Sr Director, IT Software Engineering

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 Description

Your CareerWe are looking for a Senior Director to serve as the enterprise authority on Data Governance at Palo Alto Networks. You will own the strategy and execution of a scaled program, serving as the primary arbiter of data integrity to ensure our ecosystem is authoritative, auditable, and prepared for the unique demands of AI. In addition, you will also lead programs to drive adoption of Enterprise AI products and services. This role is for a program owner with a technical spine who can bridge the gap between business policy and technical execution. You will lead a framework covering both Business Governance (policy, stewardship, traceability) and Technical Governance (quality, lineage, observability), balancing high-level business acumen with deep technical fluency.Beyond traditional oversight, you will lead AI Governance while leveraging AI itself to automate and modernize the program. You will partner with engineering to define what to build, ensuring our governance platform and AI products are effectively adopted. We seek a leader with a proven track record in enterprise SaaS who has the authority to break ties, hold cross-functional teams accountable, and drive complex AI initiatives to successful outcomes.Your ImpactEnterprise Governance Program Ownership: Lead the strategy and end-to-end execution of a scaled, dual-track program. You will own Business Governance (stewardship, policy, and metadata traceability) and Technical Governance (data quality, lineage, and observability), ensuring the enterprise data ecosystem is authoritative and auditable.Governance Rituals & Councils: Establish and lead the operational rhythm of governance across the company. You will chair Data Governance Councils and Stewardship Committees, fostering a culture of shared accountability and ensuring that data policies are effectively implemented across all business domains.Defining the Technical Roadmap: Partner deeply with IT Engineering and Product teams to define what is built for governance. Using your technical chops and understanding of business needs, you will drive the technical roadmap to ensure our governance platform provides the infrastructure required for both compliance and AI enablement.Executive Transparency & Communication: Serve as a trusted advisor to Senior Leadership, providing clear, data-backed reporting on the health, progress, and risks of the enterprise data ecosystem. You will translate complex technical governance issues into business impact, ensuring executive alignment and securing the necessary support for strategic data initiatives.AI Modernization & Scale: Leverage AI to modernize and scale the governance program itself. You will implement AI-driven automation for metadata tagging, data quality monitoring, and policy enforcement, moving the program from manual stewardship to a scalable, automated platform.AI Product Adoption & Governance: Drive the transition of high-potential AI products from early pilots into full-scale deployment.