Principal SDET Engineer (Cortex Cloud)

Palo Alto Networks; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a Principal SDET Engineer to redefine cybersecurity quality standards. In this pivotal role, you will design and implement comprehensive test strategies for cloud-based solutions, directly impacting product reliability and security. Collaborating with top cybersecurity professionals, you will enhance test automation efficiency and mentor junior team members, fostering a culture of excellence. Join a market leader in cloud security and contribute to protecting critical digital assets while advancing your career in a fast-paced environment. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in a rapidly evolving industry.

Benefits

Career Growth Opportunities

Collaborative Work Environment

Innovative Culture

Impactful Work

Qualifications

• 9+ years in technical QA roles, strong programming skills in Python.
• Experience developing complex test frameworks and leading QA efforts.

Responsibilities

• Lead test design and strategy for cloud-based solutions.
• Enhance test automation frameworks and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Skills

Python

Test Automation

Cloud Platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Troubleshooting

Collaboration

Continuous Improvement

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science

Master's in Computer Science

Tools

Pytest

Selenium

CI/CD Pipelines

Job description

Job Description

Your Career

At Palo Alto Networks, we're not just building products — we're redefining what's possible in cybersecurity. As a Principal SDET Engineer on the Cortex Cloud team, you'll play a critical role in our mission to secure the world’s digital transformation. Your work will directly impact the quality and reliability of the solutions that protect global enterprises every day. If you're passionate about driving quality at scale and want to be part of a team that's leading the charge in cloud security innovation, we want to hear from you.

Your Impact

The Principal SDET Engineer will lead the test design and strategy for high-priority, high-impact product features across enterprise-grade, cloud-based solutions.

• Design and develop comprehensive test plans and strategies for complex, large-scale features.
• Tackle the unique challenges of building effective test strategies for enterprise-grade products and applications.
• Navigate the complexities of cloud platforms and drive improvements in overall product quality.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners and peers to achieve shared quality goals.
• Design, implement, and continuously enhance test automation efficiency to boost QA team productivity.
• Establish standardized methodologies for developing and maintaining test automation across the team.
• Design, develop, and maintain test automation tools and utilities for both backend and UI components.
• Define, develop, and manage complex testbed environments to support a variety of test scenarios.
• Enhance test automation frameworks to ensure they are developer-friendly, robust, and highly maintainable. These frameworks should support detailed reporting, facilitate easy debugging, and integrate seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines and bug tracking systems for cloud-based applications.
• Contribute to product decision-making by providing insights into product quality and influencing the development of cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions.
• Analyze complex issues and defects, leading root cause analysis during and after releases.
• Take a leadership role in evolving software testing processes and best practices across the organization.
• Drive improvements in functionality, usability, testability, performance, and production stability in collaboration with architects and engineering teams.
• Partner closely with engineering, product management, UX, documentation, DevOps, and customer engineering teams throughout the product lifecycle—from requirements through release.
• Define and implement processes to build bi-directional feedback loops with customers to improve product quality and satisfaction.
• Set a strong example through your leadership, establishing quality-first practices and technical excellence.
• Mentor and coach junior QA team members, fostering a culture of growth, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Actively participate in the hiring process and conduct technical interviews for new QA team members.
• Demonstrate clear and effective communication skills in both team settings and cross-functional interactions.

Qualifications:

Your Experience

• 9+ years of experience in technical QA roles within large-scale enterprises or high-growth startups.
• Strong programming skills in Python; experience with additional languages is a plus.
• Deep understanding of public cloud platforms, including AWS, GCP, and Azure.
• Demonstrated experience in developing complex test frameworks from scratch, with a strong focus on scalability and efficiency.
• Proven ability to quickly adapt to new technologies, tools, and automation frameworks (Pytest, Selenium etc).
• Extensive experience in leading QA efforts for distributed systems and SaaS-based products.
• Expertise in designing and implementing robust test strategies for complex, large-scale systems.
• Hands-on experience with backend and frontend testing frameworks; passionate about driving continuous improvement in test infrastructure and coverage.
• Strong troubleshooting skills and proficiency in building and maintaining test tools and automation pipelines.
• Proven ability to work efficiently with cross-functional teams to identify issues, drive resolutions, and deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Excellent collaboration skills; a team player with strong ownership and accountability.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience in Cloud security industry, or equivalent relevant experience, is advantageous.

Additional Information

The Team

Why Cortex Cloud?

• Market Leader – Be part of the fastest-growing cloud security platform, trusted by leading organizations around the globe — and help ensure its quality scales with its success.
• Innovative Culture – Collaborate with top minds in cybersecurity and automation, where your ideas for smarter, faster, and more secure testing will be valued and implemented.
• Massive Impact – Your work as an SDET will directly contribute to protecting the world’s most critical digital assets — by ensuring our solutions are secure, stable, and production-ready.
• Rapid Growth – Join a high-velocity team where career growth and impact go hand in hand. As we scale, you'll have opportunities to take ownership, lead initiatives, and grow your technical expertise.