Principal Software Engineer (AI Software Integration - Prisma AIRS)

Palo Alto Networks; California (MO); On-site; USD 147,000 - 238,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Backend AI Software Integration Engineer to build a multi-tenant GenAI security platform. You will focus on backend Python, APIs, and data ingestion to secure enterprise AI pipelines and partner architectures.

Join a team that designs middleware, AI gateways, and integration hooks with strong emphasis on security, scalability, and high availability. This role may require travel and offers a competitive compensation package.

Qualifications

• Experience: 5+ years in Software Engineering or Systems Integration with backend focus.
• Backend Python: production-level mastery of Python for asynchronous services and microservice architectures.
• API development: building, debugging, and integrating REST, gRPC, and WebSockets APIs and gateways.
• Data transformation: mapping and standardizing data formats between systems.
• Middleware: building robust middleware, webhooks, and retry logic for high-volume syncs.
• AI stack integration: integrating LLM APIs, vector storage, and MCP via backend middleware.
• Architecture & security: creating blueprint diagrams and securing AI workloads against prompt injections.
• Rapid mastery of Prisma AIRS.
• Testing: using PyTest/unittest and distributed-system evaluation workflows.
• Communication: strong customer focus and collaboration.
• Education: BS/MS in CS/CE or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain high-performance asynchronous REST/gRPC microservices in Python.
• Develop API endpoints, webhook receivers, and data ingestion hooks for LLM prompts and logs.
• Build middleware and AI Gateway integrations with security controls and policy enforcement.
• Create architecture diagrams and integration blueprints for Prisma AIRS across cloud/hybrid environments.
• Engineer automated LLM probing pipelines and expose endpoints for telemetry and dashboards.
• Provide documentation or SDKs to accelerate partner integrations.

Skills

Backend engineering

Python

API design

Cloud security

Communication

Education

BS/MS Computer Science/Engineering or related field

Tools

FastAPI

Flask

gRPC

Envoy

Kong

Celery

Redis

RabbitMQ

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

Join our team as a Backend AI Software Integration Engineer building a multi-tenant GenAI Security Platform that enables enterprises to benchmark, red-team, and secure LLMs and agentic workflows. In this core engineering role, you will focus predominantly on backend software development in Python—building middleware APIs, data ingestion endpoints, and integration hooks to embed Palo Alto Networks Prisma AIRS across enterprise AI pipelines and partner architectures.

Key Responsibilities

• Backend Software & API Engineering: Design, build, and maintain high-performance, asynchronous REST/gRPC microservices, background job workers, and database schemas in Python.
• AI Ingestion & Integration Hooks: Develop clean API endpoints, webhook receivers, and data ingestion hooks to collect, route, and inspect LLM prompts, context payloads, and agent execution logs.
• AI Gateways & Agent Workflows: Build middleware logic and AI Gateway integrations connecting model providers and agentic frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, MCP) with inline security controls, policy enforcement, and fallback routing.
• Solution Architecture & Blueprints: Author technical architecture diagrams and integration blueprints documenting insertion points for the Prisma AIRS portfolio (Model, Red Teaming, Runtime, and Agent Security) within cloud and hybrid environments.
• Automated Red-Teaming & API Exposure: Engineer programmatic execution pipelines for automated LLM probing (jailbreaks, prompt injections) and expose structured API endpoints to serve telemetry data to frontend dashboards and SIEM tools.
• Technical Onboarding: Review partner software architecture and provide documentation or SDKs to speed up integration timeline.

Travel

This role may require travel.

Qualifications Required

• Experience: 5+ years in Software Engineering or Systems Integration with a primary emphasis on backend development and cloud security.
• Backend Python Depth: Production-level mastery of Python for asynchronous backend services, API frameworks (FastAPI, Flask, or gRPC), and microservice architectures.
• Core Software & API Development: Experience developing, debugging, and integrating enterprise APIs (REST, gRPC, WebSockets) and API gateways (e.g., Envoy, Kong).
• Data Transformation: Experience writing code to map, translate, and standardize mismatched data formats between systems.
• System Orchestration: Experience building robust middleware, webhooks, and retry logic to handle high-volume sync traffic and system failures.
• AI Stack Integration: Practical experience integrating LLM APIs, vector storage, and agentic protocols/frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, MCP) via backend middleware.
• Architecture & Security: Proven ability to create technical architecture blueprints (e.g., Lucidchart) and secure AI workloads against prompt injection and model vulnerabilities.
• Rapid mastery of Prisma AIRS.
• Testing & Quality Assurance: Experience using testing frameworks (e.g., PyTest, unittest) and robust evaluation workflows for distributed systems.
• Communication: Excellent customer focus, collaboration and communication skills.
• Education: BS/MS Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical field or equivalent or equivalent military experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Asynchronous Systems: Strong background in distributed task queues (e.g., Celery, Redis, RabbitMQ) and event-driven backend architectures.
• AI Security Expertise: Hands-on experience with automated AI red teaming, prompt defense tools, and securing Model Context Protocol (MCP) server interactions.
• Ecosystem Familiarity: Working knowledge of major enterprise platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, Databricks, Glean).

#LI-TD12 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?: Yes

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