Early Talent - Engineer Software (PHD Pipeline)

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

Your Career
We are looking for a passionate and self-driven Security Researcher to join our Cloud-Delivered Security Services team. As a Security Researcher you will play a critical role in developing and refining security content that powers our next-generation products. You'll work on building and optimizing automation systems to gather and process real-time data, supporting the detection and prevention of malware and other digital threats. Collaborating with experienced security researchers, you'll analyze emerging threats and contribute to robust security solutions.
Your Impact
Learn about next-generation firewalls and their role in network security

Build and improve automation systems for data collection and processing

Apply AI/ML methods to analyze real network traffic to detect, analyze, and mitigate threats

Research network security countermeasures for identifying and mitigating cyber attacks

Collaborate with security researchers to analyze adversarial activities and implement proactive protections

Qualifications
Your Experience
Basic understanding of malware types (e.g., Spyware, Ransomware, Exploits) and popular vulnerabilities (e.g., command injection, buffer overflow)

Familiarity with key network protocols (e.g., HTTP, SMTP, FTP)

Proficiency in at least one programming language such as Python or Go

Experience with ML/GenAI techniques and tools is a plus, such as:
Techniques - Anomaly detection, deep learning, supervised/unsupervised learning, and natural language processing (NLP)

Tools - TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-Learn, Pandas, NumPy, Keras, NLTK, SpaCy, or Hugging Face Transformers

Exposure to malware analysis and Capture-the-Flag (CTF) exercises is a plus

Experience with traffic analysis tools (e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump) and reverse engineering tools is a plus

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.

$90,000.00 - $147,500.00/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

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.