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Director, People Strategy

Yesterday Santa Clara, CA

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.

Your Career

As the Director, People Strategy you will serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the Chief People Officer and the People Leadership Team (PLT).

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This role is at the center of how our People organization plans, measures, and communicates its impact. You'll architect the frameworks that translate our People vision, into actionable strategies, clear metrics, and compelling Board-level narratives.

Your Impact

1. Strategic Partner to the CPO

  • Partner with the CPO to develop, evolve, and operationalize the multi-year People Strategy, ensuring alignment with enterprise priorities and transformation objectives.
  • Act as a connector and integrator across all People sub-functions, including Talent, Total Rewards, DEI, Learning, HR Tech, and Places, bringing cohesion and clarity to the collective strategy.
  • Support the PLT in setting and prioritizing strategic initiatives that enable scale, impact, and transformation.

2. Strategic Planning & KPI Governance

  • Lead the People Team's strategic planning and goal-setting process, ensuring tight alignment with company-level OKRs.
  • Develop and maintain a People Strategy Dashboard that tracks performance against key enterprise and People metrics, including leadership confidence, engagement, performance differentiation, and efficiency.
  • Drive accountability by ensuring the PLT measures what matters, reports outcomes consistently, and uses data to guide decision-making.

3. Transformation Design & Strategic Governance

  • Structure and frame People-related transformation initiatives
  • Provide strategic scaffolding and governance models for initiatives led across the People function, ensuring alignment, sequencing, and clarity of ownership.
  • Serve as the strategic interface between the People Team and Corp Strategy and or other Transformation Offices to ensure synchronization of priorities.

4. Executive and Board Communications

  • Lead the creation of executive and Board-facing communications that articulate the People Strategy and progress against key priorities.
  • Develop clear, data-driven narratives and materials for Board updates, executive off-sites, and quarterly business reviews, reflecting the strategic maturity of the People function.
  • Translate analytics and insights into concise, compelling stories that demonstrate organizational impact, transformation outcomes, and future priorities.

5. Research, Benchmarking & Strategic Insight

  • Conduct market and best-practice research across high-growth and technology peers to inform the evolution of Palo Alto Networks' People Strategy.
  • Act as the internal strategist who anticipates talent and organizational needs based on external trends and internal data.

Your Experience

  • 8-12 years of experience in People Strategy, Corporate Strategy, or Management Consulting, ideally within a high-growth or technology environment.
  • Demonstrated success in strategy development, organizational design, and enterprise planning at scale.
  • Strong analytical and conceptual skills; able to integrate data, insight, and storytelling into actionable strategies.
  • Exceptional communication and presentation capability, with experience preparing materials for senior executives and Boards of Directors.
  • Proven ability to influence and align cross-functional senior stakeholders without direct authority.
  • High learning agility, intellectual curiosity, and comfort operating in fast-moving, high-ambiguity environments.

The Team

The People Team at Palo Alto Networks enables the company to transform, scale, and perform. We connect purpose, performance, and productivity through strategic insight and disciplined design.

You'll join a team that acts as the strategic architect of the company's future, translating people insights into business outcomes and ensuring every transformation starts with talent, culture, and leadership.

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 $218,600 - $299,925/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.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.

Client-provided location(s): Santa Clara, CA
Job ID: Palo_Alto_Networks-JR-011954
Employment Type: FULL_TIME
Posted: 2025-10-31T20:02:02

Perks and Benefits

  • Health and Wellness

    • Health Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • FSA
    • HSA
    • HSA With Employer Contribution
    • Life Insurance
    • Short-Term Disability
    • Long-Term Disability
    • Fitness Subsidies
    • On-Site Gym
    • Pet Insurance
    • Mental Health Benefits
    • Virtual Fitness Classes
  • Parental Benefits

    • Fertility Benefits
    • Adoption Assistance Program
    • Family Support Resources
    • Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
    • Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
    • Adoption Leave
  • Work Flexibility

    • Flexible Work Hours
    • Remote Work Opportunities
    • Hybrid Work Opportunities
    • Work-From-Home Stipend
  • Office Life and Perks

    • Commuter Benefits Program
    • Casual Dress
    • Happy Hours
    • Snacks
    • On-Site Cafeteria
    • Holiday Events
  • Vacation and Time Off

    • Paid Vacation
    • Unlimited Paid Time Off
    • Paid Holidays
    • Personal/Sick Days
    • Leave of Absence
    • Volunteer Time Off
  • Financial and Retirement

    • 401(K)
    • 401(K) With Company Matching
    • Company Equity
    • Stock Purchase Program
    • Performance Bonus
    • Relocation Assistance
  • Professional Development

    • Promote From Within
    • Mentor Program
    • Access to Online Courses
    • Leadership Training Program
    • Tuition Reimbursement
    • Lunch and Learns
    • Internship Program
    • Professional Coaching
    • Work Visa Sponsorship
  • Diversity and Inclusion

    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program
    • Employee Resource Groups (ERG)
    • Founder led
    • Veteran founded/led
    • Asian founded/led

Company Videos

Hear directly from employees about what it is like to work at Palo Alto Networks.