Solutions Architect - Presales

**It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing!** 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.