Principal Engineer Software

Palo Alto Networks; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 156,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Senior/Principal Engineer for the Identity Platform to architect resilient, distributed systems and own major cross-team initiatives. You will drive design decisions, enforce security and performance standards, and mentor engineers while leveraging AI-enabled development tools.

The role emphasizes in-person collaboration at the office with flexible arrangements when needed, and involves partnering with product and support teams to translate customer needs into

Qualifications

• 12+ years of professional software engineering experience and a Tech Lead/Principal Engineer track record.
• 8+ years architecting large-scale, cloud-native applications and microservices.
• Hands-on proficiency with AI-assisted development tools to accelerate design, implementation, and debugging.
• Deep expertise in enterprise backend development using .NET / C# and web services (REST, SOAP).
• Knowledge of authentication/identity standards (SAML, WS-Fed, OpenID Connect, OAuth).
• Experience designing and operating microservices on Docker/Kubernetes with autoscaling and observability.
• Strong communication skills to articulate complex technical decisions to technical and executive audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Identity Platform’s technical strategy and end-to-end ownership of cross-team initiatives.
• Make architecture decisions in fast-moving, ambiguous conditions and align stakeholders.
• Set and enforce engineering standards for security, scalability, and performance.
• Prototype and build new platform components and PoCs with secure, testable code.
• Apply AI/ML to automate incident detection and remediation.
• Collaborate with Product, Infra, and Support to translate customer needs into scalable designs.
• Mentor engineers and participate in hiring to attract top talent.
• Champion AI-augmented engineering with modern tools while safeguarding data privacy and security.

Skills

Distributed systems design

AI-assisted development tools

Cloud architecture

C# / .NET

Docker / Kubernetes

Security & threat modeling

Mentoring & code reviews

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS EKS / GKE / AKS

GitHub Copilot

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.

Job Summary

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Identity Platform’s technical strategy as an individual contributor—architecting resilient, distributed systems and taking end‑to‑end ownership of major cross‑team initiatives.

• Make initiative‑level design and architecture decisions in fast‑moving, ambiguous conditions; document trade‑offs and align cross‑functional stakeholders around technical directions without direct reporting authority.

• Set and enforce the engineering bar through design and code reviews, upholding security, scalability, and performance criteria in alignment with Palo Alto Networks engineering practices.

• Prototype, design, and build new platform components and Proof of Concepts (PoCs); Write clean, secure, and performance‑optimized code while applying test‑driven development, automation, and CI/CD practices.

• Leverage AI/ML to automate incident detection, root cause analysis, and remediation — reducing toil and accelerating mean time to resolution

• Partner with Product, Infrastructure, and Support teams to translate customer and business needs into scalable system designs and delivery plans.

• Mentor senior and junior engineers through code reviews, and design guidance. Partner with engineering managers on hiring to help attract, evaluate, and onboard high‑caliber talent.

• Champion AI‑augmented engineering across the team using modern AI tools, reusable context assets, and efficient workflows. Critically review AI‑generated code for correctness, security gaps, and API accuracy while maintaining strict data privacy, secret security, and risk mitigation standards.

#LI-KR1

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in Computer Science or related technical field (or equivalent practical experience), with 12+ years of professional software engineering experience and a proven track record in a Tech Lead or Principal Engineer role.

• 8+ years of solid experience architecting and developing large‑scale, complex applications, distributed microservices, and modern cloud‑native systems (preferably AWS, Azure, or GCP).

• Demonstrated, hands‑on proficiency with modern AI‑assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or equivalent agentic IDEs) to accelerate design, implementation, code review, and debugging—with a clear understanding of when and when not to leverage AI.

• Technical Stack & Identity Domain:

• Deep expertise in enterprise backend development using .NET / C# (or comparable enterprise stack), along with web development and modern test methodologies.

• Expertise in building and integrating web services (REST, SOAP) and deep knowledge of authentication/identity standards (SAML, WS‑Fed, OpenID Connect, OAuth).

• Knowledge of Directory Services (e.g., Active Directory) is a plus.

• Deep, hands‑on experience designing, building, and operating microservices on containerized platforms — Docker, Kubernetes, and managed offerings such as AWS EKS (or equivalent GKE/AKS) — including service meshes, autoscaling, rolling deployments, observability, and production‑grade reliability patterns.

• Strong knowledge of databases and caching technologies (e.g., PostgreSQL, Redis), data modeling, analytics, and system performance profiling/tracing.

• Solid grounding in secure‑by‑default design, threat modeling, vulnerability management, Agile practices, and CI/CD automated deployments.

• Strong strategic thinking, problem‑solving, negotiation, and written/verbal communication skills to articulate complex technical decisions to both technical and executive audiences.

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 (https://benefits.paloaltonetworks.com/) .

$156,400.00 - $253,000.00/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?: Yes