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Palo Alto Networks

Sr. Director, AI Data Strategy & Governance

Palo Alto Networks

Published 20 Dec 2025
Santa Clara, CA, USA
241K - 345K USD Annual
Full Time

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Role Highlights

Languages used

Key skills

Machine Learning
Data Science
Generative AI
Data Architect
Data Governance
Statistical Analysis
Stakeholder Management
Automation
Infrastructure
Architecture
Deployment
MBA
Statistics

Tools, Libraries and Frameworks

IOS
Rest
Boost

Description

Palo Alto Networks Sr. Director, AI Data Strategy & Governance \\\| SmartRecruiters Google Chrome Microsoft Edge Apple Safari Mozilla Firefox . Sr. Director, AI Data Strategy & Governance Full-time Department: Information Technology Job Country: United States of America Company Description 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 were 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. Thats why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when its needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes. Job Description Your Career We are looking for a Senior Director to join the Palo Alto Networks Data & Analytics team. In this role, you will lead the strategy for Data Governance across the organization while simultaneously driving the adoption of AI products at an enterprise scale. This is a leadership role for a builder. You won't just oversee a process; you will build and lead a transformational, AI-First team that uses AI to speed up its own work and enables the rest of the company to do the same. We need a player-coach who operates at the intersection of business strategy and technical execution. You will partner deeply with engineering to define what we build and work with business leaders to make sure it delivers real value. If you combine deep technical fluency in Machine Learning and Data with the ability to orchestrate complex Your Impact Operationalizing AI: You will drive the transition of high-potential AI products from early pilots into full-scale production. Your focus is ensuring these tools are operationally sound, scalable, and actually used by the business. Next-Gen Data Governance: Lead the strategy and execution of our Data Governance initiative. You will move beyond compliance to drive the build of an AI-powered governance platform, ensuring our data is secured and curated through automation. Driving the Technical Roadmap: Act as a strategic partner to IT Engineering and Product teams. You won't just influence the plan; you will drive the technical roadmap based on business needs, ensuring we build the right infrastructure for Governance and AI enablement. Building a Team: Recruit and lead a high-performing team. As a player-coach, you will foster a culture of technical depth, showing your team how to adopt AI tools to accelerate their own workflows. Strategic Execution: You own the delivery of complex, multi-quarter initiatives. You are responsible for the timeline and quality, cutting through cross-functional dependencies to ensure we deliver with precision. Executive Stakeholder Management: Serve as a trusted advisor to Senior Leadership. You will navigate complex executive requirements and provide transparent reporting on the health of our data ecosystem. Qualifications Your Experience 12+ years of experience leading complex data initiatives. You have a track record of operationalizing products and driving strategy in mid-to-large enterprise environments. AI & Data Depth: You understand the Machine Learning lifecycle, Data Architecture, and AI technologies. You can hold your own in technical debates with engineering leads and understand the physics of data. Governance Leadership: Proven experience leading Data Governance initiatives is required. We want someone who approaches governance with a modern, automated mindset. Execution & Builder Mindset: You have a history of building things, not just managing them. You bring a strong execution muscle and can cut through ambiguity to deliver results without needing a heavy administrative layer. Product Scale: Demonstrated success in taking data/AI products from Proof of Concept (POC) to global deployment, ensuring adoption and value realization. Education: Bachelors degree in a technical field required; an Advanced Degree (MBA or MS) is preferred. Leadership: Experience building and transforming teams. You know how to spot talent and foster a culture of technical curiosity. Additional Information The Team Our shared mission to safeguard our digital way of life unites and drives us. You will join a multinational team building data and data science solutions to unlock significant business potential and boost productivity by resolving complex data problems. This involves developing innovative algorithms, predictive models, conducting advanced statistical analysis, and engineering scalable data pipelines. Your work will ultimately lead to data products and actionable insights that empower decision-making across the organization. You will be at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge technologies and methodologies. We believe in using AI to amplify, not replace, human intellect. We expect you to champion this mindset. You and your team will leverage the best tools availablefrom generative AI for code and analysis to agentic data science frameworksto accelerate your impact. 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 $241,000 - $344,500/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 Were problem solvers that take risks and challenge cybersecuritys status quo. Its simple: we cant 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  . 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. Videos To Watch Videos To Watch Videos To Watch Videos To Watch Videos To Watch I'm interested I'm interested ImprintCookies Settings I'm interested Posted by Daniel Silberman share this job Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email Share on Xing Share on WeChat Share to WeChat × Copy the link and open WeChat to share. Copy to clipboard Open WeChat Share to WeChat × Use Scan QR Code in WeChat and click ··· to share. × Continue Sr. Director, AI Data Strategy & Governance Santa Clara, CA Full-time I'm interested I'm interested

Required Qualifications and Skills

The role requires over 12 years of experience leading complex data initiatives with a track record of operationalizing products and driving strategy in mid-to-large enterprise environments. A deep understanding of the Machine Learning lifecycle, Data Architecture, and AI technologies is necessary, along with the ability to engage in technical discussions. Proven experience leading Data Governance initiatives with a modern, automated approach is essential. The candidate must demonstrate a history of building and executing complex initiatives, taking data/AI products from Proof of Concept to global deployment. A Bachelor's degree in a technical field is required, with an Advanced Degree preferred. Experience in building and transforming teams is also a key qualification.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Job and company description information and some of the data fields may have been generated via GPT-4 summarisation and could contain inaccuracies. The full external job listing link should always be relied on for authoritative information.

About the company

Palo Alto Networks

Size

14705

Founded

HQ

SANTA CLARA, US

Public/Private

Public Company

Description

Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, is shaping the cloud-centric future with technology that is transforming the way people and organizations operate. Our mission is to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. We help address the world's greatest security challenges with continuous innovation that seizes the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, analytics, automation, and orchestration. By delivering an integrated platform and empowering a growing ecosystem of partners, we are at the forefront of protecting tens of thousands of organizations across clouds, networks, and mobile devices. Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. For more information, visit www.paloaltonetworks.com.

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