Sr Director, GCS Area Leader, India

This Sr Director, GCS Area Leader role in India at Palo Alto Networks involves managing the execution and achievement of all Global Customer Services (GCS) metrics and targets for the area. Key responsibilities include collaborating with sales and presales leadership, engaging with CxO/CISO level customers, building high-performance teams, and driving continuous improvement in customer experience and operational productivity. The position requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, P&L management, and the ability to adapt to local market dynamics.

Must Have

• Manage GCS execution and achieve metrics/targets
• Represent GCS in the area and align with global processes
• Collaborate with Sales & Presales leadership
• Interface with CxO/CISO level customer leadership
• Lead in critical customer situations
• Participate as a core leader of the GCS JAPAC leadership team
• Build cross-functional interlock with Sales, Product, Technical Consulting
• Develop a high-performance GCS team
• Build a growth mindset culture promoting diversity and continuous improvement
• Own and drive GCS execution programs, measure and report targets
• Lead operating cadence, create impactful metrics, drive priorities
• Serve as primary business owner for GCS, optimizing financial levers
• Externally represent Palo Alto Networks at Customer and Partner events
• AI fluency and thought leadership
• Passion for creating diverse, customer-obsessed, outcomes-focused teams
• Ability to inspire and attract talent
• Ability to create strategy and align resources for continuous improvement
• Executive presence
• Ability to effectively communicate and influence at senior levels
• P&L/Run the Business experience and mindset
• Strategic mindset, ability to scale, strong operational, analytical, problem-solving skills
• 10+ years’ experience in high growth SaaS/Cloud Enterprise Organization
• 5+ years in a leadership capacity
• Demonstrated experience leading global direct/indirect teams of 10+ in customer success, professional services, or support
• Experience managing quantified metrics and execution programs
• Customer facing experience in senior roles
• Experience building and growing teams with direct and indirect reporting lines
• History of building trusting relationships with regional and Area-level PS delivery, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, and service delivery Partners
• STEM Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• Mastery and interest in using AI to drive efficiency
• Demonstrated success in leading and scaling diverse, matrixed teams across India
• Proven ability to adapt strategies to local market dynamics, cultural nuances, customer characteristics, and regulatory requirements

Good to Have

• Master’s degree

Perks & Benefits

• Collaboration thrives in person, with flexibility when needed
• Commitment to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities
• Equal opportunity employer, celebrating diversity

Company Description

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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 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 Description

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Your Impact

• Manage execution and achievement of all GCS (Global Customer Services) including all metrics and targets for the area on a quarterly and annual basis

• Proactively engage with and represent GCS in all related topics for the area and execute in alignment with theatre and Global GCS processes and ways of working

• Collaborate with Sales & Presales leadership and proactively interface with CxO/CISO level customer leadership across the region to gain insight and drive improvements on how to provide the best post sales experience - lead when necessary in critical customer situations

• Work in alignment with the Area leaders to represent PANW to customers and deliver an exceptional project delivery, support & customer success  experience

• Actively participate as a core leader of the GCS JAPAC leadership team bringing the specific area related opportunities and challenges to the leadership team with data to enable effective and efficient execution

• Build a strong cross functional interlock and operating cadence with Sales, Product and Technical Consulting teams in area

• Develop a high performance team of GCS staff creating a cohesive GCS organisation at Area level including direct and matrixed reports and organisations

• Build a growth mindset oriented culture that promotes diversity, continuous improvement, a sense of urgency and customer outcomes

• Own and drive the overall GCS execution programs - measure, monitor, and report GCS key quarterly targets and metrics and drive programs to assure continuous improvement

• Lead the operating cadence of the business - Create the right operational metrics that are impactful to the customer experience and operating productivity and drive the right priorities and goal settings that deliver measurable improvements

• Serve as the primary business owner for GCS within the area, with an acute focus on managing and optimizing key financial levers, including Revenue, Cost, Margin, and Investment, to ensure the Area meets its long-term strategic and financial goals.

• Externally represent Palo Alto Networks at Customer and Partner events, to advocate our Products, Solutions, Services and Cyber Security expertise.

Qualifications

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Your Experience

• AI fluency and thought leadership and the ability to anticipate and quickly adapt to changing customer and company needs

• Passion for creating diverse teams and a customer obsessed, outcomes focused culture - Ability to inspire and attract the best talent

• Ability to create a strategy and align resources to execute and drive continuous improvement in alignment with other teams and organisations

• Executive presence - The ability to effectively communicate and influence at senior levels with customers and within the organisation

• P&L/Run the Business experience and mindset - Strategic mindset, ability to scale, strong operational, analytical and problem-solving skills with a track record of making major transformational improvements to customer, operational and financial performance

Your Experience

• 10+ years’ experience in a high growth SaaS/Cloud Enterprise Organization, or similar experience - Including at least 5+ years in a leadership capacity

• Demonstrated experience leading global direct/indirect teams of 10+ in customer success, professional services and/or Support organisations

• Experience managing quantified metrics and execution programs to deliver exceptional results and customers satisfaction

• Customer facing experience in senior roles

• Travel requirement up to 30% within the Area

• Experience building and growing teams with both direct and indirect reporting lines

• History of building trusting relationships with regional and Area-level PS delivery teams, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, and service delivery Partners

• STEM Bachelor’s Degree required or equivalent experience or equivalent military experience required - Master’s degree preferred

• Mastery and interest in using AI to drive efficiency and improved outcomes for our customers and teams

• Demonstrated success in leading and scaling diverse, matrixed teams across India, with a proven ability to adapt strategies to local market dynamics, cultural nuances, customer characteristics, and regulatory requirements.

Additional Information

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The Team

Our GCS team is critical to our success and mission. As part of this team, you lead and enable GCS by providing support to customers after they have purchased our products. Our dedication to our customers doesn’t stop once they sign – it evolves.  As threats and technology change, we stay in step to accomplish our mission.

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  accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com

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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.