Area Sales Executive, Cortex (CEUR)

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.

Your Career

Act as primary Cortex business partner for AVP's (Area Vice President) in conjunction with the Cortex VP for respective areas. Be holistically responsible for overall business performance, GTM success, deals, and customer engagement across the area. This key regional role provides theatre leadership and will sit as part of the regional management teams carrying the Cortex quota and ensuring the Cortex business health for respective area(s).

Your Impact

• Customer Activities and External Exposure
  • Large Nascent deals - Heavily involved in large nascent deals to ensure the correct positioning of use cases and that the value proposition is being delivered- Management of key sales stages in the sales cycle for these deals.
  • External Event Participation - Participating in EBC's (Executive Briefing Center) customer roundtables, industry events, and other external events, representing Palo Alto Networks' strategy in SOC transformation.
  • QSR Participation - Monthly participation in Cortex QSR's to enhance understanding of how our customers utilize the Cortex platform and XSIAM platform to benefit our Account Teams and Specialist Reps and improve our storytelling.
  • Participation rates in Cortex pipeline creation/bookings - Identify repeatable practices from successful areas, address underperforming districts/areas.
• Business Performance Ownership
  • Performance Management - Establishing and tracking against key performance indicators (KPI's) e.g., participation rates in Cortex pipeline creation/bookings and sales metrics, and analyzing data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas of improvement to address underperforming districts/areas.
  • Pipeline Management - Working closely with the DSM and Specialist Reps to manage and increase the sales pipeline and lead generation activities.
  • New Opportunity Alignment - Align and work out the GTM specificities of the different products, new ones, and associated routes to market (ex - MSSPs/MDR) in the region.
• Sales Process and Program Management
  • Sales Process Optimization - Evaluate and enhance the sales process to identify areas for improvement, streamline workflows, and increase efficiency.
  • Selling industrialisation - Developing Cortex campaigns and selling initiatives to meet the adoption and growth goals of Cortex and supporting their execution.
  • Sales Execution Improvement - Identifying internal bottlenecks and streamlining processes with GTM, Sales Ops, and IT support.
  • Collaboration and Alignment - Foster collaboration with cross-functional teams, such as Marketing, Renewal, Ecosystem, Deal Desk, Sales Ops, Services (incl. CS), BVC, and Finance and HR, to ensure alignment and support for sales initiatives.
• Community Engagement and Enablement
  • Sales Coaching and Mentoring - Provide guidance, coaching, and support to the sales leaders, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
  • Sales Enablement Support - Support the training programs, along with Sales Enablement Team & GTM, tools, and resources to equip the Account Teams and Specialist Reps with the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve sales targets.
  • Recruitment - Actively participate in recruitment, taking an active role in recruiting top talent to deliver on our ambition aligned with our product strategy.
• Market and Competitive Insights
  • Market Analysis and Competitive Intelligence - Stay updated on market trends, competitor activities, and customer needs to feedback/influence GTM and our sales strategies and positioning.

Your Experience

• Proven drive for results - consistently achieved sales goals through leadership and personal goals.
• Demonstrable experience of managing large complex SIEM/SOC deals in the CEUR region.
• Sales management experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with channel/partner sales models.
• Proven ability to engage effectively with VP/C level contacts.
• Able to analyze sales and market data and prepare strategy decks for action plans and sales campaigns.
• Deep understanding of enterprise sales methodology (MEDDIC), Must Win Plans, etc., that you can translate and coach others in.
• Built solid cross-functional relationships across internal teams (including Senior Leadership Teams, GTM, and Product teams), clients, and partners.