Solutions Architect - Presales (Palo Alto)

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Job Description: 

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly skilled Palo Alto Networks Pre-Sales Engineer & Product Technical Specialist to support our distribution business. The role focuses on technical pre-sales, partner enablement, and customer engagement across the Palo Alto Networks security portfolio.

The candidate will work closely with distribution-managed partners, system integrators, and enterprise customers by providing technical expertise, solution design, demonstrations, Proof of Concepts (POCs), and technical enablement to drive Palo Alto Networks adoption and business growth.

Key Responsibilities

Pre-Sales & Solution Engineering

• Act as the Technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Palo Alto Networks security portfolio, including:
  • Next-Generation Firewalls (PA-Series & VM-Series)
  • Panorama
  • Prisma Access (SASE)
  • Prisma SD-WAN
  • Prisma Cloud
  • Cortex XDR
  • Cortex XSOAR
  • Cortex XSIAM (preferred)
• Support technical pre-sales activities including:
  • Requirement gathering
  • Security assessments
  • Solution architecture and design
  • Technical presentations
  • Product demonstrations
  • Proof of Concept (POC) deployment and validation
• Assist the Product and Sales team with:
  • RFP/RFI responses
  • Bill of Materials (BOM) preparation
  • Licensing guidance
  • Subscription sizing
  • Solution positioning

Partner & Customer Engagement

• Participate in:
  • Distribution Managed Partner Round Tables
  • Partner Technical Workshops
  • Customer Technical Round Tables
  • Executive Briefing Sessions
  • Security Days and Roadshows
• Engage directly with partners and enterprise customers to position Palo Alto Networks solutions.
• Act as a trusted technical advisor throughout the complete sales lifecycle.

Training, Enablement & Onboarding

• Conduct partner enablement sessions on Palo Alto Networks products.
• Deliver technical workshops and hands-on labs.
• Support new partner onboarding and technical readiness.
• Assist partners in preparing for Palo Alto Networks certifications.
• Build and maintain demo environments, lab guides, and technical documentation.
• Conduct internal enablement sessions for sales and pre-sales teams.

Collaboration & Vendor Interaction

• Work closely with:
  • Internal Sales Teams
  • Product Managers
  • Palo Alto Networks Channel Teams
  • Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineers
• Stay updated with:
  • New product releases
• Gather customer and partner feedback to improve Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies.
   

Required Skills & Experience

Technical Skills

Strong hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks security solutions, especially:

• Next-Generation Firewalls
• Panorama
• Security Policies
• NAT
• VPN (Site-to-Site & GlobalProtect)
• App-ID
• User-ID
• Content-ID
• WildFire
• DNS Security
• Threat Prevention

Good understanding of:

• Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
• Zero Trust Security
• SD-WAN
• Endpoint Security
• SOC Operations
• XDR Concepts
• Cloud Security
• Container Security (Preferred)
   

Certifications (Mandatory / Preferred)

Preferred Certifications:

• Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE)
• Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA)
• Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer (PSE) Foundation
• PSE Strata Professional
• PSE Prisma Access Professional
• Cortex XDR / Cortex XSOAR certifications (Preferred)

Professional Skills

• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Ability to explain complex cybersecurity concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong customer-facing and partner engagement skills.
• Experience working in a distribution or channel-driven environment.
• Ability to manage multiple opportunities simultaneously.
• Self-motivated with strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
   

Experience Requirements

• 3–5 years of experience in:
  • Technical Pre-Sales
  • Solution Engineering
  • Network Security Consulting
  • Cybersecurity Engineering
• Hands-on experience with:
  • Palo Alto Networks solutions
  • Enterprise firewalls
  • Network Security
  • Cloud Security
  • Endpoint Security
• Prior experience working with a distributor, system integrator, or value-added reseller (VAR) will be an added advantage.