Senior Director Analyst – Network Security

About the role: Gartner Analysts are industry thought leaders who create must-have insights, market predictions and best practices for a broad range of world-leading organizations. A Senior Director serves as a leader within Gartner’s Business and Technology Insights (BTI) group, establishing oneself as a credible voice within their designated market at local, regional and global levels. Utilizing exceptional research and analytical skills, a Senior Director plays a significant role in producing pragmatic and provocative insights which Gartner clients consume and apply to propel their business toward key objectives. They are a trusted source of advice for clients, reinforcing Gartner’s value every day by engaging them via in-person meetings, virtual meetings, sales support visits and Gartner conferences to discuss complex client challenges and offer appropriate recommendations. A Senior Director possesses a keen eye for identifying gaps, problems and solutions within the market they serve. They use their knowledge to help clients make better decisions, solve complex issues and execute new practices that propel clients’ businesses toward key objectives and publish these pragmatic and/or provocative insights. Additionally, they reinforce Gartner’s value every day by engaging clients via in-person and virtual meetings, sales support visits, Gartner conferences and industry events. What you will do: Create innovative, thought provoking, and highly leveraged “must-have” insights. Develop new insights and ideas through thought leadership and offer compelling, actionable approaches to client's needs and requests that accelerate the client's ability to act Develop in-depth analysis to identify the root cause of a client’s barriers or overall needs and reframe thinking to drive strategy forward Demonstrate thought leadership in establishing insights positions across a team of analysts Bring provocative, independent insights to Gartner leaders that can evolve the course of a research agenda Research, analyze and predict market trends and shifts to provide clients and vendors with actionable insights Provide clients and prospects with actionable advice aligned to their designated content area via virtual or face-to-face interactions Create and deliver high value presentation materials on and off stage for Gartner events, industry and professional association conferences, and client briefings Support BTI and Sales: Provide sales support serving as voice of the market to help Insights teams create content and to drive engagement with clients to make progress against their critical priorities to grow their business Provide high quality and timely content peer review Build credibility as an industry expert to represent Gartner insights, methodology and strategy Actively participate in innovation, ideation, and research discussions and collaborate effectively with peers in the Insights community Identify research process improvements or develop new processes that help the team and BTI provide excellent service delivery Be a mentor and a coach by supporting more junior team members Be client-centric while actively seeking to help clients engage regularly and often with Gartner insights and interactions What you will need: Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; Graduate degree preferred 12+ years of relevant field or industry In-depth knowledge of network security technologies, vendors, and deployment best practices to client engagements and for research development. There will be a focus on providing advice to clients on evaluation, selection, and deployment for the following technologies and topical areas: Firewall and Hybrid Mesh Firewall Security Microsegmentation Network Detection and Response (NDR) Recent experience with at least one of these aspects of securing AI: Using AI in firewalls/defensive controls (e.g., using the AI assistants that suggest policies) Using Controls to find and manage the use of third-party AI Using AI runtime defenses to secure the use of AI at runtime Security Service Edge (SSE) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), including SD-WAN or SSE vendors with branch appliances. Zero Trust PrinciplesSecurity Information and Event Management (SIEM): Evaluating and selecting tools, Use case design, RFP Assistance and Review Demonstrate executive presence; can immediately establish credibility with executives and additional stakeholders Strong organizational skills; ability to work under tight deadlines and produce high quality deliverables Demonstrate excellence in research and writing ability Strong written and verbal proficiency, analytical and presentation skills; ability to engage clients and respond effectively to questions Proficient in analyzing and synthesizing data; can effectively apply patterns and frameworks while drawing and defending conclusions to client challenges Strong communicator who is able to explain complex concepts concisely and simply Subject matter expert comfortable presenting at large and small-scale speaking engagements Strong business and financial acumen Deep knowledge of the global and competitive landscape within subject area as well as the interplay in that market Ability to work independently, while also being intrinsically motivated to collaborate across teams and support the workflow of others, in a multicultural global team Learning agile and adept with navigating highly matrixed environments Ability to represent Gartner's research methodology and strategies effectively at all levels Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% (where applicable) #LI-RC3 Who are we? At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), we guide the leaders who shape the world. Our mission relies on expert analysis and bold ideas to deliver actionable, objective business and technology insights, helping enterprise leaders and their teams succeed with their mission-critical prioritie