Senior Principal Backend Engineer – AI-Driven, Remote

Palo Alto Networks; United States; Remote; USD 170,000 - 277,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Sr Principal Software Engineer (Backend-Focused) to architect and modernize our backend infrastructure powering Unit 42’s platforms. You will lead backend initiatives as a highly capable individual contributor while preparing to mentor a growing team.

The role emphasizes resilience, scalability, and collaboration with frontend teams, leveraging AI-assisted tools to accelerate code velocity and reduce technical debt.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of backend-heavy experience with distributed systems (Go/Python/Java).
• Expert-level proficiency in AI-assisted coding tools (Cursor, Claude).
• Strong desire to mentor and develop junior engineering talent.
• Comfortable reading, debugging, and architecting data flow with frontend teams (React/TypeScript).

Responsibilities

• Champion the use of AI tools throughout the development lifecycle to enforce coding standards and accelerate debt resolution.
• Lead design and implementation of highly resilient, distributed backend services with Go, Python, and C++.
• Serve as an Individual Contributor for complex backend projects, defining roadmaps and mentorship framework.
• Bridge threat research data with scalable service architecture for long-term maintainability.

Skills

Backend expert

AI-assisted coding

Mentor junior engineers

Frontend coordination

Tools

Go

Python

Java

Job description

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Sr Principal Software Engineer (Backend-Focused) to architect and modernize our backend infrastructure powering Unit 42’s platforms. You will lead backend initiatives as a highly capable individual contributor while preparing to mentor a growing team.

The role emphasizes resilience, scalability, and collaboration with frontend teams, leveraging AI-assisted tools to accelerate code velocity and reduce technical debt.