Principal Architect

Core Focus Areas

The ideal candidate for this role will have deep technical knowledge of and hands-on experience with network security, SASE, and zero trust principles and practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Advisory and Client Engagement:
  • Establish and maintain executive-level relationships (Manager, Director, VP, and CxO contacts) in strategic accounts with high growth potential.
  • Transform client security strategies by driving conversations that advocate for Palo Alto Networks’ view of transformative Solution Architectures.
  • Provide valuable insights and education to clients on effective risk reduction, operational excellence, and cost management.
  • Identify and document the client's strategic transformation goals and priority outcomes for value realization, collaborating with specialists to develop business cases around measurable benefits.
  • Conduct high-impact consulting engagements, including architectural assessments, designs, and client workshops, setting and driving a strategic agenda with the customer and sales/engineering teams.
• Sales Productivity and Thought Leadership:
  • Demonstrate increased sales productivity through strategic architectural engagements.
  • Engage directly with senior technical and business leaders as a security expert to expand reach within accounts and expand the scope of sales opportunities by identifying new areas of engagement and areas where our solutions can deliver on executive priorities.
  • Collaborate with sales teams to develop and deliver differentiated proposals that clearly demonstrate business and technical value.
• Internal Partnership and Development:
  • Become a valued resource to Product Management by discovering and understanding current challenges, competitive insights, and opportunities to address emerging needs in strategic market segments.
  • Maintain continuous self-improvement and learning to sustain technical leadership across relevant technologies (e.g., security technologies, cyber threat intelligence, risk and regulatory topics, emerging technologies).
  • Work closely with Sales and Solution Consulting leadership, Unit42 consulting teams, Business Value Consultants, Professional Services, Customer Success, and theater CISO/CTO resources (where applicable) to ensure a coordinated market approach.

Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years of experience as an end customer, a cybersecurity vendor or consultant is required.
• Education: BSCS, equivalent degree or experience is required.