Principal Consultant, DFIR, Reactive Services (Unit 42) - Remote Weekend Shift

Jobs Paloaltonetworks; Burbank (CA); Remote; USD 151,000 - 208,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Principal Consultant, Reactive Services, a senior DFIR expert within Unit 42. You will lead investigations, guide containment, and drive remediation across diverse environments, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.

The role requires 6-8+ years in DFIR, strong analytical and client-facing skills, and a dedication to 24x7 incident response readiness. Remote work with potential travel is offered.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 6-8+ years of experience in DFIR, incident response, security operations, or related cybersecurity disciplines.
• Experience investigating ransomware, intrusion activity, and other enterprise-scale security incidents.
• Strong understanding of forensic acquisition, evidence handling, and investigative methodologies.
• Hands-on experience with DFIR tools such as EnCase, FTK, SleuthKit, Volatility, or equivalent frameworks.
• Experience investigating Windows, Linux, and macOS environments.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and client-facing communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead digital forensics and incident response investigations across enterprise environments.
• Serve as a technical lead on incident response engagements.
• Conduct host, network, and cloud investigations to identify root cause, attacker activity, and scope of compromise.
• Perform forensic acquisition and analysis of systems, memory, logs, and endpoint telemetry.
• Utilising industry-standard DFIR tools and methodologies to support incident containment and recovery.
• Deliver clear findings and remediation guidance to clients and stakeholders.
• Support development of DFIR playbooks, tools, and investigative methodologies.
• Mentor team members and contribute to knowledge sharing across Unit 42.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Client-facing communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience

Tools

EnCase

FTK

SleuthKit

Volatility

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!

This role is remote, but distance is no barrier to impact. Our hybrid teams collaborate across geographies to solve big problems, stay close to our customers, and grow together. You will be part of a culture that values trust, accountability, and shared success where your work truly matters.

Job Summary

The Principal Consultant, Reactive Services is a senior individual contributor role within Unit 42 responsible for delivering expert-level incident response and digital forensics services to clients across a wide range of industries and environments.

In this role, you will serve as a technical leader on active investigations, partnering with Consulting Directors and engagement teams to respond to complex cybersecurity incidents. You will lead forensic investigations, identify attacker activity, determine scope and impact, and guide clients through containment, remediation, and recovery efforts.

This position is ideal for an experienced DFIR practitioner who thrives in fast-paced incident response environments and enjoys solving complex technical challenges during critical security events.

Shift Requirement

This role supports Unit 42's 24x7 incident response operations and requires a dedicated weekend overnight schedule consisting of four 10-hour shifts from Friday through Monday.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead digital forensics and incident response investigations across enterprise environments.
• Serve as a technical lead on incident response engagements.
• Conduct host, network, and cloud investigations to identify root cause, attacker activity, and scope of compromise.
• Perform forensic acquisition and analysis of systems, memory, logs, and endpoint telemetry.
• Utilising industry-standard DFIR tools and methodologies to support incident containment and recovery.
• Deliver clear findings and remediation guidance to clients and stakeholders.
• Support development of DFIR playbooks, tools, and investigative methodologies.
• Mentor team members and contribute to knowledge sharing across Unit 42.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 6-8+ years of experience in DFIR, incident response, security operations, or related cybersecurity disciplines.
• Experience investigating ransomware, intrusion activity, and other enterprise-scale security incidents.
• Strong understanding of forensic acquisition, evidence handling, and investigative methodologies.
• Hands-on experience with DFIR tools such as EnCase, FTK, SleuthKit, Volatility, or equivalent frameworks.
• Experience investigating Windows, Linux, and macOS environments.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and client-facing communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience responding to large-scale enterprise security incidents.
• Knowledge of MITRE ATT&CK and modern adversary tradecraft.
• Experience with malware triage or reverse engineering.
• Background in consulting, incident response, MDR, SOC, or other 24x7 security operations environments.
• Certifications such as GCFA, GCFE, GCIH, CISSP, or similar.
• Ability to work a dedicated weekend overnight schedule consisting of four 10-hour shifts from Friday through Monday.
• Ability to travel up to 20% as required.

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/com-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.

$151,000.00 - $208,000.00/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.

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].

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? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.