Director, Deals Desk

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced Director, Deal Desk to oversee the commercial deal structure and governance for our North American region. This role is responsible for the oversight of complex, high-value transactions, ensuring they align with corporate financial objectives and requirements. You will serve as a bridge between Sales and Finance leadership and partner with many internal functions such as legal, revenue, product and operations to ensure consistent commercial execution and predictable revenue outcomes.

You will build and scale a high-performing team, define deal approval policies and governance, and accelerate complex deal cycles while maintaining risk control and profitability.

• Commercial Oversight:
  Act as the senior authority for North American deal structuring, develop region‑specific pricing and discount strategies that align with NAM market dynamics, competitive landscape, and the company's long‑term financial objectives.
• Financial Analysis &
  
  Risk Management:
  
  Provide sophisticated financial modeling and analysis for sales proposals, assessing the impact of deal terms (e.g., pricing, payment schedules, volume commitments) on Gross Margin, ARR, and RPO as some of the KPI’s. Provide executive‑level reporting on margin health, deal economics, and long‑term commercial viability.
• Policy Governance:
  Define and enforce global commercial policies. Act as an authority on non‑standard pricing and contractual deviations, ensuring all commercial agreements adhere to US GAAP and company revenue recognition policies.
• Cross‑Functional Management:
  Facilitate and lead alignment meetings with cross‑functional teams, serving as the central point for identifying, understanding, and resolving risks and roadblocks throughout the deal lifecycle. Collaborate cross‑functionally with Finance / Revenue Ops on revenue recognition, forecasting, margin analysis, and deal economics. Work with Legal to standardize terms, review redlines, and manage risk tradeoffs.
• Process and Operational Transformation:
  Identify process and system bottlenecks that are hindering deal velocity, work with system teams on the ongoing development of our CPQ (Salesforce) ecosystem. Create process improvements and implement quickly to increase sales velocity and high‑volume growth.
• Trusted Advisor:
  Serve as a strategic partner to Sales leadership, providing objective analysis of discounting trends, and competitive pricing structures, crafting deal structures that are a win/win for the customer and Palo Alto Networks.
• Team leadership and development:
  Manage and mentor a high‑performing Deals Desk team, fostering expertise in commercial finance, deal structuring, and North American market knowledge.

• Experience:
  
  10+ years of progressive experience in Finance, FP&A, or Sales Finance, with a minimum of 5 years of direct experience leading a Deals Desk or Commercial Finance function.
• Leadership:
  Proven experience supporting a sales organization and the ability to partner with and influence senior sales leaders (VP, SVP level). A strong understanding of the US and Canadian business environments and contracting nuances.
• Financial Acumen:
  Expert‑level financial modeling and analytical skills with a strong focus on revenue, gross margin, and working capital impacts of commercial terms. Deep knowledge of US GAAP and revenue recognition principles (e.g., ASC 606).
• Education:
  
  Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related quantitative field. An MBA or CPA is highly preferred.

• Technical Proficiency:
  Extensive experience with Salesforce and CPQ systems.
• Negotiation & Contractual Expertise:
  Experience directly supporting field sales in active customer negotiations and reviewing and managing complex terms within the deal structure.
• Analytical
  
  Skills:
  
  Ability to translate complex data analytics into executive‑level strategy recommendations.

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)…