-cost roadmaps, and NRE investments to optimize total cost of ownership.
• Supply Continuity & Risk Mitigation: Partner with supply planning to secure long-term allocation, drive alternate-sourcing strategies and strategic inventory initiatives to ensure supply resiliency.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Collaborate closely with hardware engineering, silicon engineering, quality, and legal teams on leading silicon sourcing strategies that align to our next-generation hardware roadmap and the overall semiconductor market.
• Market Intelligence: Serve as the subject matter expert for industry technology roadmaps and emerging technologies (e.g. advanced silicon nodes and 2.5D/3D packaging), geopolitical risks, and industry capacity trends, and advise leadership on sourcing risks and opportunities.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, supply chain management, business, or a related technical field.
• Experience: 8+ years of experience in direct procurement, strategic sourcing, or other technical experience in the semiconductor industry highly preferred.
• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of the OEM semiconductor landscape as well as the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem; including front-end wafer fabrication, back-end assembly/test, and ASIC cost modeling.
• Contract Negotiation: Proven track record negotiating complex Master Services Agreements (MSAs), new product awards, and technology licensing agreements.

Preferred Experience

• MBA or master’s degree in engineering.
• Direct experience in sourcing custom silicon, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), or custom datacenter hardware development.
• Strong data analytics capability and fluency in AI tools and models

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.

$138,000.00 - $221,100.00/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.