Sr Staff UX Researcher

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
At Palo Alto Networks, our mission is to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks. As part of our Network Security (NetSec) Platform team, you'll play a key role in shaping intuitive, scalable user experiences for complex enterprise environments. You'll drive impact by uncovering deep user insights through both qualitative and quantitative research and by helping teams across the company leverage those insights to make confident, user-centered decisions.
Your Impact
As a UX Mixed-Methods Researcher, you'll use both qualitative and quantitative approaches to untangle complex user problems across a large-scale enterprise platform. You'll lead research that clarifies workflows, informs navigation and AI-powered experiences, and gives designers, PMs, and executives the evidence they need to make confident decisions. You'll also help scale usability capabilities across teams and strengthen research operations so continuous discovery becomes a fully supported, repeatable practice.
This is an in-person role based in our Santa Clara office, with a minimum requirement of three days per week on site.
What You'll Be Doing
Lead research by diving into interviews, usability sessions, surveys, telemetry, and product data to uncover how real users navigate complex, high-stakes security workflows.
Work directly with design and product, facilitating alignment sessions, translating research into clear decisions, and becoming the person teams rely on when they need user truth, clarity, and direction-fast.
Blend qual and quant seamlessly, pairing behavioral data with human stories to create crisp, insight-driven guidance that helps teams cut through ambiguity and make confident product decisions.
Level up the entire org's usability muscles by building practical toolkits, running hands-on training, and jumping in alongside designers and PMs to help shape, run, and interpret fast, lightweight tests.
Shape research infrastructure through action, improving recruiting, refining screeners, building repeatable processes, and creating ways to connect insights across studies, feedback channels, and customer conversations.

Qualifications
Your Experience
4-6+ years of UX research experience, with hands-on expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Deep technical proficiency with Pendo is required (specifically Analytics, Guides, CSAT, and Session Replay). Familiarity with additional data and survey tools like Tableau and Qualtrics is highly desired.
Proven success navigating complex enterprise environments and leading research that informs product decisions.
Strong ability to translate insights into clear, actionable guidance for a range of audiences, from designers and PMs to SVPs and cross-functional leaders.
Experience designing research programs or toolkits that scale usability testing across non-researchers without sacrificing rigor or user empathy.
Familiarity with research operations, including participant recruitment workflows and repository strategies that enable pattern recognition across feedback channels.
A collaborative, thoughtful approach, comfortable operating autonomously while also mentoring and enabling others not familiar with research.

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.

$114,000.00 - $185,000.00/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.