Senior Principal Backend Engineer - AI-Driven, Scalable

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 277,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking a Sr Principal Software Engineer (Backend-Focused) to lead the technical development of backend infrastructures for Unit 42. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience, specializing in distributed systems, and utilizing AI-assisted coding tools to optimize workflows.

You will mentor junior engineers while contributing to complex backend projects. The role supports a hybrid work environment with responsibilities that emphasize backend resilience and scalability.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of backend-heavy experience with proven success in distributed systems.
• Expert-level proficiency in AI-assisted coding tools.
• Strong desire to mentor and develop junior engineering talent.
• Comfortable reading, debugging, and architecting data flow with frontend teams.

Responsibilities

• Champion the use of AI tools throughout the development lifecycle.
• Lead the design and implementation of resilient backend services.
• Act as an Individual Contributor for complex backend projects.
• Bridge the gap between threat research data and service architecture.

Skills

Distributed systems (Go/Python/Java)

AI-assisted coding tools (Cursor, Claude)

Frontend integration (React/TypeScript)

Mentoring junior engineers

Tools

Cursor

Claude

Job description

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is seeking a Sr Principal Software Engineer (Backend-Focused) to lead the technical development of backend infrastructures for Unit 42. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience, specializing in distributed systems, and utilizing AI-assisted coding tools to optimize workflows.

You will mentor junior engineers while contributing to complex backend projects. The role supports a hybrid work environment with responsibilities that emphasize backend resilience and scalability.