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Director, Professional Services, Program Management

AT Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks

Director, Professional Services, Program Management

Amsterdam, Netherlands

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.

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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

The Director of Professional Services Program Management will lead a theater team (EMEA wide or similar) of Managers and Program Managers overseeing customer-facing project and program management efforts. This role focuses on ensuring the successful deployment of Palo Alto Networks solutions, enabling customers to achieve maximum value from their investment. The Director will drive key deployment initiatives, including program execution and process optimization, while collaborating with the Global PMO to establish and promote standards and best practices. With a strong focus on customer outcomes, this position is accountable for driving portfolio delivery efficiency, meeting revenue targets, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Your Impact

  • Strategic Portfolio Oversight - As the theater leader, own the overall portfolio of projects, ensuring alignment with business objectives, regional priorities, and long-term strategic goals
  • Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management - Collaborate with internal teams such as Sales, Customer Success, Operations, Resource Management, Technical Center of Excellence and Support to ensure overall deployment success
  • Champion Operational Excellence - Lead the implementation of disciplined execution practices across project management activities, setting the standard for operational excellence and driving a culture of accountability and continuous improvement in all areas of project delivery
  • Strategic Partner Collaboration - Define and optimize project team structures, working closely with cross-functional partners (technical, business, and external stakeholders) to ensure projects are resourced effectively and executed in alignment with scope, requirements, and deliverables
  • Resource Planning and Forecasting - Lead theater-level strategic resource planning efforts across the region, forecasting staffing needs, managing overall headcount allocation, and providing quality assurance on onboarding processes to ensure optimal staffing levels in line with customer demand and project requirements
  • Escalation and Issue Resolution - Be a senior escalation point for complex or high-risk Professional Services engagements, proactively identifying issues, mitigating risks, and providing strategic guidance to resolve escalations effectively and in alignment with customer needs while driving faster time to deploy
  • Performance Metrics and Continuous Improvement - Manage operational performance to accelerate revenue, time to deploy and quality targets, including - but not limited to - project backlog, utilization targets, high customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores, and driving faster time to value
  • Delivery Governance - Oversee and ensure the effective usage and governance of project management methodology across the region, maintaining consistent adherence to best practices and driving process improvements that optimize project execution and drive high quality and reliability with data integrity
  • Leadership and Team Empowerment - Provide strong leadership to the team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture - Mentor and develop team members, providing guidance and support to enhance their skills and capabilities - Provide a positive work environment that encourages innovation, creativity, and continuous improvement

Your Experience

  • 15+ years' experience in a high growth technology focused Organization, or similar experience
  • 5+ years of experience leading team members with the ability to successfully influence leaders, groups, and individuals across multiple organizations
  • Proven experience with bringing conceptual thinking with advanced issues and implications to successful execution
  • Experience managing quantified metrics and execution programs to deliver exceptional results and customers satisfaction
  • Customer-facing experience in senior roles
  • Experience managing large scale (Global) deployments with multiple projects, teams and resources desired
  • Successfully leading a high performing team delivering complex projects and programs
  • A strong ability to accurately forecast project profitability, revenue, margins, bill rates, and utilization for a regional team
  • Skilled in customer escalations with experience in account management and project management
  • Thrives in a matrixed team environment, anchored by our values of Collaboration, Disruption, Execution, Inclusion, and Integrity
  • Project Management Institute PMP(r) certification or equivalent a plus
  • Travel - Open to occasional travel according to the need for strategic customer engagement and on-sites

The Team

Our professional services team is critical to our success and mission. As part of this team, you enable customer success by providing support to clients post-sale. Our dedication to our customers doesn't stop once they sign - it evolves.

As threats and technology evolve, we stay in step to accomplish our mission. You'll be involved in implementing new products, transitioning from old products to new, and will fix integrations and critical issues as they are raised. But you won't wait for them to be raised, you'll seek them out, too. We fix and identify technical problems, with a pointed focus of providing the best customer support in the industry.

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 accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.

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.

Client-provided location(s): Amsterdam, Netherlands
Job ID: Palo_Alto_Networks-3129055
Employment Type: Full Time

Perks and Benefits

  • Health and Wellness

    • Health Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • FSA
    • HSA
    • HSA With Employer Contribution
    • Life Insurance
    • Short-Term Disability
    • Long-Term Disability
    • Fitness Subsidies
    • On-Site Gym
    • Pet Insurance
    • Mental Health Benefits
    • Virtual Fitness Classes
  • Parental Benefits

    • Fertility Benefits
    • Adoption Assistance Program
    • Family Support Resources
    • Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
    • Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
    • Adoption Leave
  • Work Flexibility

    • Flexible Work Hours
    • Remote Work Opportunities
    • Hybrid Work Opportunities
    • Work-From-Home Stipend
  • Office Life and Perks

    • Commuter Benefits Program
    • Casual Dress
    • Happy Hours
    • Snacks
    • On-Site Cafeteria
    • Holiday Events
  • Vacation and Time Off

    • Paid Vacation
    • Unlimited Paid Time Off
    • Paid Holidays
    • Personal/Sick Days
    • Leave of Absence
    • Volunteer Time Off
  • Financial and Retirement

    • 401(K)
    • 401(K) With Company Matching
    • Company Equity
    • Stock Purchase Program
    • Performance Bonus
    • Relocation Assistance
  • Professional Development

    • Promote From Within
    • Mentor Program
    • Access to Online Courses
    • Leadership Training Program
    • Tuition Reimbursement
    • Lunch and Learns
    • Internship Program
    • Professional Coaching
    • Work Visa Sponsorship
  • Diversity and Inclusion

    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program
    • Employee Resource Groups (ERG)
    • Founder led
    • Veteran founded/led
    • Asian founded/led

Company Videos

Hear directly from employees about what it is like to work at Palo Alto Networks.