Senior Director, Technical Operations - Test

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 we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Your Career

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director of Technical Operations to lead our end-to-end technical operations organization. This role will be responsible for driving manufacturing excellence, ensuring seamless product delivery across all lifecycle stages from NPI to volume production while scaling infrastructure, processes, and teams to support a growing portfolio of complex hardware systems.

In addition to traditional operations leadership, this role will play a critical part in creating and executing our AI and automation strategy across technical operations. You will lead the integration of AI-driven analytics, intelligent diagnostics, and automated test systems to enhance product quality, reduce downtime, and improve decision-making at scale.

This is a high-impact leadership role requiring deep expertise in test engineering, manufacturing operations, and cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate will be a data-driven, technically proficient leader with a passion for innovation, quality, and operational excellence.

Your Impact

• Lead the Technical Operations organization across manufacturing engineering, test engineering, NPI, and component engineering, ensuring seamless product delivery at every product lifecycle stage.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive, scalable test and automation strategy across NPI, sustaining, and repair lines optimizing for reliability, cost efficiency, and ease of manufacturability.

• Champion the adoption of AI-powered analytics, predictive diagnostics, and automated decision systems to improve operational agility and manufacturing intelligence.

• Oversee the design and deployment of next-generation test infrastructure, diagnostic tools, and AI-enabled analytics platforms for predictive failure analysis and proactive performance optimization.

• Scale manufacturing and integration processes from low- to high-volume production, with a focus on yield improvement, cost control, and global scalability.

• Collaborate with senior leaders in Hardware, Software, Platform Engineering, and Product Management to ensure tight alignment between product design and operational execution.

• Manage strategic relationships with contract manufacturers and suppliers, aligning capacity, capabilities, and timelines with growth objectives.

• Define, monitor, and report on key operational KPIs, delivering data-driven insights and leading continuous improvement initiatives across all technical operations.

• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of engineers and technical program managers, promoting a culture of innovation, ownership, and collaboration

Your Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, or Industrial Engineering; Master’s degree or MBA preferred.

• 12+ years of experience in technical operations or hardware manufacturing, including 5+ years in senior/executive leadership roles.

• Proven expertise in test engineering, including automation, embedded systems, and diagnostic development.

• Hands-on experience with ICT, JTAG, boundary scan, and functional test methodologies.

• Proficient in Python, LabVIEW, C++, and working with cloud-based data systems for test and manufacturing analytics.

• Demonstrated success in launching and scaling complex hardware products with global contract manufacturing partners.

• Strong track record of leading cross-functional teams, resolving technical challenges, and driving continuous improvement.

• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and executive presentation skills.

• Highly analytical, metrics-driven, and comfortable working in fast-paced, high-growth environments.

The Team

HW operations team aims to deliver exceptional quality, reliability, and data precision across the entire lifecycle of hardware products. The team achieves this by establishing and applying processes and tools that guarantee high-quality and dependable hardware. We enhance customer experiences by embedding quality and reliability into hardware design and supplier performance, focusing on improvements through precise and actionable performance metrics.

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 $231000 - $317000/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

We’re problem solvers that 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.