Sr Principal / Architect Engineer, Software - Backend, Alerting (Chronosphere)

Palo Alto Networks; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 184,000 - 297,000; Full time

Job summary

Chronosphere, a Palo Alto Networks company, is the observability platform built for control in the modern, containerized world. Chronosphere empowers customers to focus on data and insights, reducing complexity and costs.

We are seeking experienced engineers to craft fast, intuitive UX and scalable backend features. You will work with Go on Kubernetes across AWS and GCP, participating in a high-impact team that values collaboration, delivery, and continuous learning.

Qualifications

• Own projects from inception to delivery while collaborating with product managers and engineers.
• Experience with large-scale distributed systems.
• Fluency in a system-level language (Go, C++, Java, C#, or Rust).

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and ship features using Go on Kubernetes across AWS/GCP.
• Deliver complex features addressing key customer pain points with cross-functional teams.
• Work with engineers in a fast-paced environment to enable growth and learning.
• Refine designs based on user feedback and deliver polished user experiences.
• Lead experiences surfacing insights and reducing cognitive load in high-pressure situations.
• Collaborate with PMs, designers, and engineers to turn data into visuals and workflows.
• Maintain automated tests, tooling, and deployment infrastructure for efficiency.
• Mentor colleagues to build reliable, high-quality user experiences.

Skills

Project ownership

Distributed systems

Customer empathy

Curiosity to learn

Feedback-driven

Collaborative working style

Go/C++/Java/C#/Rust fluency

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.

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!

This role is remote, but distance is no barrier to impact. Our hybrid teams collaborate across geographies to solve big problems, stay close to our customers, and grow together. You will be part of a culture that values trust, accountability, and shared success where your work truly matters.

Job Summary

Chronosphere, a Palo Alto Networks company, is the observability platform built for control in the modern, containerized world. Chronosphere empowers customers to focus on the data and insights that matter by reducing complexity, optimizing costs, and remediating issues faster. Chronosphere reduces data volumes and associated costs by 84% on average while saving developers thousands of hours. Recognized as a leader by major analyst firms, Chronosphere is trusted by the world's most innovative brands, including DoorDash, affirm, and Zillow.

The Team

Chronosphere, a Palo Alto Networks company, is the observability platform built for control in the modern, containerized world. Chronosphere empowers customers to focus on the data and insights that matter by reducing complexity, optimizing costs, and remediating issues faster. Chronosphere reduces data volumes and associated costs by 84% on average while saving developers thousands of hours. Recognized as a leader by major analyst firms, Chronosphere is trusted by the world's most innovative brands, including DoorDash, affirm, and Zillow.

Job Summary

The #1 reason organizations invest in an observability tool is to know when something is broken so they can fix it. This has been the case for over 25 years. The Alerting Platform & Workflows team focuses on providing a reliable, fast and intuitive experience for configuring, receiving, and responding to alerts.

Our users—software developers—need to troubleshoot issues that impact their own users. We build products that help suggest possible next steps to investigate, narrow down possibilities, and quickly root–cause issues. We are seeking experienced engineers who can craft intuitive, fast, and reliable user experiences empowering software engineers to diagnose and resolve incidents with confidence.

Qualifications

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and ship enhancements and new features to core product capabilities using Go, deployed on Kubernetes across cloud platforms such as AWS and GCP
• Design, implement, and deliver complex product features that address key customer pain points, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams—including product management, design, and engineering—to ensure alignment and impact throughout the development lifecycle.
• Work closely with talented engineers in a fast-paced environment that fosters accelerated learning, continuous growth, and career development
• Think beyond implementation—challenge assumptions, refine designs based on user feedback, and take ownership of delivering polished, effective user experiences.
• Lead development of user experiences that surface critical insights at a glance, streamline troubleshooting, and reduce cognitive load during high-pressure situations.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and other engineers to turn complex data into actionable, easy-to-understand visualizations and workflows.
• Share accountability with other engineers across the company to build and maintain automated tests, tooling, and deployment infrastructure that improve efficiency.
• Mentor your colleagues in engineering reliable, performant, high-quality user experiences through direct mentorship, program development, and engineering infrastructure improvements.

Required Qualifications

• The ability to own projects from inception to delivery either independently or as a technical leader of a small team, all while collaborating with product managers, UX designers, and other engineers.
• Experience in working with large scale distributed systems
• A passion for solving complex problems and ability to empathize with customers
• The curiosity and motivation to learn deep complex domain areas
• The habit to seek feedback to improve your work and the ability to ask for help when you need it
• A flexible, collaborative working style. We’re a small team working in a rapidly evolving space, and we’re looking for people that will help build a positive, supportive environment
• Fluency in a system level language such as Go, C++, Java, C#, or Rust. Knowing a specific language isn’t important; what matters is that you’ve become fluent in one by spending a lot of time on the types of projects where these languages are used

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.

$183,600.00 - $297,000.00/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?: Yes