Technical Director Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

Location: Santa Clara, California, United States

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place.

Who We Are

In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us!

We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes.

Job Summary

As the Sr. Director of Product Partnerships, you will lead the strategic expansion of our Cloud Security (SASE, Prisma Browser, CDSS and SCM) businesses through high impact technical partnerships. This is not a traditional ecosystem role; you are a strategic product leader who sits within the Product Management organization to identify, negotiate, and execute partnerships that accelerate the product strategy and drive growth. You will be the primary architect for scaling our Cloud Security (SASE, Prisma Browser, CDSS and SCM) offerings through third-party integrations, acting as a proactive force that tells the product team where the market is moving and which partners will get us there first.

Key Responsibilities

• Define Technical Partnership Strategy: Architect a comprehensive technical partnership strategy that is directly aligned with the broader Cloud Security product strategy, ensuring ecosystem investments accelerate core product roadmaps.
• Lead Technical Business Development: Proactively identify and hunt for partners that accelerate SASE growth, specifically focusing on high-volume SMB scaling opportunities.
• Own the Deal Lifecycle: Drive partnerships from initial outreach and business case development through legal paperwork, technical scoping, and final execution.
• Architect Product Use-Cases: Translate partnership potential into concrete technical use-cases and product requirements, ensuring every deal has a clear path to integration and revenue.
• Drive SMB Growth Aspirations: Execute on executive mandates to scale the SMB segment by building a frictionless partner engine that increases market reach and product discovery.
• Act as a Strategic Product Advisor: Partner with the VP of Product and C-level executives to recommend specific partnership investments that will unlock new ARR and competitive advantages.
• Ensure Seamless Execution: Lead the hand-off from "deal signed" to "product reality," working with core PMs and engineering to ensure partner commitments are delivered and scaled.
• Direct High-Level Negotiations: Navigate complex business and technical trade-offs with partner CTOs and Heads of Product to align long-term roadmaps.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in Technical Business Development, Product Management, or Strategic Alliances within the Cybersecurity or Networking space.
• Strong Technical Fluency: Ability to lead deep-dive architectural conversations and "speak the language" of both sales leaders and product engineers.
• Proven SMB Track Record: Demonstrated success in building or managing partnerships specifically designed to scale high-volume, mid-market, or SMB customer segments.
• Execution Excellence: A proven "closer" who has personally moved deals from white-space identification to signed contracts and launched integrations.
• Strategic Vision: Ability to proactively identify market shifts and provide data-driven recommendations to leadership on "where to play and how to win."
• Executive Presence: Experience negotiating with and influencing C-suite stakeholders at global technology firms and internal executive leadership.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Ability to be "scrappy" and operate with a start-up mentality to achieve outsized results within a large-scale organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Product Management Background: Previous experience as a PM or technical leader is highly desirable to ensure deep alignment with the SASE product org.
• SASE & Cloud Expertise: Deep understanding of the SASE ecosystem, including SD-WAN, SSE, and browser-based security.
• Marketplace Savvy: Experience leveraging cloud or SaaS marketplaces as a primary vehicle for SMB customer acquisition.
• Technical Degree: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.

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) or base salary + commission target (for sales/commissioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

• $245,000.00 - $336,000.00/yr

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 accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.

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?: Yes