Principal Software Engineer, SDET / QA Lead (Cortex Cloud)

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

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Principal Software Engineer, SDET / QA Lead, where you will shape the future of cybersecurity. This role involves leading the development of robust testing frameworks for a rapidly growing cloud security platform. Collaborate with top engineers in a dynamic environment that values innovation and teamwork. Your expertise will directly impact the quality of solutions that protect critical digital assets. With a strong focus on personal and professional growth, you will have the opportunity to mentor others and drive improvements across the organization. This is your chance to make a significant difference in the cybersecurity landscape.

Benefits

Flexible Benefits

Mental Health Resources

Financial Health Resources

Personalized Learning Opportunities

Stock Options

Bonus Structure

Qualifications

• 9+ years in technical QA roles with strong programming skills.
• Experience in developing complex test frameworks for cloud platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead test design for high-impact product features in cloud security.
• Mentor junior QA team members and drive process improvements.

Skills

Python

Test Automation

Cloud Platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Selenium

Pytest

Troubleshooting

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Test Automation Tools

CI/CD Pipelines

Job description

Principal Software Engineer, SDET / QA Lead (Cortex Cloud)

Our Mission
At Palo Alto Networks everything starts and ends with our mission:
Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are
We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Job Description

Your Career
As a Principal Software Engineer, SDET / QA Lead on the Cortex Cloud team at Palo Alto Networks, you’ll lead the charge in building scalable, reliable, and secure testing frameworks for the industry’s fastest-growing cloud security platform. Your expertise will drive quality across complex, distributed systems that protect some of the world’s most critical digital assets. You'll work alongside top engineers in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where innovation is encouraged and impact is immediate. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of cybersecurity while growing your own leadership and technical depth.

Your Impact

• 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

• 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.

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 between $147,000 - $237,500/ YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that 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.

Seniority level

• Associate

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Industries: Computer and Network Security