Strategic Deal Desk Manager

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. 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 our mission of protecting the 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 contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - 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.

Your Career

Palo Alto Networks is looking for a Strategic Deals Desk Manager to become part of EMEA Deals Desk, working in close partnership with Sales, Revenue, Legal and Finance teams to craft and negotiate  complex high-value deals, facilitate their way through the approval process and help navigate them to successful closure. This position will report to the Senior Manager of EMEA Deals Desk and is a great opportunity for a talented individual who has the desire to associate with a fast-growing company in a truly international environment.

This position calls for someone who possesses strong communication and problem-solving skills, learns fast and feels confident in a dynamic environment, where decisions are made under the pressure of tight deadlines and inline with various rules of engagement.  This person works proactively to drive results, is a self-starter, flexible, has a high level of integrity and is action and goal-oriented in a fast-paced, team-oriented, collaborative environment.

Your Impact

• Act as trusted advisor and partner to Sales teams who offers valuable feedback on contract requirements, deal structure, business terms and identifies potential risks and/or opportunities that can affect performance, future growth and strategic positioning
• Proactively engage in and help Sales teams navigate strategic deals to successful closure, acting as one-touch resource, responsible for liaising with all parties involved in the agreement process (Finance, Legal, Revenue, Order Management, etc.) on behalf of sales
• Where necessary, craft bespoke deal structures in close collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders to secure decision support on possible solutions and aid the drafting of relevant paperwork needed for successful closure
• Provide Senior Leadership with financial models, deal health information and analysis of the commercial and operational requirements to facilitate the risk/reward profile assessment of the opportunities
• Understand gross margin analysis, SSP compliance rules and the impact of any  non standard terms on strategic deals, including Enterprise Agreements
• Review and approve non-standard pricing requests and ensure all required approvals, are obtained and clearly documented
• Ensure that all deals adhere to the internal revenue recognition policies and operational guidelines
• Expert in quoting, understanding the portfolio and product interdependencies
• Comply with various Rules of Engagement and keep up to date product knowledge
• Evaluate current processes and offer recommendations for areas of improvement
• Complete ad-hoc projects as required

Your Experience

• Bachelor Degree in Business Administration or related desirable or equivalent military experience required
• Experience in commercial management, sales operations, finance, accounting or related experience within the software / tech industry
• Strong communication, organizational and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated capability to build strong working relationships with internal business units
• Experience in working in multi-cultural environment and as part of a team
• Experience in building bespoke commercial models to address specific deal requirements
• Ability to work independently and efficiently in fast paced environment, handling multiple deal elements or parallel deals simultaneously
• Ability to make quick decisions to meet tight deadlines, while remaining diligent and keeping a sound audit record
• Experience in data analysis, financial modeling and margin assessment
• Intermediate/advanced and G-Suite skills (highly recommended)
• Fluency in English required + German fluency is a plus

The Team

Our sales operation & strategy  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.

You support the sales team by providing research, reports, and craft and support systems and processes that enable the process of sales. It's a true partnership, one built on building the best cybersecurity solutions for each individual client.

Our Commitment

We're problem solvers that 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  [email protected].

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.