Principal Engineer Software (Cortex)

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 147,000 - 238,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking a Principal Software Engineer for the Cortex Attack Surface Management team. You will contribute to the full lifecycle—from architecture to deployment—to build scalable data pipelines and high‑throughput systems.

You will design and scale distributed services, create APIs, and mentor engineers while collaborating across Cortex modules to deliver trustworthy intelligence. This role emphasizes leadership, rigorous engineering practices, and the ability to

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience designing, developing, deploying, and supporting scalable systems.
• Proficiency in Python and Go programming languages.
• Extensive experience with API design and RESTful/microservices architecture.
• Experience building and maintaining data pipelines and ETL processes.
• Ability to lead across research, design, prototyping and implementation phases.
• Expertise with CI/CD, automated testing, and agile methodologies.
• Working knowledge of major cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, or Azure), preferably GCP.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain the core services and data pipelines.
• Lead architecture strategy sessions—design solutions for Cortex modules.
• Collaborate with the team to reduce technical debt and evolve practices.
• Drive best practices and evangelize new technologies within engineering.
• Collaborate with engineers to ensure high-quality output.
• Take ownership of projects, drive to completion, and support production.

Skills

Python

Go

RESTful APIs

Data pipelines

CI/CD

Agile methodologies

Cloud platforms (GCP/AWS/Azure)

Kubernetes

Tools

Kubernetes

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

The Cortex Attack Surface Management team is growing, and we’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join our team. This team scans the internet for vulnerabilities on external attack surfaces and processes petabytes of data to deliver clear, actionable insights that help security teams prevent attacks and accelerate response.

As a Principal Software Engineer on this team, you will contribute to the entire development lifecycle of our systems, from architecture and implementation to testing, deployment, and operation. You will design and scale distributed systems, build high-throughput ingestion pipelines, and APIs that transform raw signals into trustworthy intelligence across Cortex.

Your Impact

• Design, build, and maintain the core services and data pipelines.

• Lead architecture strategy sessions—work with your colleagues to design solutions that accommodate the requirements of the various modules across Cortex.

• Collaborate with your team to solve problems, reduce technical debt, and evolve development practices.

• Drive technical best practices and evangelize new technologies within the engineering organization.

• Collaborate with other engineers and ensure that your team delivers high-quality output.

• Take ownership of projects, drive them to completion, and support them in production.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in software engineering, with a proven track record of designing, developing, deploying, and supporting complex, scalable software systems.

• Proficiency in Python and Go programming languages.

• Extensive experience with API design and development, including RESTful APIs and microservices architecture.

• Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining data pipelines and ETL processes.

• Ability to lead across research, design, prototyping, and implementation phases.

• Expertise with software development best practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, and agile methodologies.

• Working knowledge of at least one major cloud platform (GCP, AWS, or Azure), preferably GCP.

• Proven experience driving design and implementation of technical solutions in the face of ambiguity—we will ask you about this.

• Proven technical team leadership and interest in mentoring other engineers in order to contribute to the technical growth of the team.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in building Cybersecurity products.

• Experience in large scale data processing.

• Experience with GCP, Java, and Kubernetes

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.

$147,000.00 - $237,500.00/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.

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.