Principal Offensive Security Engineer

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 167,600 - 271,150; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is looking for a Principal Offensive Security Engineer to join our Offensive Security team. The ideal candidate will support the team with comprehensive penetration testing and security assessments across various products and services.

This role requires a passion for adversary tradecraft, conducting tests on a range of cloud-native applications and infrastructure. Candidates should have at least 8 years of experience in Offensive Security and expertise in major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, or GCP.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in Offensive Security, Red Teaming, or Penetration Testing.
• Deep technical mastery of at least one major cloud provider (GCP, AWS, or Azure).
• Proven expertise in Kubernetes and Container Security.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive penetration tests across a diverse portfolio of cloud-native applications.
• Execute multi-tenant isolation testing and segmentation validation.
• Translate complex technical findings into high-impact reports.

Skills

Offensive Security

Red Teaming

Penetration Testing

Kubernetes Security

Container Security

CI/CD Security

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

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 Offensive Security team is seeking a Principal Offensive Security Engineer to support the team responsible for testing the security of all the products and services that make up the Palo Alto Networks portfolio. This requires choreographing a routine of on‑demand and continuous penetration testing engagements involving multiple, trusted third‑party partners. We further supplement this with in‑house penetration testing and red team operations to ensure the requisite breadth and depth of coverage across the attack surface.

The successful candidate will thrive in a fast‑paced environment where energy, drive, and a collaborative approach are key to success. And of course, a passion for adversary tradecraft — not just finding vulnerabilities, but proving whether we’d detect and stop a real attacker.

Your Impact

• Conduct comprehensive penetration tests across a diverse portfolio of cloud‑native applications, large‑scale infrastructure, and complex network architectures, covering all FedRAMP‑mandated attack vectors.
• Execute multi‑tenant isolation testing and segmentation validation.
• Identify, exploit, and document vulnerabilities in cloud services, container orchestration platforms, and automated deployment pipelines.
• Plan and lead assumed‑breach, objective‑based red team operations against systems — including lateral movement, privilege escalation, and persistence — to test the effectiveness of defensive controls, monitoring, and alerting systems.
• Provide expert‑level security guidance to SRE and Engineering teams during remediation planning and secure architectural design.
• Lead the security assessment of internal tooling, identity management systems, and third‑party integrations.
• Research and develop custom tooling or scripts to automate testing and improve the efficiency of offensive engagements.
• Translate complex technical findings into high‑impact reports and presentations for both technical stakeholders and executive leadership.
• Mentor junior team members and act as a subject matter expert on emerging threats and exploitation trends.

The Team

We’re not your ordinary Information Security team. We’re a diverse group of security professionals who challenge the status‑quo in order to protect Palo Alto Networks and our customers. Driving innovation on the Information Security team of the fastest‑growing high‑tech cybersecurity company is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity. You’ll be joined by the brightest minds in technology, and our global teams are on the front line of defense against cyberattacks.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in Offensive Security, Red Teaming, or Penetration Testing.
• Deep technical mastery of at least one major cloud provider (GCP, AWS, or Azure), including identity management and network security controls.
• Experience with multi‑tenant SaaS/PaaS isolation testing and authorization‑boundary segmentation validation.
• Proven expertise in Kubernetes and Container Security, with the ability to identify flaws in orchestration and runtime environments.
• Strong experience auditing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and CI/CD pipelines for security misconfigurations.
• Hands‑on experience leading pentesting, assumed‑breach operations: post‑exploitation, lateral movement, Active Directory and cloud IdP attack paths, C2 infrastructure, and EDR/XDR evasion.
• Solid understanding of networking protocols, authentication frameworks (LDAP/AD, OAuth, SAML), and modern application security.
• Experience operating within high‑compliance or highly regulated environments (e.g., FedRAMP, IL5, SOC2).
• Working knowledge of MITRE ATT&CK for operation planning and reporting.
• Ability to think creatively and work independently to solve complex security problems in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence security outcomes across different business units.

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.

$167,600.00 - $271,150.00/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.