Principal Software Engineer (Cortex Xpanse)

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

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Principal Software Engineer for the Cortex Xpanse group in Santa Clara to identify and mitigate external security risks by continuously discovering and analyzing customers' internet-facing assets. You will design and build scalable backend services and data pipelines to provide a comprehensive view of the external attack surface.

You will own the full development lifecycle, contribute to architecture, mentor engineers, and promote engineering best practices across

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Experience designing, developing, deploying, and supporting scalable software systems
• Proficiency in Python, Java, or Golang; API design and microservices

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain the core services and data pipelines for our Attack Surface Management platform.
• Take part in architecture strategy sessions—design solutions across Cortex modules.
• Collaborate with your team to 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 your team delivers high-quality output.
• Take ownership of projects, drive them to completion, and support them in production.

Skills

Python

Java

Golang

API design

Data pipelines

CI/CD

Cloud platforms

Mentoring

Tools

Apache Spark

Apache Beam

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!

Job Summary

Your Career

The Cortex Xpanse group is growing, and we're looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join our team. This team is at the forefront of identifying and mitigating external security risks by continuously discovering and analyzing our customers' internet-facing assets. Your work will directly contribute to providing a comprehensive and actionable view of the external attack surface, enabling proactive security measures.

As a Principal Software Engineer on this team, you will contribute to the entire development lifecycle of our systems. Your responsibilities will range from designing and building scalable backend services and APIs to developing robust frameworks and internal tools. You will work on creating efficient, reliable systems that support our platform's core functionalities and enable other engineering teams to build and innovate effectively.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain the core services and data pipelines for our Attack Surface Management platform.

• Take part in 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

Required Qualifications

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

• Proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Python, Java, or Golang.

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

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

• Working knowledge of data processing frameworks and tools (e.g., Apache Spark, Apache Beam, or similar).

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

• Significant experience working with at least one major cloud platform (e.g., GCP, AWS, or Azure), and their data services.

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

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

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 (https://benefits.paloaltonetworks.com/) .

$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.