Finance Business Manager - Marketing FP&A

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 take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Your Career

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Finance Business Manager (FBM) to join our Marketing finance team. The FBM will be a key strategic partner to our Marketing organization, providing financial leadership, analysis, and insights to drive informed business decisions. This role will be responsible for managing financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting for various marketing initiatives.

This is an in office role in our HQ ( Santa Clara, CA)

Your Impact

• Financial Planning & Analysis: Manage monthly financial close activities; conduct variance analysis between actuals and forecast, providing actionable insights.
• Provide oversight and approval of Marketing spending and investment requests including Marketing Development Funds (MDF).
• Prepare detailed financial headcount and expense forecasts, identifying key trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Partner closely with marketing teams to understand timing of spend and resource requirements to drive accurate monthly forecasts of expense and headcount.
• Develop and maintain financial models to support strategic decision-making and scenario analysis.
• Partner with marketing teams during the annual financial planning process, including detailed budget planning and aligning investments to assigned budget targets.
• Business Partnering: Serve as a trusted financial advisor to Marketing leadership, providing proactive financial guidance and support and being the subject matter expert on legal, sourcing and procurement processes.
• Collaborate with marketing teams to understand business strategies and translate them into financial implications.
• Evaluate the financial impact of new marketing programs, campaigns, and investments.
• Support business cases and ROI analysis for significant marketing initiatives.           
• Reporting & Insights: Prepare and present comprehensive financial reports to Marketing leadership and other stakeholders that includes variance analysis and audit reports to track marketing spend effectiveness and efficiency.
• Provide ad-hoc financial analysis and support for various business needs.
• Process Improvement: Identify and implement opportunities for process improvements within financial planning, forecasting, and reporting by way of business transformation or leveraging AI capabilities.
• Ensure compliance with internal financial policies and procedures.

Your Experience 

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting or Economics; MBA or CFA is a plus, but not required or equivalent military experience required
• 5+ years of progressive experience in finance, with a strong emphasis on financial planning and analysis (FP&A) or business partnering
• Excellent financial modeling skills and basic understanding of Accounting policies
• Proven experience supporting marketing or sales organizations is highly preferred
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with meticulous attention to detail
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex financial information to non-financial stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
• Willingness and ability to adapt to the rapid business and organizational changes that accompany a high growth environment
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Suite products
• Experience with financial planning software (e.g., SAP) is a plus
• Experience with marketing planning software (e.g., Allocadia) is a plus

The Team

Our People team at Palo Alto Networks works throughout the organization to enable...you guessed it, people. We’re one team – driven to one mission statement. Each piece matters, and within the people team, you are focused on enabling our teams to resolve the world’s most challenging cybersecurity threats. You will be part of a growing, passionate, and dynamic team with an opportunity to work on challenging and exciting projects – centered on what we believe is one of the most significant mission statements in the world.  

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 between $116000/YR - $188000/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here. 

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.

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.