Senior Principal Software Engineer – Backend (Machine Identity Security, SaaS Control Plane)

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

Job Summary

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join our Machine Identity Security team, focused on backend systems that power the control plane of our platform. In this role, you will lead the design and evolution of scalable backend services, APIs, and integrations that enable secure machine identity and certificate lifecycle management at scale. You will work on high‑throughput, low‑latency distributed systems supporting large‑scale request volumes and real‑time system interactions. You will operate at a systems level, shaping how control plane capabilities are built, exposed, and consumed across the platform. This includes defining APIs, managing service interactions, and ensuring reliability under load across distributed environments. You will be responsible for shaping the technical direction of control plane services, influencing architectural decisions across teams, and driving consistency in how systems are designed, built, and scaled across the platform. This role requires strong technical depth, product awareness, and the ability to guide complex engineering decisions across multiple teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of backend services and APIs that power the Machine Identity Security control plane
• Own and drive backend architecture and system design for control plane services, with a focus on scalability, reliability, and extensibility
• Define and influence how control plane capabilities are exposed through APIs, SDKs, and integrations
• Build and guide the development of integrations between the control plane and external systems/tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, enterprise platforms)
• Design and operate high-throughput distributed systems supporting large‑scale, multi‑tenant SaaS control plane environments, with a focus on latency, reliability, and data consistency
• Optimize backend services for performance at scale, including request throughput, concurrency, and system efficiency under load
• Partner closely with product, platform, and security teams to define and evolve control plane capabilities and long‑term system direction
• Drive consistency and best practices across teams building control plane services, influencing design patterns, service communication, and data handling at a platform level
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues across distributed control plane services, setting patterns and approaches for other engineers to follow
• Mentor engineers and contribute to raising the technical bar through design reviews and technical leadership
• Drive technical decisions and influence backend direction across teams working on the platform
• Drive improvements in development workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and engineering standards
• Contribute to evolving engineering practices that incorporate modern development tooling responsibly, with attention to security, correctness, and maintainability

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of professional experience in software development, with demonstrated ownership of complex backend or control plane systems
• Strong experience building backend services and APIs using Java (primary); Go experience is a plus
• Deep experience designing and scaling distributed systems and microservices architectures
• Hands‑on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), ideally in SaaS environments
• Strong system design expertise, including API design, performance optimization, and scalability patterns
• Experience building or operating systems under real production load, including high request throughput, concurrency, and performance optimization at scale
• Experience building and supporting APIs, SDKs, and integrations used by internal and external customers
• Experience with data streaming, messaging systems, or real‑time processing (e.g., Kafka)
• Experience with CI/CD, containerization (Docker), and orchestration (Kubernetes)
• Familiarity with identity, authentication, or security systems (SAML, OAuth, certificate management) is a plus
• Proven ability to lead large‑scale system design efforts and influence technical direction across multiple teams or services
• Ability to influence technical direction, mentor engineers, and drive alignment across teams
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to operate effectively in a collaborative, fast‑paced environment

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/com‑missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. Our employee benefits may be found elsewhere.

$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.

Accommodation

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 Statement

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 Confidentiality

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Immigration Sponsorship

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship?: Yes