Principal, AI Strategy and Transformation - job 1 of 2

** Role will be based in our Santa Clara CA headquarters and will have a hybrid working schedule of at least 3 days/week in office. 

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.

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

Palo Alto Networks is expanding its strategy organization and seeking a Principal (Director/Senior Director) for our strategy & transformation team. 

The Strategy & Transformation team covers CEO-led initiatives ranging from AI to drive efficiency and effectiveness, margin improvement and central GTM initiatives.  In the short-term, this role will focus on designing & deploying AI at Scale for better Sales and Marketing initiatives and may expand to additional use-cases. The role is beyond strategy and goes deep into execution to own and drive business outcomes. 

As a key leader, you will collaborate with top executives and cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Finance, Sales, Enablement, Documentation, IT) to tackle mission-critical business challenges and contribute to our industry-leading growth. This role offers a supportive, dynamic, and meritocratic environment that values innovation, learning, and teamwork. In this role, your contributions will directly impact our strategic success and drive innovation in the constantly evolving security landscape.

Your Impact 

• Push the thinking on “art of the possible” future. 
• Own and drive impactful business outcomes 
• Drive transformative change with AI in the organization, wearing multiple hats (strategy, product & program management, execution) to do what it takes to “move the needle”
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to gather insights, co-create deliverables, and drive execution to achieve business goals.
• Manage matrix teams and provide coaching & mentoring to team members
• Structure and analyze complex business problems, develop hypotheses, experiment with AI and present data-driven recommendations.
• Develop high-quality deliverables for exec-level consumption, including business cases and roadmap/execution plans. 
• Support strategy and business planning processes while fostering strategic capabilities across the organization.

Your Experience 

• Minimum 10 years of experience with 5+ years post-MBA with at least 2 years in management consulting (MBB preferred but open to others), or top-tier tech strategy or "bizops" roles.
  • This role is also open to hiring at the lower level and will depend on the candidate's overall experience. 
• Preferred academic credentials include a top-tier MBA or similar qualifications.
• Experience with AI/Gen-AI transformations and B2B GTM is a significant plus. 
• Track record of strong program management and overseeing large-scale transformations.
• A proactive self-starter who excels in fast-paced, high-growth environments.
• Great teammate, willing to passionately roll up their sleeves and work cross-functionally to get things done.
• Security experience is not mandatory.

The Team

Our Strategy and Transformation team is a focused team that works on our most critical business challenges to drive and support our industry-leading growth. Your efforts will directly impact the overall strategy and success of a world-leading cybersecurity business. You will collaborate on complex business and technology problems that are top-of-mind for our executives. 

Compensation Disclosure

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) is expected to be between $196,000 - $277,000/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

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  [email protected].

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.