Principal SRE Engineer (US Citizen)

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 147,000 - 237,500; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking a Principal SRE to join our InfoSec SRE team in Santa Clara, California. You will design, build, and maintain secure multi-cloud infrastructure, ensuring compliance and adaptability standards for federal projects.

With over 8 years of SRE/DevOps experience, you will lead automation efforts while integrating security capabilities into CI/CD pipelines. This role demands strong expertise in Terraform, Kubernetes, and cloud security architecture.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• 8+ years of SRE/DevOps experience, including 2 years handling U.S. Federal projects.
• Deep knowledge of cloud security architecture.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate secure, multi-cloud infrastructure.
• Champion Infrastructure as Code using Terraform.
• Integrate automated security into CI/CD pipelines.

Skills

SRE/DevOps experience

AWS/GCP architecture

Kubernetes expertise

Terraform proficiency

Python scripting

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

Terraform

GitHub

Jenkins

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

Palo Alto Networks is disrupting the Cyber Security industry! We’re definitely not business‑as‑usual and that goes for the talent we hire. We’re looking for a Principal SRE to join our InfoSec SRE team that owns the process of securing and delivering secure infrastructure for our Enterprise, SaaS, and Public Cloud security services. With your mad SRE/DevSecOps skills, you’ll build, maintain and scale highly critical, security production services in a Google Cloud Platform environment as well as collaborate with other team members. You won’t see this in most InfoSec teams in the industry and this highly visible position will help drive our goal to continue being a powerful, disruptive force in Cyber Security.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect Federal Resilience: Design, build, and operate secure, multi‑cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP) tailored for FedRAMP and DoD impact levels, ensuring systems meet strict federal compliance and adaptability standards.
• Strategic Automation Leadership: Champion Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform and Monitoring as Code (MaC) to automate robust deployments and end‑to‑end observability across production environments.
• DevSecOps Orchestration: Integrate automated security and compliance capabilities into CI/CD pipelines (GitHub/GitLab/Jenkins), ensuring a comprehensive, automated cloud and application security solution.
• Operational Excellence: Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for critical incidents and participate in on‑call rotations, driving systemic improvements and leveraging GitOps principles to prevent recurrence.
• Innovation & Mentorship: Foster a ‘Community of Practice’ for collective learning, integrating AI‑driven development tools and mentoring teams on modern SRE practices and security tools.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• BS/MS in Computer Science/Engineering or equivalent training, education, and experience in information / cyber security, computer systems, IT, etc.
• 8+ years of SRE/DevOps experience, including at least 2 years of experience handling U.S. Federal Government project deliverables.
• 4+ years of expertise in AWS/GCP architecture and services, with must‑have experience in Kubernetes, container networking, and Linux systems administration.
• Expert‑level proficiency with Terraform and Helm for IaC, and a strong background in building/maintaining CI/CD pipelines using GitHub, GitLab, or Jenkins.
• Deep knowledge of cloud security architecture, vulnerability management, and networking protocols (IP networking, VPNs, DNS, load balancing, and firewalling).
• Proficiency in Python and Shell scripting; expert troubleshooting skills to resolve complex cloud infrastructure and service issues using metrics and data‑driven decisions.
• Deep understanding of full‑lifecycle configuration management.

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. 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.

Accommodations

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 Employer

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.

EEO Statement

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.