Sr. Staff Software Engineer (AI Platform)

Palo Alto Networks; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 154,000 - 249,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Sr. Staff Software Engineer (AI Platform) in Santa Clara, CA to design and build intelligent software agents, production-ready LLM pipelines, and predictive analytics across our product ecosystem.

You will bridge frontier AI models with scalable services, collaborating with Core AI/ML teams to drive high-availability architecture. You should have 6+ years in software or distributed systems, 2+ years building AI software and integrating LLMs, and strong

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in software engineering or distributed systems with a Bachelor’s degree in a technical field.
• 2+ years of hands-on experience building AI software, integrating LLMs, or developing predictive analytics into production applications.
• Proven track record with LLM APIs & SDKs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock) alongside practical prompt engineering and agent framework development.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals in Python, TypeScript (Node.js), or Go.
• Deep understanding of software architecture, asynchronous programming, distributed systems design, and performance tuning.

Responsibilities

• Architect AI-Driven Systems: Design and build production-grade software applications, agentic workflows, and custom LLM integrations using Python, TypeScript, or Go.
• Engineer Autonomous Agents: Develop intelligent, self-executing software agents to automate complex operational tasks, drift detection, and application workflows.
• Integrate Predictive Analytics: Leverage predictive machine learning models to analyze application performance, system behavior, and operational spend patterns in real time.
• Build Next-Gen Observability & Security Tools: Implement intelligent observability frameworks and AI-driven automation for automated auditing and code/vulnerability patching via LLM interfaces.
• Bridge AI & Platform Architecture: Partner closely with Core AI/ML teams to translate frontier models into high-availability, high-throughput software services.
• Design Root Cause Analysis Workflows: Architect internal AI agents and diagnostic tools for automated Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and system

Skills

AI software

LLM integration

Python

TypeScript/Node.js

Go

Prompt engineering

Distributed systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in a technical field

Tools

OpenAI APIs

Anthropic

Vertex AI

Bedrock

Kubernetes

GitHub Actions

GitLab CI

Pulumi

Terraform

AWS CDK

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

Job Summary

As a Sr. Staff Software Engineer (AI Platform), you will design, architect, and build intelligent software applications, agentic workflows, and production-ready LLM integrations across our product ecosystem. Leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies, you will engineer autonomous software agents, implement custom LLM pipelines, and integrate predictive analytics directly into core applications to automate complex operations. This role is pivotal in driving our next-generation software architecture by bridging state-of-the-art AI model capabilities with scalable application environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect AI-Driven Systems: Design and build production-grade software applications, agentic workflows, and custom LLM integrations using Python, TypeScript, or Go.
• Engineer Autonomous Agents: Develop intelligent, self-executing software agents to automate complex operational tasks, drift detection, and application workflows.
• Integrate Predictive Analytics: Leverage predictive machine learning models to analyze application performance, system behavior, and operational spend patterns in real time.
• Build Next-Gen Observability & Security Tools: Implement intelligent observability frameworks and AI-driven automation for automated auditing and code/vulnerability patching via LLM interfaces.
• Bridge AI & Platform Architecture: Partner closely with Core AI/ML teams to translate frontier models into high-availability, high-throughput software services.
• Design Root Cause Analysis Workflows: Architect internal AI agents and diagnostic tools for automated Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and system

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in Software Engineering, Platform Engineering, or Distributed Systems with a Bachelor’s degree in a technical field.
• 2+ years of hands‑on experience building AI software, integrating LLMs, or developing predictive analytics into production applications.
• Proven track record with LLM APIs & SDKs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock) alongside practical prompt engineering and agent framework development.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals in Python, TypeScript (Node.js), or Go.
• Deep understanding of software architecture, asynchronous programming, distributed systems design, and performance tuning.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Haves)

• Experience with multi-cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP) and Infrastructure-as-Code tools (Pulumi, AWS CDK, Terraform).
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes, service meshes, and cloud-native networking dynamics.
• Background in Linux internals, low-level system performance tuning, or core SRE practices.
• Experience building intelligent CI/CD delivery pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI) with AI-assisted code reviews.
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) or equivalent cloud architecture certifications.

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 (https://benefits.paloaltonetworks.com/) .

$153,700.00 - $248,600.00/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