Director, Technical Services

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is driven by a collective mission to safeguard our digital lifestyles through innovative and impactful cybersecurity solutions. The company values disruption, collaboration, execution, integrity, and inclusion, embedding AI throughout its processes to magnify individual contributions. Our teams predominantly collaborate in-person to foster swift problem solving and develop strong professional relationships.

Role Overview

The Director of Technical Services Architect in JAPAC leads a premier architecture organization dedicated to steering our highest-profile enterprise clients through intricate security modernization initiatives. This leadership role commands a dual-function theater team that includes SOC Transformation Architects and Customer Success Architects across a diverse region: Australia & New Zealand, ASEAN, Greater China, India, and Korea.

This role demands a seasoned architecture consulting professional skilled at simplifying technical intricacies and translating infrastructure progress into quantifiable business results. It serves as a strategic link between local regional execution and global strategies, collaborating directly with global engineering and practice teams to define, refine, and improve architectural practices worldwide.

Managing diverse challenges including varied cloud maturity, unique competitive dynamics, and stringent regional data governance, the role promotes a platform-first approach ensuring JAPAC’s largest enterprises evolve from fragmented security tools to an integrated, AI-enabled security platform using Cortex (XSIAM + SOAR) and Prisma Cloud.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and expand a high-caliber technical team across multiple cultures and languages within JAPAC, including SOC and Customer Success Architects.
• Collaborate with global leaders and teams to co-shape and mature architectural practices, ensuring regional feedback influences global delivery standards.
• Develop and execute theater-wide improvement initiatives that enhance delivery methods, standardize blueprints, and resolve inconsistencies.
• Steer platform strategy adoption, focusing on integrated Palo Alto Networks solutions to dismantle operational silos and unlock exponential customer value.
• Serve as senior technical advisor and escalation contact for JAPAC enterprise CISOs, CIOs, and CXOs during pivotal architectural engagements.
• Ensure solutions comply with regional governance, risk, and compliance standards including APRA, IRAP, Personal Data Protection laws, and data residency rules.
• Maintain collaborative partnerships with regional sales and channel partners to engineer mutually beneficial enterprise agreements.
• Drive excellence in delivery metrics, optimizing deployment capabilities across sub-regions.
• Reduce time-to-value and time-to-deploy by modernizing frameworks, automating legacy processes, and advancing lifecycle management.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks by analyzing data trends, preventing impact on regional customer satisfaction and service health indicators.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years of progressive experience in professional or technical services or architecture consulting, preferably within high-velocity SaaS or cybersecurity sectors.
• At least 5 years of leadership experience managing diverse, matrixed teams of senior enterprise architects or technical consultants across multiple countries.
• Demonstrated expertise in enterprise architecture consulting with successful implementation of ongoing operational improvements and collaboration with global cross-functional teams.
• Profound technical knowledge of SOC Operations (SIEM, SOAR, XSIAM) and Cloud Security (CNAPP, Prisma Cloud), with a deep understanding of integrated platforms versus isolated solutions.
• Exceptional communication capabilities paired with the executive presence necessary to influence product leadership, sales executives, and C-level clients.
• Proven success in managing large-scale programs and scaling architecture organizations.
• Flexibility to travel up to 40% across the JAPAC region and occasionally to corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related fields is essential; advanced degrees like a Master’s or MBA, plus security certifications such as CISSP, CCSK, or TOGAF are highly favored.

Company Commitment

The company values diversity and inclusion, actively seeking to create equitable opportunities for all qualified individuals. They provide reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities and uphold confidentiality consistent with EEO guidelines.