Principal Security Researcher

Jobtailor; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 162,700 - 263,175; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks in San Francisco is looking for a Principal Security Researcher to lead the ATP detection team. This role requires deep expertise in vulnerability research and exploit analysis, guiding innovative detection ideas from concept to production.

The successful candidate will maintain a strong influence across cross-functional teams, ensure technical soundness in detection strategies, and provide hands-on leadership in research efforts. The annual salary ranges from $162,700.00 to $263,175.00, depending on qualifications and experience.

Qualifications

• Deep hands-on experience in vulnerability research, exploit analysis, or threat prevention work.
• Experience translating vulnerability understanding into production-quality IPS signatures or IDS detections.
• Strong understanding of network protocols and application-layer behavior including HTTP and DNS.

Responsibilities

• Shape ATP detection strategy by identifying areas needing new or improved protections.
• Drive innovative detection ideas from concept to production with measurable improvements.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership to researchers or developers.

Skills

Vulnerability research

Exploit analysis

IPS/IDS detection

Offensive security

Network protocols

Programming or scripting skills

Communication skills

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field

Job description

Job Summary

You will be part of the team that builds and delivers the threat detection capabilities powering Palo Alto Networks’ Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP). The ATP detection team is responsible for decoding network protocols, identifying applications, and detecting threats across our enterprise customers’ networks.

As a Principal Security Researcher, you will play a key technical leadership role in shaping how ATP detects and prevents real‑world attacks. You will propose and drive innovative technical ideas from concept to production, own multiple projects or a broader technical area with measurable impact, and provide technical leadership to other researchers or developers. This is a hands‑on leadership role: you are expected to define direction, make technical decisions, and contribute directly to vulnerability research, exploit analysis, and production detection work.

Your Impact

• Shape ATP detection strategy by identifying important vulnerability, exploit, and attack technique areas where new or improved protections are needed.
• Drive innovative detection ideas from concept to production, delivering measurable improvements in coverage, quality, speed, or scalability.
• Improve rapid response capability for zero‑days, high‑impact CVEs, and emerging attack vectors by guiding technical assessment, detection strategy, and release decisions.
• Raise the quality and consistency of IPS protections by defining detection approaches, validation expectations, and technical review standards for complex cases.
• Expand the team’s ability to deliver protections at scale through practical automation, detection pipeline improvements, and AI‑assisted research workflows.
• Provide hands‑on technical leadership to researchers or developers through direction, review, problem decomposition, and execution guidance.
• Influence cross‑functional decisions with product, QA, engineering, and research partners to ensure detections are technically sound, customer‑relevant, and production‑ready.

Qualifications

• Deep hands‑on experience in vulnerability research, exploit analysis, IPS/IDS detection, offensive security, or closely related threat prevention work.
• Proven ability to identify important technical problems, propose detection ideas, drive execution, and deliver measurable product or customer impact.
• Deep understanding of common vulnerability classes and exploit techniques, including memory corruption, injection, authentication bypass, path traversal, SSRF, RCE, XSS, SQL injection, CSRF, MITM, and DoS.
• Strong ability to analyze vulnerability root cause, exploitability, PoC behavior, network traffic, protocol behavior, application‑layer attack patterns, and detection tradeoffs.
• Experience translating vulnerability or exploit understanding into production‑quality IPS signatures, IDS detections, network detections, or other customer‑facing protections.
• Strong understanding of network protocols and application‑layer behavior, especially HTTP, DNS, SMB, FTP, SMTP, TCP/UDP, TLS, and related protocols.
• Strong programming or scripting skills for research automation, tooling, test generation, detection development, or pipeline improvements.
• Ability to lead complex technical work under ambiguity, guide other researchers or developers, and make sound technical decisions under time pressure.
• Experience using AI, ML, automation, or research tooling to improve security analysis, detection development, validation, or response workflows is highly desirable.
• Foundational understanding of AI security scenarios or AI‑assisted security workflows is a plus.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence technical direction across research, product, QA, and engineering partners.
• BS/MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.

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/commissioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus.

$162,700.00 - $263,175.00/yr

Accommodation Statement

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].

Equal Opportunity Statement

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