Principal AI Software Engineer

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 223,000 - 307,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking a Sr Principal AI Engineer to lead the Generative AI transformation of our GTM and customer experience processes. You will architect intelligent, agentic workflows and deliver enterprise-grade full-stack systems with a strong hands-on approach.

The role emphasizes deep expertise in Python, LLMs, multi-agent systems, and security governance, working with cutting-edge AI technologies to shape our security-first roadmap.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field or equivalent experience.
• 12+ years IT architecture/design/development experience or 8+ years with a Master's or 5+ years with a PhD.
• Proven technical leadership in Agile/Scrum environments with large-scale implementations.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python.
• Extensive experience with LLMs (GPT-4, Llama 3, Anthropic) and agentic workflows.

Responsibilities

• Architect an AI gateway and unified API for vendor independence and scalable access.
• Lead GenAI engineering efforts across GTM and customer experience processes.
• Hands-on technical leadership to design enterprise-grade full-stack systems with Generative AI transformation.
• Develop GenAI and Multi-Agent workflows, evaluations, and guardrails for security and governance.

Skills

Python

LLMs

Multi-Agent

A2A

Agile/Scrum

Technical Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

LangSmith

Arize

HoneyHive

OpenTelemetry

Job description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting‑edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place.

Who We Are

In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us!

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.

The Team

Information Technology - Our Information Technology team at Palo Alto Networks is at the forefront of securing our own digital landscape. We're not just an IT department; we're the first customer of our groundbreaking cybersecurity products. This unique position allows us to innovate and implement the most advanced security solutions, setting the standard for the industry. You'll be part of a team that’s passionate about technology, dedicated to operational excellence, and committed to protecting our systems and data against the most sophisticated threats. Join us in shaping the future of IT in a security-first world.

Job Summary

As a Sr Principal AI Engineer, you will join a dynamic team to pioneer our Generative AI transformation. You will act as a hands‑on, technical leader, architecting the next generation of our business applications. This role moves beyond traditional software engineering to design intelligent, agentic workflows that will revolutionize our Go-To-Market (GTM) and customer experience processes.

Your Career

You will join a dynamic and fast‑paced team of seasoned fellow engineers designing and developing multi-tiered applications in a rapidly growing company. As a Sr Principal AI Engineer, you will leverage your extensive experience to act as the trailblazer, helping us build and innovate enterprise‑grade full‑stack systems with a specific focus on Generative AI transformation.

We are looking for a highly hands‑on, extremely technical leader to architect the next generation of our internal and external business applications. You will move beyond traditional software engineering to design intelligent, agentic workflows that revolutionize our Go-To-Market (GTM) processes.

Your Impact

AI Architecture & Strategy

• Architect a Proxy‑First AI Ecosystem: Lead the design and implementation of an "AI Gateway" intermediary layer to ensure vendor independence, allowing seamless switching between LLMs (e.g., GPT‑4, Llama, Anthropic) without refactoring core application code.
• Unified API Design: Build a single, unified API endpoint that abstracts the complexities of individual LLM providers, providing centralized control for access and security.

LLM Observability

• Deep System Visibility: Implement comprehensive observability pipelines specifically for GenAI to track trace‑level data, prompt inputs/outputs, and model latency.
• Cost & Performance Optimization: Create architecture that optimize performance and expense by routing simpler queries to cost‑effective models.
• Feedback Loops: Integrate observability data into the development cycle to identify bottlenecks, high‑latency chains, and model drift in real‑time.

GenAI & Multi‑Agent Development

• Agentic AI Leadership: Institute and promote innovative thinking by incorporating agentic AI, designing sophisticated Multi‑Agent Systems and Agent‑to‑Agent (A2A) workflows.
• Business Workflow Automation: Apply GenAI to complex Go‑To‑Market (GTM) business logic, automating workflows such as customer support processes and entitlement platforms.
• Evaluation Frameworks: Pioneer "LLM as a Judge" testing methodologies to automate quality assurance, using capable models to evaluate the correctness, tone, and helpfulness of system outputs.

Security & Governance (Guardrails)

• AI Safety Implementation: Build robust guardrails to filter inputs and outputs, ensuring the prevention of PII exposure, offensive content, and prompt injection attacks.
• Adversarial Defense: Develop detection mechanisms including keyword filtering, behavioral analysis, and adversarial training to protect model instructions from manipulation.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science or a related field.
• 12+ years of IT system architecture, design, and development experience, or 8+ years with a Master's degree, or 5+ years with a PhD.
• Proven track record of technical leadership in Agile/Scrum environments, delivering large‑scale implementations with aggressive timelines.
• Expert‑level proficiency in Python.
• Extensive, hands‑on experience building applications using Large Language Models (LLMs) such as Llama 3, GPT‑4, and Anthropic.
• Deep experience with Multi‑Agent systems, Agent‑to‑Agent (A2A) communication, and orchestration frameworks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience partnering directly with business stakeholders to design workflows for Go‑To‑Market (GTM), sales, or support operations.
• Familiarity with Java or Node.js for enterprise integration.
• Proficiency with AI tracing and evaluation tools (e.g., LangSmith, Arize, HoneyHive, or custom OpenTelemetry implementations).
• Experience establishing 'Golden Datasets' for ground truth testing and performing comparative analysis across different models.

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/comm‑missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

$223,000.00 - $306,500.00/yr

Our Commitment

We’re trailblazers that dream big, take risks, and challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.

Accommodations

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 [e-mail].

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.

EEO Documentation

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship?: Yes