Senior Staff Software Engineer — Layer 7 Security

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in Santa Clara, CA, is seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer for the Layer 7 security team. You will design architecture, influence product direction, and lead the development of security technologies addressing evolving threats.

The role requires deep systems programming, networking, and distributed systems expertise, with a track record of delivering high-performance, production-grade software and mentoring other engineers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science or related technical field, or equivalent practical/military experience.
• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, including significant time in senior technical leadership roles.
• Expert-level proficiency in C and strong proficiency in Go.
• Extensive experience developing in Unix/Linux environments.
• Proven experience designing and building large-scale, high-performance distributed systems.
• Deep expertise in networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP internals and network security technologies.
• Advanced experience with multi-threaded, multi-process, and multi-core system design.
• Strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and systems-level performance optimization.

Responsibilities

• Drive the development of highly scalable, real-time, distributed cloud security systems
• Define and implement robust, high-performance, and maintainable system architectures
• Set technical direction for critical components, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security
• Partner with product management, security research, and platform teams to translate complex requirements into executable designs
• Lead end-to-end execution across the software development lifecycle, from concept through deployment and sustainment
• Establish and enforce engineering best practices, including code quality, performance optimization, and secure development
• Mentor senior and junior engineers, and elevate the technical capabilities of the organization
• Identify architectural, tooling, and process gaps and drive improvements at an organizational level
• Serve as a technical authority for debugging, performance tuning, and complex system challenges

Skills

C

Go

Unix/Linux

Distributed systems

Networking

Multithreading

Data structures

Algorithms

System design

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Our Mission

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

Engineering – Our engineering team is at the core of our products and connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. We are constantly innovating - challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity. Our engineers don’t shy away from building products to solve problems no one has pursued before. We define the industry instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of a challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

Job Summary

The Layer 7 security team is seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to help the design and development of next-generation Layer 7 security capabilities. You will define architecture, influence product direction, and lead the development of security technologies that address sophisticated and evolving threats. This role requires deep expertise in systems programming, networking, and distributed systems, along with a strong track record of delivering high-performance, production-grade software.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive the development of highly scalable, real-time, distributed cloud security systems
• Define and implement robust, high-performance, and maintainable system architectures
• Set technical direction for critical components, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security
• Partner with product management, security research, and platform teams to translate complex requirements into executable designs
• Lead end-to-end execution across the software development lifecycle, from concept through deployment and sustainment
• Establish and enforce engineering best practices, including code quality, performance optimization, and secure development
• Mentor senior and junior engineers, and elevate the technical capabilities of the organization
• Identify architectural, tooling, and process gaps and drive improvements at an organizational level
• Serve as a technical authority for debugging, performance tuning, and complex system challenges

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science or related technical field, or equivalent practical/military experience
• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, including significant time in senior technical leadership roles
• Expert-level proficiency in C and strong proficiency in Go
• Extensive experience developing in Unix/Linux environments
• Proven experience designing and building large-scale, high-performance distributed systems
• Deep expertise in networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP internals and network security technologies
• Advanced experience with multi-threaded, multi-process, and multi-core system design
• Strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and systems-level performance optimization