Lead Solutions Architect

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 As the company scales to handle a 2x surge in New Product Introduction (NPI) volume, we are transitioning to a \"Design-First\" model. We are seeking a high‑caliber Lead NPI Solution Architect / Technical Product Manager with profound expertise across the end‑to‑end Opportunity‑to‑Cash (O2C) lifecycle. In this role, you will be the primary solution orchestrator balancing business velocity with architectural rigor. You will own the E2E solution design for complex, non‑standard NPIs across CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote), ERP (SAP), and digital licensing systems. Acting as a strategic bridge, you will collaborate with Business Stakeholders, Product Teams, and IT Engineers to ensure all architectural requirements are locked, complete, and \"build‑ready\" before execution. Core Responsibilities E2E Solution Design & Architecture Rigor (50%) Drive Complex Discovery: Lead cross‑functional discovery, kickoff sessions, and solution walkthroughs for high‑impact, non‑standard NPIs across the enterprise portfolio. Architect O2C Systems Integration: Map product requirements seamlessly into complex backend ecosystems, ensuring flawless transactional integrity across Salesforce/CPQ, SAP ERP, and proprietary Entitlement/Licensing engines. Enforce Gatekeeping & Quality: Champion the \"Design-First\" framework. Ensure all non‑standard solutions achieve early requirement sign‑off and a comprehensive architectural walkthrough before releasing to downstream IT/SDLC execution layers. Minimize Technical Debt: Proactively identify and remediate operational gaps in the quoting‑to‑billing pipeline, shifting the organization away from manual \"band‑aid\" fixes toward standardized, automated logic. Stakeholder Management & Business Alignment (30%) Bridge Business & IT: Translate high‑level business product concepts and monetization strategies into precise functional specifications (BRDs/PRDs) that IT engineering can build against without ambiguity. Manage Cross‑Functional Alignment: Act as the trusted advisor and central point of contact between Product Managers, Finance, Sales Operations, Legal, Compliance, and IT Core Engineering teams. Triage Intake Strategy: Partner with NPI leadership to evaluate incoming product requests at the discovery stage, clearly routing them into \"Standard/Fast-Track\" or \"Non-Standard/Custom Design\" paths to guarantee predictable delivery timelines. Operational Efficiency & Post‑Deployment Normalization (20%) Post‑NPI Deployment Support: Take operational ownership of newly launched products through the stabilization and normalization phases, minimizing post-production defects and ensuring clean transition to run teams. AI & Automation Readiness: Collaborate on the adoption of AI‑driven SDLC initiatives (e.g., using AI agents for automated BRD completeness checks, status one‑pagers, and automated SKU publishing). Qualifications Required Skills & Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related technical discipline. Core Domain Expertise: 8+ years of hands‑on experience in Technical Product Management, Solution Architecture, or Systems Consulting with a heavy focus on New Product Introduction (NPI) and Opportunity‑to‑Cash (O2C) flows. Enterprise Tech Stack Mastery: Strong technical and functional knowledge of CPQ platforms (e.g., Salesforce CPQ, Callidus) involving complex bundling, discounting structures, and guided selling. Deep experience with SAP ERP modules (specifically SD/Billing, FI/CO) handling order management, revenue recognition, and invoicing. Deep understanding of Digital Licensing, Entitlements, and Provisioning engines within SaaS, PaaS, or hybrid hardware environments. Analytical Prowess: Proven track record of tracing a single SKU's lifecycle downstream through quoting, booking, provisioning, billing, and accounting, identifying structural failure points before code deployment. Communication: Exceptional storytelling, negotiation, and alignment skills. Ability to confidently command a room of business executives on commercial strategy, and immediately pivot to whiteboarding technical architectures with core developers. SaaS/Subscription Experience: Prior experience engineering recurring revenue models, consumption/drawdown models, ramp deals, or enterprise license agreements (ELAs) is highly preferred. 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. $167,000.00 - $270,500.00/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 View email address on click.appcast.io. 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr