Senior Principal Backend Engineer, Machine Identity

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

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join the Machine Identity Security team in Santa Clara, California. You will lead the design of backend services and APIs, shaping how control plane capabilities are built and consumed. The role requires strong technical depth and experience in backend architecture, focusing on scalability and reliability in distributed systems.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years of experience and is adept at working with cloud platforms and modern development practices.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in software development.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) in SaaS environments.
• Proven ability to lead large-scale system design efforts.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of backend services and APIs for the control plane.
• Optimize backend services for performance and scalability.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to technical leadership.

Skills

Backend services and APIs

Java

Distributed systems design

Cloud platforms

CI/CD

Containerization (Docker)

Orchestration (Kubernetes)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering or related field

Job description

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join the Machine Identity Security team in Santa Clara, California. You will lead the design of backend services and APIs, shaping how control plane capabilities are built and consumed. The role requires strong technical depth and experience in backend architecture, focusing on scalability and reliability in distributed systems.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years of experience and is adept at working with cloud platforms and modern development practices.