Principal Software Engineer (Cloud Security)

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.

Who We Are

We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes.

Your Career

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Engineer to join us to build the next generation Cloud Security to discover cloud resources, deploy & manage AI Runtime Security or software firewall and monitor & protect cloud networks. Our platforms represent the foundation of our network security and cloud offerings, providing you an opportunity to define the future of the cloud security industry and align your work with the company's Platformization strategy. 

As a Principal Engineer on the Cloud Security team, you will bring innovation, thrive in an evolving and fast-paced environment to deliver creative, highly scalable and highly reliable cloud security services. We expect you to collaborate with cross-functional product management, development and quality assurance teams in developing and delivering products with the highest quality and velocity while ensuring security throughout the lifecycle.

To be successful in this position you must possess a deep understanding of cloud networking and have a passion for new technologies as well as strong coding and analytical skills for driving the end to end cloud security solutions in the full software development life cycle.

Your Impact

• Demonstrate high ownership and accountability across deliverables
• Provide technical leadership and drive end-to-end solution delivery in a fast-paced environment
• Design, implement, and troubleshoot cutting-edge cloud security solutions
• Contribute hands-on to next-generation cloud security architecture
• Participate in all phases of the product development lifecycle: definition → design → implementation → testing
• Champion best practices around code quality, scalability, performance, and system design
• Foster innovation across the organization
• Recruit, onboard, and mentor new team members

Your Experience 

• Strong team player with excellent coding, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Proven hands-on experience building large-scale, distributed cloud systems
• Strong proficiency in Golang or Python
• Experience with NoSQL/SQL databases
• Familiarity with event-driven architectures and messaging systems such as Kafka or RabbitMQ
• Backend development expertise (REST APIs, databases, serverless) for distributed cloud services
• Deep knowledge of Docker and the Kubernetes ecosystem
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform
• Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines
• Strong understanding of public cloud architecture (security, microservices, networking, global infrastructure, load balancing)
• Strong cloud troubleshooting skills
• Working knowledge of TCP/IP and core networking fundamentals is a plus
• Experience deploying on AWS, Azure, or GCP
• B.S./M.S. in Computer Science (or equivalent) with 8+ years of relevant experience
• High energy, adaptability, and a can-do attitude in a dynamic environment

The Team

To stay ahead of the curve, it’s critical to know where the curve is, and how to anticipate the changes we’re facing. For the fastest growing cybersecurity company, the curve is the evolution of cyberattacks, and the products and services that proactively address them. Our engineering team is at the core of our products – connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. They are constantly innovating – challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity. These engineers aren’t shy about building products to solve problems no one has pursued before. They define the industry, instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

Our engineering team is provided with an unrivaled chance to create the products and practices that will support our company growth over the next decade, defining the cybersecurity industry as we know it. If you see the potential of how incredible people products can transform a business, this is the team for you. If you don’t wait for directions, instead, identifying new features and opportunities we have to just get better, this is your new career.

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/commissioned roles) is expected to be between $147,000 - $237,500/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that 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  [email protected].

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.