Principal AI-Centric CPQ Architect (Hybrid)

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 167,000 - 271,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the CPQ platform development. You will guide architecture, mentor teams, and drive cross-functional collaboration to deliver secure, scalable AI-enabled solutions.

The role is in-office at HQ in Santa Clara, CA, with three days per week on site, and requires deep expertise in Java/Go, microservices, and LLM integrations. You will shape the future of our enterprise software.”

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of related experience; or Master’s with 8+ years; or PhD with 5+ years.
• Design and develop scalable web applications and integrations using microservices architecture.
• Server-side development with Sprint/Spring Boot, Java, Go, or similar technologies.
• Strong knowledge of OOP, data structures, algorithms, and design patterns.
• Expertise in Java concepts (threading, generics, annotations).
• Experience with CI/CD and tools like Kubernetes, Jenkins, Git, Spinnaker, Docker.
• Experience building production apps with LLM APIs (Google Vertex AI, OpenAI, etc.).
• Familiarity with LLMs, embeddings, semantic search, and retrieval patterns.
• Understanding prompt engineering and LLM security concepts (input validation, prompt injection).

Responsibilities

• Architect and design scalable, reliable systems across services and teams.
• Lead design and architecture of AI-led, secure CPQ platform from prototype to deployment.
• Build and integrate AI/ML workflows ensuring secure GenAI usage.
• Operate in an agile environment; establish engineering standards and best practices.
• Balance security debt, stability, and feature delivery under GTM pressures.
• Mentor engineers and promote continuous growth.
• Establish observability frameworks to measure AI quality and reliability.
• Apply prompt engineering principles and LLM security best practices.

Skills

Software architecture

Mentoring

Problem solving

Cross-functional leadership

AI/ML concepts

LLM understanding

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/related field

Master’s degree

PhD

Tools

Kubernetes

Jenkins

Git

Spinnaker

Docker

Job description

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the CPQ platform development. You will guide architecture, mentor teams, and drive cross-functional collaboration to deliver secure, scalable AI-enabled solutions.

The role is in-office at HQ in Santa Clara, CA, with three days per week on site, and requires deep expertise in Java/Go, microservices, and LLM integrations. You will shape the future of our enterprise software.”