UK lead Sales Engineer - Palo Alto

Exclusive Networks (EXN) is a global cybersecurity specialist that provides partners and end-customers with a wide range of services and product portfolios via proven routes to market. With offices in over 45 countries and the ability to serve customers in over 170 countries, we combine a local perspective with the scale and delivery of a single global organization.

Our best-in-class vendor portfolio is carefully curated with all leading industry players. Our services range from managed security to specialist technical accreditation and training and capitalize on rapidly evolving technologies and changing business models. For more information visit www.exclusive-networks.com.

At Exclusive Networks, we are passionate about making a difference. That means delivering the best to our clients, doing our part to create a prosperous and trusted digital world, and helping our people to realize their potential.

• 24 days holiday plus Bank holidays, increasing with service and we want you to take them.
• Your birthday off.
• Volunteer Day.
• Hybrid Working.
• Ongoing learning and development.
• Health care scheme.
• 5% Matched pension scheme.
• Beer fridge Friday and quarterly social events.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Free parking.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave and more...

The Lead Sales Engineer for Palo Alto Networks will act as a technical liaison between the vendor, partners, sales teams, and customers, driving the sales process with expert product knowledge, demonstrations, and solutions. Key responsibilities include promoting Palo Alto Networks' security products across the Exclusive Networks sales organization, articulating the value of flagship products such as Strata, Prisma SASE, Prisma Cloud, and Cortex, and translating vendor strategy into actionable insights. The role also involves building and nurturing relationships with Distribution Managed Partners, collaborating with internal teams to share best practices, and providing industry trends and product roadmap guidance to both sales and technical teams to ensure customer satisfaction and achieve sales pipeline goals.

• Presales Support:
  • Work closely with the sales and partner teams to understand customer requirements.
  • Create technical solutions and define Bill of Materials (BoM).
  • Provide technical presentations and product demonstrations to customers and prospects.
  • Develop customized solutions based on client specifications, business objectives, and product capabilities.
  • Assist in the preparation of proposals, quotes, and technical documentation.
  • Respond to customer inquiries and provide clear technical explanations regarding product features and benefits.
• Solution Delivery and Support:
  • Define migration and implementation plans, Scopes of Work (SoW) and engineering standards to ensure successful product installation, integration, and configuration.
  • Regular reviews of customer support processes and performance providing recommendations for improvement and skills development.
• Product Expertise:
  • Maintaining a deep understanding of vendor product offerings, their technical specifications, and use cases along with promotions and channel lead incentives.
  • Staying up to date with industry trends, market developments, and emerging technologies to give ExN competitive advantage.
  • Advising the Technical Services management team on all aspects of the Palo Alto Networks product portfolio.
  • Gathering and analyzing feedback from channel partners to inform sales and marketing strategies.
• Skills Development and Knowledge Transfer:
  • Developing and implementing training and enablement plans to broaden Presales, Professional Services, Technical Support, and Education Services to increase capacity and capability on Palo Alto Networks vendor products.
  • Conduct internal training sessions for the sales team on product features, functionality, and use cases.
  • Manage UK organization compliance for technical accreditation and certification with Vendor agreements.
  • Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for technical questions and provide guidance to colleagues as needed.
• Partner Management:
  • Building and maintaining strong relationships with existing and new channel partners.
  • Providing training and support to channel partners to ensure effective product representation.
  • Owning pipeline generation across the distribution managed partners.
• Sales and Performance Monitoring:
  • Monitoring sales targets, KPIs and performance of channel partners.
  • Analyzing sales data and generating reports to assess channel performance and identify areas for improvement.
  • Collaborating with partners to develop and execute joint marketing and sales initiatives.
  • Attending regular cadence meetings with vendor sales and distribution leaders.
• Collaboration and Communication:
  • Working closely with the Vendor's product specialists and ExN's internal teams; including marketing, presales, services, and operations, to ensure alignment and support for channel activities.
  • Communicating effectively with partners to address issues, provide feedback, and share best practices.
  • Attending ExN & vendor events.

The ideal Lead Sales Engineer:

• At least 3-5 years of experience as a Sales Engineer, Solutions Engineer, or Presales Consultant in the cybersecurity industry, preferably with Palo Alto Networks products.
• Strong understanding of network security, firewalls, cloud security, and threat prevention technologies, especially Palo Alto Networks solutions.
• Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE), Security Automation Engineer (PCSAE), Prisma Certified Cloud Security Engineer (PCCSE) or similar certifications.
• Ability to effectively build relationships and uncover opportunities for vendors with a value-based approach.
• Ability to navigate organisational structures to identify and engage champions, key decision makers, and influencers.
• Good written and oral communication skills to create professional presentations for interested partners.
• Good customer service skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Good time management and organisational skills.

About the company

We are people focused and strongly believe that talent empowers us to continue our dynasty of disruption and growth in the future. Our Mission is to drive the transition to a totally trusted digital world for all people and organizations. Visit our website www.exclusive-networks.com.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to the recruitment and hiring of individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences, as we believe this strengthens our ability to develop superior solutions, make informed decisions, and better serve our valued customers. We do not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, or any similar characteristic. Employment decisions are made solely on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

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Good Luck!