Director, IT Product Management - Sales Compensation Systems

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

Job Summary

As the Director of IT Product Management- Sales Compensation you will oversee our Sales Commissions Systems as a strategic product, focusing on delivering innovative solutions that enable complex sales plans. This role demands a blend of product management prowess and a deep understanding of sales dynamics, allowing you to set a clear vision and direction for sophisticated, scalable compensation solutions. You will tackle challenges using a first principles approach, ensuring solutions meet current needs and anticipate future industry shifts. You will collaborate closely with the Sales Operations and Compensation Operations team, ensuring the pinnacle of innovation and accuracy in all compensation matters. This role is crucial for managing the fiscal year transition and supporting the ongoing success of our sales team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of advanced sales compensation systems that support complex and dynamic sales strategies.

• Define and articulate the vision and strategic direction for sales compensation systems, ensuring alignment with the company’s overarching goals.

• Employ a first principles methodology to identify and address fundamental challenges in sales compensation, driving innovation from the ground up.

• Partner strategically with Sales Operations and Compensation Operations to ensure our compensation systems enhance organizational effectiveness and efficiency.

• Lead fiscal year transitions with precision, ensuring that changes in compensation structures are seamlessly implemented and well-communicated.

• GTM Data Strategy & AI Readiness: Architect a comprehensive GTM data strategy for the commissions ecosystem, ensuring high-fidelity datasets that enable automated anomaly detection, predictive payout forecasting, and AI-driven sales performance insights.

• Rapid Prototyping: Drive a culture of "hands-on" validation by translating complex compensation concepts into functional prototypes, allowing for the simulation of fiscal year transitions and plan changes before full-scale engineering commitment.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 15 years of experience; or Master's degree with 12 years of experience; or a PhD with 8 years of experience in sales compensation, sales operations, or a related field.

• Strong understanding of sales compensation plans, systems, and territory planning.

• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and implement solutions based on a first principles approach.

• Proven ability to manage large-scale projects and transitions in dynamic environments.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to collaborate across departments and influence stakeholders.

• Experience using AI-driven coding tools or low-code environments to explore data structures and automate repetitive sales-ops workflows.

• Ability to "see" the logic flow of a commission system and use generative tools to manifest that logic into testable models.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or Master's degree in a technical or business-related field.

• Experience with compensation applications, such as SAP Commissions, Anaplan, and Salesforce (SFDC).

• Experience with Agile development methodologies (Scrum/Kanban).

• Proven track record of using LLMs or agentic workflows to accelerate product discovery, data cleaning, or complex formula generation

• Prior experience working in a Principal or Director-level capacity, demonstrating ownership over a significant product area.

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/com-missioned 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.

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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