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 The Team

Engineering - Our engineering team is at the core of our products – and our mission. We are constantly looking for new ways to solve real-world problems, and we aren’t afraid to try new things. Our engineering team is core to our innovation and success, and you will be a part of a team that is changing the future of cybersecurity. We’re a team of builders, breakers, and problem solvers. We’re a friendly, collaborative, and incredibly talented team that is looking to expand. If you’re looking to be a part of a team that is changing the future of cybersecurity, you’ve found it.

Job Summary Join the Palo Alto Networks SASE group as a seasoned QA/Automation engineer to validate core networking and security features for our SD-WAN team. You will be part of a world-class, multi-functional engineering team working on groundbreaking technologies. In this role, you will solve interesting and complex problems in the SD-WAN space, contributing directly to our mission of protecting our digital way of life.

Key Responsibilities

• Work in a small, fast-paced team to solve important customer problems and deliver impactful results.
• Contribute to all phases of end-to-end product and solution validation.
• Collaborate with development and quality assurance groups to achieve the best quality.
• Suggest and implement improvements to the QA process.
• Work with DevOps and Technical Support teams to troubleshoot customer issues.
• Lead, mentor, and coach team members to foster growth and excellence.

Qualifications Required Qualifications

• 5-10 years of relevant experience, with a BS or MS degree in a related field.
• Strong experience with cloud services such as AWS, Azure, GCP, AliCloud, and OCI.
• Strong experience with automation and programming using Python.
• Strong experience with microservices technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
• Strong experience with REST APIs and automation framework development.
• Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and troubleshooting skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong experience with UI Automation using Playwright with Python.
• Experience using AI tools for test plans, strategy, and automation tasks.
• Experience in system/scale testing simulating large enterprise networks.
• Good understanding of control plane and data plane architecture in networking devices.
• Familiarity with virtualization technologies such as VMware ESXi, QEMU/KVM, and Microsoft Hyper-V.
• Good knowledge of standard TCP/IP protocols (ARP, IP, ICMP, TCP, UDP, IPSec VPNs).
• Good knowledge of routing protocols such as BGP, OSPF, EIGRP.
• Knowledge and experience in protocols like Multicast, IPv6, DNS, NAT, and DHCP.
• Ability to build and maintain complex cloud/networking testbeds.

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 [email protected].

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.