Introduction
A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You’ll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you’ll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You’ll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.
Your role and responsibilities
Role Purpose
The Palo Alto Networks Channel Business Development Leader is accountable for converting the IBM-PANW
strategic partnership into measurable market growth across North America. The role originates and progresses joint
opportunities, expands IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Services pipeline and revenue, and builds a repeatable field?led go-to-market motion across priority accounts.
The role owns the joint business development plan and associated pipeline outcomes, driving execution through
influence across IBM Consulting, PANW, account teams, and partner leadership.
Key accountabilities
- Own the PANW channel business development strategy and execution for North America, translating the
global partnership into specific market, industry, and account actions.
- Create a focused seller-to-seller coverage model that connects IBM client leaders and cybersecurity
sellers with the appropriate PANW account executives and specialists to accelerate opportunity
identification and progression.
- Identify priority accounts and whitespace, and lead joint account workshops to qualify where the
combined IBM Consulting and PANW value proposition can create differentiated client value and
actionable pursuits.
- Develop and execute joint account plans with clear opportunities, actions, owners, milestones, and
executive support requirements, converting identified whitespace into client meetings, qualified pursuits,
and measurable pipeline.
- Build and progress a healthy pipeline across advisory, transformation, systems integration, and managed
security services aligned with PANW technologies, tracking opportunities from identification through
qualification, progression, and close.
- Establish a commercially focused operating cadence with the PANW channel team and IBM leadership to
review progress, remove barriers, apply win/loss insights, and take corrective action where required.
Lead the PANW Field Relationship
- Build commercially productive relationships with PANW sales leaders, account executives, specialists,
and channel teams that generate client access, joint pursuits, and services-led opportunities.
- Become the trusted IBM business development counterpart for PANW sellers by consistently bringing
client access, services-led ideas, market insight, and the ability to mobilize IBM resources around
qualified opportunities.
- Translate PANW priorities, account strategies, and product motions into qualified IBM Consulting services
opportunities and joint client pursuits.
- Mobilize the appropriate PANW and IBM executives to secure sponsorship, resolve barriers, and
accelerate strategic opportunities.
- Ensure the partnership operates in the field as a commercial growth engine that accelerates joint pursuits,
not simply as an alliance governance mechanism.
Activate IBM Consulting
- Activate Lead Client Partners, CSS leaders, and sellers to position PANW-led transformation within
relevant client strategies, originate joint opportunities, and engage PANW sellers early in the pursuit
lifecycle.
- Establish direct seller-to-seller engagement between PANW and IBM on qualified opportunities, with clear
alignment on client value, roles, actions, and next steps throughout the sales cycle.
- Bring an outside-in PANW and cybersecurity market perspective to IBM account teams, helping them
recognize where PANW-led transformation can create client value.
- Equip IBM client teams to identify, position, and progress PANW-related services opportunities through
clear joint propositions, relevant use cases, competitive positioning, and effective engagement with
PANW.
- Promote repeatable plays, win stories and proven patterns that increase seller confidence and sales
velocity.
Portfolio Scope
The role spans IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Services opportunities that incorporate the PANW portfolio, including
areas such as:
- Security operations and autonomous SOC transformation, including Cortex XSIAM.
- Cloud, application, and AI security, including Cortex Cloud and Prisma AIRS.
- Network security and secure access, including Prisma Access, SASE, Strata, and next-generation
firewalls.
- IBM cybersecurity advisory, transformation, integration, and managed security services.
- Incident detection, investigation, and response automation, including IDIRA.
The role is not expected to act as the technical architect but must understand the PANW portfolio, client
value, competitive positioning, and sales motions sufficiently to identify opportunities, engage credibly with
sellers and clients, and mobilize the appropriate technical expertise.
Management System
- Maintain a clear view of priority accounts, whitespace, joint pursuits, pipeline value, stage, next
actions, owners and risks.
- Run and contribute to monthly and quarterly business reviews with fact-based commentary on
progress, wins, losses, lessons learned and support required.
- Use pipeline and performance data to identify gaps early and take corrective action.
- Capture and scale successful plays and win stories across the broader organization.
Performance Measures
- Net-new qualified pipeline originated.
- IBM Consulting services pipeline and revenue influenced.
- Number and value of joint opportunities progressed.
- Conversion of priority account plans into client engagements and pursuits.
- Pipeline progression, velocity, and win rate.
- Adoption of repeatable plays and joint propositions.
- Forecast accuracy and quality of business reviews.
Required technical and professional expertise
Required Experience
- Proven business development, channel, alliance, or sales leadership experience within cybersecurity,
technology, or consulting.
- Demonstrated success in originating, qualifying, and progressing complex enterprise opportunities.
- Experience engaging executive stakeholders and influencing decisions across matrixed organizations.
- Working knowledge of the PANW portfolio, or the ability to build market and portfolio credibility quickly.
- Strong understanding of consulting, services-led transformation, and enterprise sales cycles.
Leadership Behaviors
- Proactively identifies whitespace and creates opportunities rather than relying on inbound demand.
- Applies sound commercial judgment when prioritizing accounts, opportunities, and resources.
- Leads effectively through influence across IBM, PANW, and client teams.
- Constructively challenges stalled activity and ensures disciplined follow-through on commitments.
- Mobilizes teams across organizational boundaries to deliver measurable commercial outcomes.
IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.