Principal Enterprise Account Executive - Africa at Palo Alto Networks – Pretoria | Jobyssey

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!

This role is remote, but distance is no barrier to impact. Our hybrid teams collaborate across geographies to solve big problems, stay close to our customers, and grow together. You will be part of a culture that values trust, accountability, and shared success where your work truly matters.

Job Summary

Role Overview

As a Principal Enterprise Account Executive at Idira, you are responsible for driving new business and expanding existing accounts within your territory. As a trusted advisor to customers you will lead complex sales cycles, orchestrate cross-functional teams, and deliver Idira’s Identity Security solutions in a way that creates lasting business impact for enterprise customers. This is a consultative sales role, not product pitching, requiring you to uncover business problems, map them to Idira’s value, and drive outcomes through a strategic engagement approach. You will work with internal and external partners and leverage AI-enabled sales tools to engage, influence, and win.

Role Overview

Key Responsibilities

Ownership of Full Sales Cycle & Forecasting:

Lead end-to-end sales processes, from prospecting and qualification through to close, ensuring alignment with customer business outcomes and Idira’s value proposition, with full accountability for quota attainment.
Own and manage pipeline and forecast with rigor; apply structured methodologies like MEDDPICC and leverage tools (Salesforce, Clari, Gong, Demandbase) to drive pipeline health, deal progression, and forecasting accuracy.
Drive business outcomes with a strong bias for action across negotiation, procurement, and day-to-day business operations.

Deliver Business Outcomes Through Consultative Selling:

Understand customer priorities and translate Idira’s platform into tangible business value and technical relevance.
Lead with insights, not features—this is a solution-led, outcome-driven role.

Build Executive and Multi-Level Relationships:

Engage and influence stakeholders at multiple levels including CxO, security leaders, procurement, and technical teams.
Develop champions and foster account trust that supports long-term growth and expansion.

Orchestrate the Broader Sales Team:

Collaborate closely with Solution Sales Specialists and internal teams to penetrate new areas and co-sell across Idira’s portfolio.
Take ownership of the deal strategy while leveraging specialist knowledge and support resources.

Work Across the Ecosystem:

Drive collaboration with channel partners, GSIs, hyperscalers, and alliances to extend reach and strengthen execution.
Co-create plans with ecosystem partners that support joint pipeline growth and account penetration.

Territory Planning and Execution:

Own your territory strategy and build comprehensive account plans for key targets.
Identify whitespace, drive expansion, and ensure alignment with Idira’s growth goals.

Use of AI-Enabled Sales Tools:

Leverage tools like Gong and Demandbase to extract insights, personalize outreach, and increase sales productivity.

Market Insight and Domain Knowledge:

Stay on top of cybersecurity trends, competitor movements, and customer challenges to position Idira as a strategic partner.

Qualifications

Sales and Commercial Acumen:

Proven track record of successfully closing complex enterprise deals in cybersecurity or enterprise SaaS.
Demonstrated ability to grow new logos and expand within existing customers.
Outcome-oriented with strong commercial judgment and quota ownership mindset. Must have expereince selling in West Africa.

Domain Expertise:

Familiarity with cybersecurity principles including identity security, PAM, IAM, Zero Trust, and compliance-driven selling.
Ability to understand business and technical use cases and convert them into solution opportunities.

Channel and Ecosystem Experience:

Experience working with channel partners, cloud providers, and GSIs to co-sell and accelerate go-to-market execution.

Interpersonal Strengths:

Strong executive presence and influencing skills across all customer levels.
Commercial curiosity and the ability to uncover customer pain points through active listening.
Collaborative, coachable, and resilient with a passion for team-based success.

Sales Process and Tool Familiarity:

Skilled in sales methodologies such as MEDDPICC and Command of the Message.
Comfortable using Salesforce, Clari, Gong, Demandbase, and other digital selling tools to drive efficiency and insight.

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 [email protected].

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.

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