Staff Engineer Software (Cortex Platform) - US Citizen Santa Clara, California, United States

Palo Alto Networks; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 112,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Staff Software Engineer for the Cortex backend team in Santa Clara. You will contribute to developing, innovating, and scaling Cortex Platform and related infrastructures to deliver value to thousands of customers.

The role requires 5+ years in software engineering, proficiency in Python or Go, and experience with cloud and microservices. Strong collaboration and problem-solving skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in Python or Go and building scalable server-side apps.
• Experience with RDBMS and NoSQL databases.
• Distributed cloud products and microservices architecture exposure.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end backend development of features and core components.
• Collaborate with peers across teams to design and integrate solutions.
• Engage with customers to understand challenges and provide robust technical solutions.
• Contribute to technical and architectural decisions, code and design reviews.

Skills

Python

Go

Databases (SQL/NoSQL)

Distributed cloud & microservices

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

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.

The Team

Cortex Platform - The Cortex Platform team is responsible for developing and maintaining the backend of Cortex products, including Cortex XSOAR, Cortex XDR, and Cortex XSIAM. The team focuses on developing, innovating, and scaling the Cortex Platform, along with contributing to shared Cortex infrastructures and components, to bring value to thousands of customers.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join our Cortex backend engineering group. In this role, you will be pivotal in developing, innovating, and scaling the Cortex Platform, contributing to shared infrastructures and components. This position is for a passionate engineer with a can‑do attitude, who thrives on solving complex problems and delivering significant value to our global customer base by enhancing our Cortex product suite.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end backend development of features and core components through the entire lifecycle, from design and development to testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Proactively collaborate and exchange information with peers across different teams and disciplines to design and integrate effective solutions.
• Engage with customers to understand their challenges and provide robust technical solutions that address their day‑to‑day operational needs.
• Contribute to team‑wide technical and architectural decisions, participating actively in code and design reviews to ensure quality and alignment.
• Design, build, and maintain high‑scale, distributed server‑side applications, ensuring reliability and performance.
• Focus on the details of implementation to ensure the simplicity and maintainability of code for shared Cortex infrastructures and components.
• Apply learning from new technical challenges to continuously improve system architecture and development processes.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, including designing and building scalable server‑side applications.
• Proven experience with a variety of database technologies, including both RDBMS and NoSQL systems.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and working with distributed cloud products and microservices architecture.
• Proficiency in Python or Go programming languages.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Hands‑on experience with major cloud platforms such as GCP, AWS, or Azure.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
• Familiarity with modern CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code.

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.

$111,500.00 - $180,400.00/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.