Staff Software Engineer (Masters)

Palo Alto Networks; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

RippleMatch Inc. in Santa Clara, CA seeks a Staff Software Engineer (MS) to join an AI-driven security platform. You will contribute to AI-enabled development across Strata, Prisma, Cortex, and AI Security initiatives, collaborating with researchers and product managers to deliver secure software solutions.

You will work on software development, embedded and distributed systems, and leverage AI tools to improve code quality, testing, and automation. Masters degree is required.

Qualifications

• Master's degree expected Dec 2026–May/Jun 2027 in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Data Science, AI, or Software Engineering or similar field.
• Strong programming skills in Python, Java, or C/C++ with ML concepts.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, develop, and deploy software solutions with agility and rapid iteration.
• Use AI-assisted development tools to boost productivity and code quality.
• Help define and evolve engineering practices that leverage AI for code generation, testing, documentation, refactoring, and operations.
• Write clean, maintainable code and participate in peer reviews and team design discussions.
• Contribute to automation of development, deployment, and monitoring as part of a DevOps culture.
• Continuously learn and apply AI technologies to improve developer workflows.
• Participate in team retrospectives and drive improvements in velocity and product quality.

Skills

Python

Java

C/C++

AI coding tools

Networking fundamentals

Education

Masters degree in ML/CS/Cybersecurity/Data Science/AI/SE

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Job description

Staff Software Engineer (MS)

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

Join a Research and Development (R&D) team to make a global impact by preventing successful cyber attacks. In this role, AI knowledge and hands-on experience are imperative to your success, as artificial intelligence is central to how we defend systems and engineer modern security solutions. Your projects will provide real, hands-on experience working directly on cutting-edge platforms across our Strata, Prisma, Cortex, and AI Security organizations. We are seeking engineers passionate about technology and cybersecurity, with opportunities in Software Development (including AI/ML & Data Science), Embedded Systems, and Distributed Systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, develop, and deploy software solutions with agility and rapid iteration.
• Use and experiment with AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, internal agents) to boost productivity and improve code quality.
• Help define and evolve new engineering practices that leverage AI for code generation, testing, documentation, refactoring, and operations.
• Write clean, maintainable code and participate in peer reviews and team design discussions.
• Contribute to the automation of development, deployment, and monitoring processes as part of a DevOps culture.
• Continuously learn and apply new AI technologies, frameworks, and techniques that can enhance developer workflows.
• Participate in team retrospectives and help drive improvements in team velocity and product quality.

Required Qualifications

• Masters degree earned between December 2026 - May/June 2027 in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering or a similar field.
• Strong programming skills in either Python, Java or C/C++.and experience working with Machine Learning concepts.
• Proficiency with AI coding tools or concepts of AI-DLC.
• Familiarity with Networking fundamentals (for Embedded & Distributed Systems positions).
• An understanding of the fundamentals of Computer Science.
• Exemplify strong initiative and ability to work independently with limited direction.
• Ability to work cross functionally with other engineers, researchers and Product Managers.
• Excellent communications skills and an interest in Cybersecurity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to large language models (LLMs) or AI/ML APIs, even through personal projects.
• Familiarity with cloud environments (GCP, AWS or Azure) and containerized development (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience with modern developer tools such as CI/CD pipelines, observability platforms, and infrastructure-as-code.
• Exemplify strong initiative and ability to work independently with limited direction.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with other engineers, researchers, and Product Managers.
• Excellent communication skills.
• A demonstrated interest in Cybersecurity.