26 Feb
Reference Architect
Missouri, Kansas city , 64101 Kansas city USA

Vacancy expired!

Job Description

Your Career

As a Reference Architect (RA) at Palo Alto Networks, you are responsible for improving the productivity of our sales teams through the creation and delivery of business-relevant security conversations to our key prospects and customers. As a thought leader, you will address IT and Service Provider Production related issues by leveraging Palo Alto Networks technologies in a way that creates differentiated business value. As a trusted advisor, you will provide valuable insights and education on effective risk reduction, compliance, governance, and cost reduction through a prevention first security approach based on the Palo Alto Networks security platform.

The RAs’ value is measured in their ability to increase sales productivity by:

  • Setting and driving an agenda with the customer, both directly and through the local Sales Teams, as well as within the market through various public speaking engagements.
  • Uncovering new technology applications and use cases and aiding in the creation of presentations, documents, and deliverables that will illustrate value to prospects and customers and the Palo Alto Networks sales teams
  • Uncovering and documenting technological/business value gaps between the Palo Alto Networks platform and competitive offerings and communicating these to the wider Palo Alto Networks Sales organization.
  • Interface with Product Management to discover and fill current shortcomings in our product suite as well as requirements for future strategic market segments.

The role will require close coordination with Sales, Sales Engineering leadership, Product Management, Marketing, Channel Partners, and the Consulting Engineering team. This is a senior technical role in the field and value produced must be obvious and recurrent. Customers and Sales Teams will ask for you by name.

Your Impact

  • Increase sales productivity – Impact, success, and compensation is measured against the Americas Service Provider Goals
  • Engage directly with key prospects and customers as a security expert to expand Palo Alto Networks’ install base through the Identification, qualification, and closure of opportunities
  • Work directly with the local account teams on strategic pursuits to develop differentiated sales strategies based on opportunity specific business and technical drivers
  • Work with the Sales Teams on strategic opportunities on the development and delivery of differentiated proposals which clearly demonstrate the business and technical value of the Palo Alto Networks Security Platform
  • Engage and establish an advisory relationship with key Manager, Director, VP, and CXO contacts at strategic customers to assist them in the pursuit of a preventative security posture
  • Educate prospects and customers as to how the security landscape is constantly changing and how it will continue to change due to evolving threat vectors, change in networking technologies (virtualized data centers, public cloud, SaaS, etc.), and enterprise outsourcing of IT resources
  • Document and distribute proven insights and approaches for broader Sales Team consumption.
  • Provide summarized and business-relevant feedback into Product Management, Product Marketing, Competitive Marketing, and Field Marketing based on customer engagements to improve Palo Alto Networks effectiveness in communicating its value proposition to prospects and clients
  • ​​​​​​​Engage in continuous self-improvement and learning to maintain technical leadership of relevant technologies (security, data center, DevSecOps, public cloud, automation, networking, endpoint, etc.)

Qualifications

Your Experience

  • Self-motivated.
  • "Whatever it takes" attitude and motivation to do whatever necessary to close deals.
  • Ability to whiteboard Complex Service Provider Production Solutions
  • Extensive knowledge in the network, cloud and endpoint security architectures, history, and trends.
  • Knowledge of ancillary security areas such as identity management, SIEM, public, and private cloud architectures.
  • Demonstrable experience in establishing credibility and strategic messaging with large enterprise customers
  • BSCS or equivalent and 10+ years of experience as an end customer and/or as a vendor
  • Solid fundamental networking background.
  • Expect to travel 50%+ of the weeks in the fiscal year.
  • Strong communication (written and verbal) and presentation skills, both internally and externally.
  • Strong problem finding and solving skills, ability to analyze complex multivariate problems and use a systematic approach to gain quick resolution, even under duress.
  • ​​​​​​​Super organizational skills.

Additional Information

The Team

As part of our Systems Engineering team, you’ll support the sales team with technical expertise and guidance when establishing trust with key clients. You won’t find someone at Palo Alto Networks that isn’t committed to your success – with everyone pitching in to assist when it comes to solutions selling, learning, and development. As a member of our systems engineering team, you are motivated by a solutions-focused sales environment and find fulfillment in working with clients to resolve incredible complex cyber threats.

Our Commitment

We’re trailblazers that dream big, 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 [emailprotected]

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.

Vacancy expired!


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