Senior Staff Penetration Testing Engineer

Palo Alto Networks; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 152,000 - 246,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Senior Staff Penetration Testing Engineer to conduct comprehensive penetration tests and lead red team operations across cloud-native apps and large-scale infrastructure.

You'll leverage AI-assisted testing frameworks, drive security guidance to engineering teams, and champion secure design across complex systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of experience, or Master's degree with 3+ years of experience in penetration testing, offensive security, or a related field.
• Proven experience conducting comprehensive penetration tests across cloud-native applications and large-scale infrastructure.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and lead assumed-breach, objective-based red team operations including lateral movement and privilege escalation.
• Strong proficiency in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in cloud services and container orchestration platforms.
• Experience researching and developing custom tooling or scripts to automate security testing and improve efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive penetration tests across cloud-native apps, large-scale infra, and complex networks.
• Execute multi-tenant isolation testing and segmentation validation.
• Identify, exploit, and document vulnerabilities in cloud services, containers, and pipelines.
• Plan and lead assumed-breach red team operations to test defensive controls.
• Integrate AI-assisted testing frameworks and automation into workflows.
• Provide security guidance to SRE and Engineering during remediation planning.
• Lead security assessment of internal tooling, identity management, and third-party integrations.
• Develop custom tooling or scripts to automate testing and increase efficiency.
• Translate complex findings into high-impact reports for technical and exec audiences.
• Mentor junior team members and act as SME on threats and exploits.

Skills

Penetration testing

Offensive security

Red team operations

Cloud security

Vulnerability research

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master's degree

Tools

Custom tooling scripts

Job description

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

The Team

Information Security - We’re not your ordinary Information Security team. We’re a diverse group of security professionals who challenge the status quo in order to protect Palo Alto Networks and our customers. Driving innovation on the Information Security team of the fastest-growing high-tech cybersecurity company is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You’ll be joined by the brightest minds in technology, and our global teams are on the front line of defense against cyberattacks.

Job Summary

As a Senior Staff Penetration Testing Engineer, you will conduct comprehensive penetration tests and lead assumed-breach red team operations across cloud-native applications and large-scale infrastructure. You will leverage AI-assisted testing frameworks to accelerate threat discovery and provide expert security guidance to engineering teams, ensuring robust defense against emerging cyber threats.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive penetration tests across cloud-native applications, large-scale infrastructure, and complex network architectures.
• Execute multi-tenant isolation testing and segmentation validation.
• Identify, exploit, and document vulnerabilities in cloud services, container orchestration platforms, and automated deployment pipelines.
• Plan and lead assumed-breach, objective-based red team operations against systems to test the effectiveness of defensive controls.
• Integrate AI-assisted testing frameworks and LLM-driven automation into penetration testing workflows.
• Provide expert-level security guidance to SRE and Engineering teams during remediation planning and secure architectural design.
• Lead the security assessment of internal tooling, identity management systems, and third-party integrations.
• Research and develop custom tooling or scripts to automate testing and improve the efficiency of offensive engagements.
• Translate complex technical findings into high-impact reports and presentations for both technical stakeholders and executive leadership.
• Mentor junior team members and act as a subject matter expert on emerging threats and exploitation trends.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of experience, or Master's degree with 3+ years of experience in penetration testing, offensive security, or a related field.
• Proven experience conducting comprehensive penetration tests across cloud-native applications and large-scale infrastructure.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and lead assumed-breach, objective-based red team operations including lateral movement and privilege escalation.
• Strong proficiency in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in cloud services and container orchestration platforms.
• Experience researching and developing custom tooling or scripts to automate security testing and improve efficiency.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience integrating AI-assisted testing frameworks and LLM-driven automation into penetration testing workflows.
• Deep understanding of FedRAMP-mandated attack vectors and compliance testing.
• Strong background in providing security guidance to SRE and Engineering teams during secure architectural design.
• Excellent communication skills with the proven ability to translate complex technical findings for executive leadership.
• Demonstrated track record of mentoring junior team members and acting as a subject matter expert on emerging threats.

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. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

$152,300.00 - $246,400.00/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.

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].

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.

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.