Business Development Capture Manager - SLED

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

This role is responsible for leading the strategic programmatic capture efforts in the SLED (State, Local, and Education) districts. You will identify target opportunities, qualify the program pipeline, and win critical programs. Working closely with prospects and partners, you will act as a subject‑matter sales expert, demonstrating how our solutions exceed customer requirements and quarterbacking win strategies with Field/Inside Sales, Proposal, Legal, Finance, and System Integrator teammates.

This is a senior‑level individual contributor position with a competitive compensation plan based on major program milestones and wins.

• Meet and exceed assigned pipeline and bookings quota MBOs through strategic capture efforts.
• Proactively collaborate with Senior Management and Sales Account Teams to provide market analysis and strategic recommendations for bid/no‑bid decisions.
• Monitor relevant bid‑boards and market intelligence sources to identify, track, and qualify new and existing opportunities.
• Lead cross‑functional pursuit teams in developing and substantiating a winning value proposition that meets customer needs and analyzes critical business drivers and risks.
• Prepare and deliver information and decision briefings for senior management to ensure alignment and secure resources.>
• Support price‑to‑win (PTW) analysis to establish competitive and profitable pricing strategies.
• Partner with key business units and their leadership to develop winning sales strategies and gather customer feedback to inform product and solution development.
• Engage with senior decision‑makers and influencers internally and within customer accounts, demonstrating credibility and building trusted relationships.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent military/education experience and 15+ years of related experience.
• Demonstrated success in the development and capture of large government programs, specifically within the SLED market.
• Proven ability to articulate compelling, business outcome‑focused value propositions to executive and technical audiences.
• Experience leading complex, cross‑functional teams (e.g., Sales, Legal, Finance, Engineering) through the entire capture and proposal lifecycle.
• Strong business acumen, negotiation abilities, and experience establishing teaming agreements.
• Experience working with channel partners, system integrators, and alliance teams.
• Adept at negotiating and establishing teaming arrangements/agreements.
• Familiarity with a broad range of application, security, and infrastructure software.
• Established contacts and intimate knowledge of the SLED market and procurement vehicles.