Principal Software Engineer

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 seeking a highly skilled and experienced Engineer to join us to build the next generation Cloud Security to discover cloud resources, deploy & manage AI Runtime Security or software firewall and monitor & protect cloud networks. Our platforms represent the foundation of our network security and cloud offerings, providing you an opportunity to define the future of the cloud security industry and align your work with the company's Platformization strategy.
As a Principal Engineer on the Cloud Security team, you will bring innovation, thrive in an evolving and fast-paced environment to deliver creative, highly scalable and highly reliable cloud security services. We expect you to collaborate with cross-functional product management, development and quality assurance teams in developing and delivering products with the highest quality and velocity while ensuring security throughout the lifecycle.
To be successful in this position you must possess a deep understanding of cloud networking and have a passion for new technologies as well as strong coding and analytical skills for driving the end to end cloud security solutions in the full software development life cycle.
Your Impact
Demonstrate high ownership and accountability across deliverables
Provide technical leadership and drive end-to-end solution delivery in a fast-paced environment
Design, implement, and troubleshoot cutting-edge cloud security solutions
Contribute hands-on to next-generation cloud security architecture
Participate in all phases of the product development lifecycle: definition design implementation testing
Champion best practices around code quality, scalability, performance, and system design
Foster innovation across the organization
Recruit, onboard, and mentor new team members

Qualifications
Your Experience
Strong team player with excellent coding, analytical, and problem-solving skills
Proven hands-on experience building large-scale, distributed cloud systems
Strong proficiency in Golang or Python
Experience with NoSQL/SQL databases
Familiarity with event-driven architectures and messaging systems such as Kafka or RabbitMQ
Backend development expertise (REST APIs, databases, serverless) for distributed cloud services
Deep knowledge of Docker and the Kubernetes ecosystem
Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform
Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines
Strong understanding of public cloud architecture (security, microservices, networking, global infrastructure, load balancing)
Strong cloud troubleshooting skills
Working knowledge of TCP/IP and core networking fundamentals is a plus
Experience deploying on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform
B.S./M.S. in Computer Science (or equivalent) with 8+ years of relevant experience
High energy, adaptability, and a can-do attitude in a dynamic 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/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.

$147,000.00 - $237,500.00/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?: Yes