Sr Staff Engineer Software (AI/ML Engineer)

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

Prisma Access™ provides protection straight from the cloud to make access to the cloud secure. It combines the connectivity and security you need and delivers it everywhere you need it. Using cutting-edge public and private cloud technologies extending the next-generation security protection to all cloud services, customers on-premise remote networks and mobile users.

We are seeking an experienced Software Engineer to design, develop and deliver next-generation technologies within our Prisma Access team. We want passionate engineers who love to code and build great products. Engineers who bring new ideas in all facets of software development. We are looking for leaders who take ownership of their areas of focus and who are driven to solve problems at every level. Collaboration and teamwork are at the foundation of our culture and we need engineers who can communicate at a high level and work well with others towards achieving a common goal.

Your Impact

• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Leadership: Work alongside a team of Data Plane, Control Plane, Kubernetes, Cloud Infrastructure, Security, and Networking experts. Collaborate with product teams, platform teams, the PanOS team, QA, PMs, DevOps, and Security to streamline deployments and optimize system reliability.

• Technical Strategy & Implementation: Design, develop, and implement highly scalable software features and infrastructure focused on AI/ML applications to transform our next-generation platform.

• AI-Driven Innovation: Drive the application of AI/ML techniques to reinvent the SDLC and drastically improve product outcomes in areas such as quality, observability, monitoring, and automated troubleshooting.

• Performance Optimization: Profile, optimize, and tune the control plane and data plane for efficient cloud operation. Enhance performance, cost-efficiency, and availability in cloud-native environments (AWS, GCP, OCI).

• Process & Tools: Be hands-on in creating tools, processes, and systems that drive transparency, alignment, and direction, specifically aimed at enhancing developer productivity.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Lead data-driven analysis efforts to identify opportunities for AI to improve product outcomes and work with development teams to ensure successful AI integration across the ecosystem.

• Industry Leadership: Contribute to ongoing learning and innovation, striving to define industry standards rather than waiting for direction.[Input by recruiter and audited by recruiting specialist]

Your Experience

• Experience: 5+ years of experience in software engineering (Backend, Full Stack, Data Engineering, or Applied Science).

• Programming: Hands-on programming mastery in Python and Go is required.

• AI/ML Expertise: Required hands-on experience with LLMs and GenAI applications, or Machine Learning/Data Science experience including ETL, dataset curation, and running large evals. Note: Production-level experience is required; demos, PoCs, and side projects do not qualify.

• Cloud Native: Strong background in cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or OCI) and cloud-native technologies.

• Networking Fundamentals: Strong background in networking concepts, proxies, the TCP/IP stack, and TLS. Solid foundational knowledge in Networking and Cloud is crucial for applying AI/ML effectively in this team.

• Problem Solving: Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills with a "go-getter" mindset and the ability to drive ambiguous projects to completion.

Preferred:

• Experience building your own MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers.

• Strong passion for eliminating inefficiencies and improving developer productivity.

• Experience with multi-cluster Kubernetes deployments and edge computing.

• Exposure to serverless computing (Knative, AWS Lambda).

• Experience working with observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, OpenTelemetry).

The Team

Our engineering team is at the core of our products and connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. We are constantly innovating — challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity. Our engineers don’t shy away from building products to solve problems no one has pursued before. 

We define the industry instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of a challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

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 $175,000 - $190,000/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.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship?: Yes