Sr Principal Software Engineer (Agentic AI Security)

Palo Alto Networks; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 277,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Sr Principal Software Engineer, where you'll shape the future of cybersecurity. This role involves developing innovative cloud security solutions for Fortune 100 companies, leading a talented team, and mentoring fellow engineers. You'll work in a dynamic environment that values collaboration and creativity, driving impactful projects in a fast-paced setting. If you're passionate about cybersecurity and eager to make a difference, this is the perfect opportunity for you to thrive and grow in your career.

Benefits

FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account

Mental health resources

Financial health resources

Personalized learning opportunities

Stock options

Flexible work arrangements

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Diversity and inclusion programs

Qualifications

• 14+ years in software engineering focused on cloud-native applications.
• Strong programming skills in Java, Python, or Go with distributed systems experience.
• Experience with security products and cloud technologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop software products for Agentic AI Security and lead the team.
• Design and implement scalable features for cloud-native deployment.
• Mentor engineers and collaborate cross-functionally to deliver services.

Skills

Cloud-native application development

Java

Python

Go

Distributed systems

Security best practices

DevOps principles

Troubleshooting

Agile methodology

Collaboration skills

Education

BS in Computer Science

MS in Computer Science

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

ElasticSearch

Redis

Kafka

MongoDB

Spring Boot

Microsoft Power Platform

Salesforce

Zappier

Job description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contribute to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us every day - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Your Career

Palo Alto Networks CASB team is looking for a Sr Principal Software Engineer to help us build out our CASB Security capability on the cloud. You have the unique opportunity to help build out a world-class security service which caters to the growing needs of multiple Fortune 100 enterprise companies across the globe.

Be part of a world-class software engineering team that works on various ground-breaking cloud security service offerings. Accelerate the development team in delivering security as a service in the public cloud by providing highly scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant infrastructure.

Your Impact

1. Responsible for developing software products for Agentic AI Security
2. Serve as a technical lead for the team
3. Work with PMs and Engineering Leaders to define product features to Secure AI agents and applications
4. Provide thought leadership and own the design and architecture for the product/features being built
5. Responsible for quick prototyping and conducting POCs to demonstrate security issues with Agentic AI platforms and potential solutions
6. Write clean, testable, readable, scalable and maintainable Java/ Python / Go lang code
7. Design, develop and implement highly scalable software features and infrastructure on our security platform ready for cloud-native deployment from inception to completion
8. Lead and contribute to design and development discussions
9. Develop solid understanding and be able to explain advanced Cloud Computing and Cloud Security and AI security concepts to others
10. Work cross-functionally with Product Management, SRE, Software, and Quality Engineering teams to deliver new security as a service offerings to the market in a timely fashion with excellent quality
11. Be able to clearly communicate goals and desired outcomes to internal project teams
12. Work closely with customer support teams to improve end-customer outcomes
13. Mentor other engineers on the team

Your Experience

1. 14+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on cloud-native application development, at large organizations or innovative startups
2. In-depth knowledge of OWASP LLM Top 10 vulnerabilities, OWASP Low Code No Code Top 10 vulnerabilities and OWASP NHI Top 10 vulnerabilities
3. Knowledge of AI Agents / LLM security, Application security, Network security, Authentication, Authorization, Identity systems, encryption, and secure coding practices
4. 7+ Experience and deep understanding of Low Code / No Code platforms like Microsoft Power Platform, Salesforce, Zappier, Marketo etc.
5. 3+ experience with Agentic AI platforms such as Microsoft Copilot Studio, Salesforce Agentforce, Crew AI, Amazon Bedrock, Azure AI, Google Vertex AI, Open AI etc.
6. Strong programming skills in one of Python, Go, or Java, with experience in building distributed systems
7. Preferred experience with security products- Data and DLP, CASB Security, SASE, integration with third party APIs and services
8. 8+ years Experience with running workloads on cloud-based architectures. (AWS/GCP experience preferred)
9. 8+ years of experience in cloud technologies like ElasticSearch, Redis, Kafka, Mongo DB, Spring Boot
10. Experience with Docker and Kubernetes or other container orchestration platforms
11. Excellent troubleshooting abilities. Isolate issues found during testing and verify bug fixes once they are resolved
12. Experience with backend development (Rest APIs, Databases, Serverless computing) of distributed cloud applications
13. Experience with building and delivering services and workflows at scale, leveraging microservices architectures
14. Good understanding of public cloud design considerations and limitations in areas of microservice architectures, security, global network infrastructure, distributed systems, and load balancing
15. Strong understanding of principles of DevOps and Continuous Delivery
16. Experience with AI based conversational UI and chatbot platforms and AI Agents
17. Experience with the agile process and working with software development teams involved with building out full stack products, deployed on the cloud at scale
18. Experience as a hands-on tech lead / architect
19. Can-do attitude and ability to make trade-off judgements with data driven decision making
20. High energy and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment
21. Enjoys working with many different teams with strong collaboration and communications skills
22. BS/MS in Computer Science or Computer Engineering or related technical degree or equivalent military experience required

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Experience and interest in reverse engineering, jail breaking and hacking AI systems
2. 4+ years experience in AI Security research and performing security evaluations and threat modeling
3. Knowledge of AI Agents / LLM security, Application security, Network security, Authentication, Authorization, Identity systems, encryption, and secure coding practices

The Team

Our engineering team is at the core of our products – 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.

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/commissioned roles) is expected to be between $170000/YR - $277000/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here (http://benefits.paloaltonetworks.com/).

Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that 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