Consulting Director, DFIR, Reactive Services (Unit 42)

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

The Consulting Director, Reactive Services is a senior-level consulting position providing expert-level guidance on all areas of cybersecurity and data breach response to Unit 42 clients. As a strategic and technical leader, you will act as the client’s advocate for cybersecurity across a wide array of industries, geographies, and organizational structures. You will be instrumental in leading technical teams and providing solutions to complex security challenges.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead technical breach response teams in fast-paced environments, providing strategic direction and hands-on guidance.

• Deliver expert-level consulting on cybersecurity, incident response, and digital forensics to a diverse client base.

• Proactively collaborate with clients and internal teams to develop unique and creative solutions for complex security incidents.

• Maintain and apply hyper-current knowledge of the threat landscape, emerging vulnerabilities, and malware persistence mechanisms.

• Utilize advanced forensic tools and processes (e.g., EnCase, FTK, Volatility) for evidence acquisition and analysis across major operating systems.

• Manage client relationships, lead technical meetings, and oversee multiple project teams concurrently to ensure successful engagement delivery.

• Identify opportunities to cross-sell or upsell existing clients and contribute to generating new business for reactive services.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 12 years of experience, or Master's degree with 8 years of experience, or PhD with 5 years of experience in a related field.

• Minimum of 10 years of hands-on consulting experience in digital forensics and incident response (DFIR).

• Proven experience leading technical breach response teams in high-pressure, fast-paced environments.

• Expert-level knowledge of forensic processes and procedures, including chain of custody and memory/disk acquisition techniques.

• Demonstrated proficiency with industry-standard forensics tools such as EnCase, FTK, SleuthKit, or Volatility.

• Deep operational understanding of one or more major operating systems (Microsoft Windows, Linux, or Mac).

Preferred Qualifications

• Industry recognition as an inspiring leader, evidenced by media presence or public speaking engagements.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain rapport with clients and manage complex budgets.

• Experience identifying and triaging novel malware strains.

• Willingness to travel up to 20% as required for client support and team leadership activities.

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/com-missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

$182,240.00 - $250,580.00/yr

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  accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.

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.