Sr. Solutions Engineer - Public Sector - SLED

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!

This role is remote, but distance is no barrier to impact. Our hybrid teams collaborate across geographies to solve big problems, stay close to our customers, and grow together. You will be part of a culture that values trust, accountability, and shared success where your work truly matters.

Job Summary

As a Senior Solutions Engineer at Palo Alto Networks - Idira (CyberArk), you will play a pivotal role in demonstrating the value of Idira’s identity security solutions to prospective and current SLED customers. Your responsibilities will include engaging with clients via demos, presentations, meetings, and Proof of Concepts (POCs) to showcase how Idira secures critical assets across hybrid cloud environments and distributed workforces. The Senior Solutions Engineer will combine technical knowledge with sales skills and is ultimately responsible for the technical win during the sales cycle. Solutions Engineers are the primary technical resource for the field sales force hence, they are responsible for actively driving and managing the technology evaluation stage of the sales process, working in conjunction with the sales team and others as the key technical advisor and product advocate for our solutions. Solutions Engineers will collaborate with multiple teams within customer organizations, ensuring their success in understanding the business value and adopting Idira’s Identity Security solutions, so you must be able to articulate technology and product positioning to both business and technical users. Above all, we are looking for someone that can communicate the Idira value and be able to design an optimal solution for complex customer infrastructure and datacenter environments on a global scale. 

As a key player in the Public Sector/SLED vertical, you will leverage your deep knowledge of Idira products and public sector security requirements to engage with State, Local, and Education (SLED) organizations. Your role will involve understanding their unique challenges and demonstrating how Idira can address critical security and compliance needs. A solution-oriented mindset and a passion for tackling security challenges in the public sector will be key to your success.

Responsibilities: 

The ideal candidate must be self-motivated with a proven record of accomplishment in relevant vendor software sales or encompass knowledge of similar technologies. You must be comfortable in a dynamic atmosphere of a technical organization with a rapidly expanding customer base. You must possess strong presentation skills. You must be organized and analytical, able to eliminate sales obstacles through creative and adaptive approaches. 

 

• Technical Expertise & Solution Demonstration: Serve as the subject matter expert on Idira's Identity Security solutions, providing in-depth knowledge and technical guidance to public sector organizations and partners, through business value presentations, solution demonstrations, architecture reviews, etc.
• High Performing Sales Engineer: Proactively seek out new sales opportunities by developing new and existing technical relationships within prospective accounts, partners, and current active customers.
• POC & Technical Validation: Plan, execute, and manage Proof of Concept (POC) evaluations with potential and existing public sector customers, demonstrating how Idira’s solutions can solve their security challenges.
• RFP/RFI Support: Assist in the preparation and response to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Information (RFIs), positioning Idira’s solutions for success in public sector evaluations.
• Customer Engagement: Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with technical teams and executive stakeholders within public sector organizations, ensuring they achieve success and satisfaction with Idira’s solutions.
• Partner Ecosystem: Support and enable Idira’s partner network, ensuring they can effectively communicate the value of Idira to their public sector clients.
• Industry Engagement: Represent Idira at industry events, partner seminars, trade shows, and marketing initiatives, showcasing the value of Identity Security solutions to government and educational organizations.
• Customer Advocate: Able to convey customer requirements to Product Management teams, Professional Services and other internal Idira teams on behalf of customers and partners.
• Team Player: Actively engage and contribute to the internal teams, serving as a resource and mentor to others when appropriate.
• Travel: Light travel required (<50%) for client meetings and industry events.

Qualifications

• Education: MIS/Computer Science Degree or equivalent experience required 

• Pre-Sales Experience: 5+ Years experience in a presales technical role, ideally specifically with identity management or security technologies. Including the ability to build relationships at multiple levels to work cross organizationally toward solutions; excellent leadership and consensus building skills. 

• Expertise in Government IT & Security Requirements: Experience working in or a strong understanding of public sector IT environments, including familiarity with government-specific security requirements (FIPS, FedRAMP, ATOs, STIGs/hardening), security accreditation processes, and public sector procurement procedures. (NIST 800-53 and ATO processes).

• Collaborative & Solution-Oriented: Ability to work closely with customers and internal teams to build tailored solutions that address the unique needs of public sector organizations.

• Identity Security Proficiency: Knowledge of identity security technologies, Identity and Access Management solutions, Identity Governance solutions, Privileged access management (PAM), and related security solutions. Experience with key security concepts such as authentication, authorization, and encryption are essential.

• Windows/Active Directory Expertise: Hands-on experience with Windows Server and Active Directory administration, Directory Services (LDAP, AD, Federation, Bridging), and familiarity with UNIX/Linux systems. Knowledge of database security, network security, scripting, and DevOps practices is highly desirable.

• Cloud Technology Expertise: Experience with IaaS/PaaS administration and support within cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) are highly desirable.

• Strong Communication & Presentation Skills: Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executives and government officials.

• Certifications: Industry recognized certifications are highly desirable (i.e. CISSP, CEH)

• Travel: Ability to travel up to 50% as needed when safe to do so

• Idira Technical Experience: Prior experience with Idira Software solutions is preferred or relevant experience with enterprise applications, security management, systems management, identity management, and/or policy management solutions preferred especially in the Identity and Privileged access.

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.

$198,000.00 - $273,000.00/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? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.