VP, Pricing & Packaging

Job description

Darktrace is a global leader in AI-driven cybersecurity, helping organizations stay ahead of evolving threats every day. Darktrace was built on a genuinely differentiated idea: that Adaptive AI could detect and respond to novel, real-time cyber threats. That approach matters more than ever in the era of AI.  Today, our customers depend on us to stay ahead. At Darktrace, we are energized by that responsibility.  We work across teams and rally around a shared goal. We own outcomes end to end - step in, step up and see things through without waiting to be asked.   We make decisions with urgency, say the hard thing, and hold each other to high standards with care and directness. We move first and learn fast anticipating where our customers are going next, continuously challenging ourselves. We invest in the skills, learning and opportunities that help people deliver at the level their roles demand, and reward the aptitude and curiosity to grow beyond them. Our Values: Own It | Win as One | Raise Our Bar | Move First. Learn Fast Job Description: Department:  Product Reports to:  Chief Product Officer (CPO) Location:  Cambridge, London or East Coast US (minimum 2 days per week in office) Type:  Full-time Key partnerships: Product and Engineering · Business partner in Financial Planning & Analytics (FP&A)  ·  Business partner in IT  ·  Business partner in Product Marketing About the Role We are seeking a strategic and analytically rigorous VP of Pricing & Packaging to own the end-to-end monetization strategy for our B2B SaaS business. Reporting to the Chief Product Officer, this leader will architect how we package, price, and capture value across our product portfolio — directly influencing revenue growth, gross margin, competitive positioning, and customer lifetime value. This is a highly cross-functional leadership role. Rather than owning a large direct team, the VP operates through a partnership model — working closely with a dedicated business partner in Financial Planning & Analytics, a dedicated business partner in IT, and a dedicated business partner in Product Marketing to turn monetization strategy into operational reality. The role also leads a cross-functional Pricing Steering Group that drives alignment and decision-making across the business, and maintains a sharp, continuous view of competitor pricing and packaging moves to keep the company ahead of the market. Key Responsibilities Pricing Strategy & Monetization Define and own the company's overarching pricing philosophy, strategy, and roadmap across all products and segments. Design and evolve pricing models (tiered, consumption, outcome-based, hybrid) aligned to value delivered and customer willingness to pay. Establish pricing governance, approval frameworks, and discounting guardrails to appropriately protect margin and deal integrity. Partner with the Chief Accounting Officer/Deal Desk function to ensure discounting guardrails are enforced consistently at the point of deal execution. Direct & Channel-Partner Pricing Understand and account for the similarities and differences between direct and channel-partner pricing and operations, designing strategies that work across both routes to market. Ensure pricing, packaging, and discounting structures are coherent and appropriately margin-protective across direct sales and channel/partner motions. Implement models for Hyperscalers and Marketplaces to promote and optimize online through sales operational models Packaging & Product Monetization Architect product packaging, bundling, and tiering strategies that maximize adoption, expansion, and net revenue retention. Partner closely with the CPO and Product organization to align feature-to-tier mapping, entitlements, and add-on/upsell structures with the monetization strategy. Lead the monetization strategy for new product launches, features, and market entries sequenced once core pricing/packaging governance and margin-tracking discipline are established. Maintain awareness of relevant market and competitive dynamics to inform packaging and positioning Own SKU and pricelist creation, setting policy and controls for use, distribution, and management, Introduce and build Product Led Growth strategies In the first two quarters, lead the completion and margin-validation of the legacy-SKU-to-package migration, including grandfathering policy and renewal-cycle price bridging. Pricing Steering Group Leadership Establish, chair, and run a cross-functional Pricing Steering Group spanning Product, Sales, Finance, Marketing, and Customer Success. Set the steering group's charter, cadence, and decision rights; bring pricing and packaging proposals forward with a clear evidence base for endorsement. Drive alignment, resolve trade-offs, and secure buy-in for pricing and packaging changes across the leadership team. Maintain a transparent decision log and ensure decisions are operationalized and tracked to impact. Working Through Key Business Partners & GTM Leadership Partner with the FP&A business partner on revenue modeling, margin analysis, price elasticity, willingness-to-pay quantification, and the financial impact of pricing decisions and forecasts. Partner with the IT business partner to operationalize pricing and packaging across billing, CPQ/quoting, Salesforce, entitlements, metering, and systems infrastructure. Partner with the Product Marketing business partner on competitive intelligence, value messaging, and packaging communication. Partner with Engineering to understand the impact of cost of goods sold (COGS) on margins, and to factor infrastructure and delivery costs into pricing decisions. Partner with the Chief Revenue Officer and team to inform quotas, ensuring pricing and packaging decisions align with sales targets, incentives, and quota-setting. Set shared objectives and ways of working with each business partner to ensure strategy translates into reliable execution. Analytics, Research & Value Quantification Build a rigorous discipline around willingness-to-pay research, price elasticity analysis, and value-based pricing (in partnership with FP&A). Define pricing KPIs and dashboards (ARPU, ACV, win rates, discount leakage, expansion revenue, NRR impact). Ground all major pricing decisions in data, research, and market evidence. Qualifications Required 8+ years expertise across SaaS monetization models (subscription, usage/consumption-based, tiered, seat-based, hybrid) and implementing product led growth. 3+ years leading pricing strategy, with strong command of pricing analytics, price elasticity, willingness-to-pay research, and value-based pricing. Experience with CPQ, billing systems, entitlement management. Excellent quantitative, analytical, and financial modeling capabilities. Cyber security industry experience. Win as One – Proven track record of building cross-functional relationships and prioritising collective over individual outcomes Move First – Demonstrated bias for action in ambiguous, fast-moving environments Raise our bar – History of setting and elevating standards of excellence, holding self and others to high expectations while continuously improving processes, quality, and outcomes. Own it – Takes end-to-end accountability for outcomes – good and bad – making decisions with judgement and following through on commitments Proven track record owning pricing and packaging strategy in a B2B SaaS environment at scale. Strong understanding of both direct and channel-partner pricing and operations, including the similarities, differences, and trade-offs between them. Demonstrated success leading through influence — driving outcomes via cross-functional partners rather than a large direct team. Experience establishing and chairing steering groups or governance forums. Strong track record of competitive intelligence — tracking and responding to competitor pricing and packaging strategy. Pre