Operations Manager - Contractor - Palo Alto Networks [Contract]

Role Description

This role is a contract assignment at Palo Alto Networks. Contractors will not be employed by Palo Alto Networks but through our trusted staffing partners.  

Palo Alto Networks is looking for an Operations Manager  - Contractor to work with the Employee Communications & Brand team and is a great opportunity for a talented individual who has the desire to associate with a fast-growing company in a truly international environment.

• Location - Santa Clara, CA (Hybrid)
• Duration -  12 months 

As an Operations Manager (Contractor) you will directly and visibly contribute to our overall success and daily operations within the team and will report to Sr. Director, Employee Communications & Brand team. 

The Opportunity 

We are reimagining how we operate to deliver a personalized, scalable, and "just-in-time" communication experience for our 20,000+ employees. As the architect of our operational infrastructure, you will lead the charge in leveraging AI to simplify workflows and ensure our career site and ATS integrations function seamlessly. You will own the "how" behind the strategy, ensuring that when we invite candidates to apply, the technical process supports them

This role is for a systems thinker who loves building for scale. You will help us get established, uplevel our foundation and own the technology stack that powers our team, drive operational excellence, allow us to measure in meaningful ways and pioneer the use of AI to create a next-generation communications function.

Your Impact

• AI Innovation & Operational Efficiency:
  • Lead the team’s AI adoption journey, identifying and implementing tools to automate content production and administrative tasks.
  • Provide deep experience analyzing data and creating automations with a view to help the team move from prompting to creating agents/workflows for scale and efficiency.
  • Create comprehensive 'leave-behind' documentation and video tutorials for every automated workflow to ensure zero-dependency maintenance.
  • Drive a target 15% efficiency gain in production workflows, allowing the broader team to focus on high-value strategic work.
  • Establish governance, technical documentation and best practices for the use of AI within the communications function.
• Platform Strategy & Governance:
  • Serve as the product owner for our core communication channels (Intranet, Newsletter Platforms, Digital Signage), ensuring they are optimized for reach and engagement.
  • Career site optimization: Lead the optimization of the career site, including "Answer Engine Optimization" (AEO) by using AI to structure content (headlines, intros, meta descriptions) for better indexing by LLMs.
  • Global Localization: Manage the translation workflow for global pages (e.g., German, Japanese), utilizing AI tools (like Gemini) to streamline the process.
  • Develop and maintain governance models that ensure brand consistency and content quality across the enterprise.
  • Partner with IT to explore and implement new technologies that enhance the employee experience and streamline delivery.
• Data, Analytics & Insights:
  • Build and manage dashboards that provide real-time visibility into channel performance and content effectiveness.
  • Move beyond basic metrics to provide deep insights that inform strategy and content decisions.
  • Standardize reporting processes to ensure leadership has clear visibility into the ROI of our programs.
• Process Architecture:
  • Design and implement scalable workflows for content intake, approvals, and publishing, reducing friction and increasing speed to market.
  • Create self-service resources and training for stakeholders, reducing the volume of manual information requests.
  • IT credibility: Given this role will interface and partner with IT, it’s important you speak the language and have credibility to build a true partnership.
• Business Continuity & Documentation: Deliver a complete "Operations Manual" for all built automations and AI agents. Ensure all workflows are documented to a standard where a non-technical team member can maintain them post-contract.
• Data Security Stewardship: Serve as the first line of defense for data privacy, vetting all AI tools for PII compliance and security risks before deployment.

Your Experience

• Operational Expertise: 6+ years of experience in Communications Operations, Program Management, or Business Operations. You know how to build systems that scale and have done so in a fast-paced environment.
• Tech Savvy: Deep familiarity with modern intranet platforms, email marketing tools, and collaboration software (e.g., Slack, Zoom, Workshop, LumApps).
• AI Curiosity: A passion for exploring and applying new AI tools to solve business problems and improve efficiency.
• Analytical capability: The ability to not just report data, but to interpret it and use it to drive operational improvements.
• Ownership: Ability to own key initiatives end to end, and can take responsibility for the outcomes of what they own. 

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant work experience required.

Compensation

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location.  For candidates who receive an offer,this is the pay range that Magnit (the staffing agency) reasonably expects to pay for this position: $95/hour to $100/hour. Please note that the compensation information in this posting reflects the hourly wage only and does not include benefits.  Magnit offers Medical, Dental, Vision and 401K. Magnit is not able to provide assistance to candidates requiring sponsorship or a visa for this position.     

Information about Palo Alto Networks

At Palo Alto Networks®, everything starts and ends with our mission:
Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
We have the vision of a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. These aren’t easy goals to accomplish — but we’re not here for easy. We’re here for better. 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.