Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Our Approach to Work

We lead with flexibility and choice in all of our people programs. We have disrupted the traditional view that all employees have the same needs and wants. We offer personalization and offer our employees the opportunity to choose what works best for them as often as possible - from your wellbeing support to your growth and development, and beyond!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work from the office three days per week, leaving two days for choice and flexibility to work where you feel most effective. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. While details may evolve, our goal is to create an environment where innovation thrives, with office-based teams coming together three days a week to collaborate and thrive, together!

Your Career

The Cortex Vulnerability Management Scanning team is expanding, and we’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join our team. This team builds the software that provides our customers visibility into their behind-the-firewall attack surface, allowing them to prioritize and remediate critical vulnerabilities using the XSIAM platform.

Your Impact

• Design, build, and maintain network scanning software to run on customers’ networks, as well as the infrastructure required to deliver and update it

• Build an in-depth understanding of the leading open source network scanning solutions

• Analyze existing solutions, identify barriers to scaling, recommend changes, then implement

• Take part in architecture strategy sessions - design solutions that accommodate the requirements of the various groups across Cortex

• Collaborate with teams to solve problems, reduce technical debt, and evolve development practices

• Drive technical best practices and evangelize new technologies within the engineering org

• Mentor other engineers and ensure that your team delivers high-quality output

• Take ownership of projects, drive them to completion, and support them in production

Your Experience

• 5+ years of experience as a professional software engineer writing back end software

• Experienced and opinionated about API design and distributed backend systems

• Able to switch between research, design, prototype, and implementation

• Experience using cloud managed services (ideally in GCP)

• Proficient in Python and one of Rust, Goland, or C coupled with strong network programming skills

• Strong knowledge of common networking protocols such as HTTP, DNS, DHCP, ARP, FTP, etc - Basic knowledge in other less common protocols such as ICS/SCADA or database protocols

• Familiarity with common open source security software such as Nuclei, OpenVAS, and Nmap

• Strong knowledge in network architectures; understands subnetting and routing and how VLANs work and affect network scanning

• Proficiency in Linux and Windows operating systems

• Basic understanding how a variety of exploits work and shows skills in enumerating and selecting the correct exploit for a given system

• Familiarity with packaging, deploying, and supporting on-prem / private cloud software

• Working knowledge of at least one of the major cloud platforms (eg GCP, AWS, or Azure)

Nice To Haves

• Cybersecurity knowledge demonstrated with base level certifications (eg OSCP, GPEN, or Pentest+) or willingness to obtain

• Knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks and vulnerability methodologies

• Familiarity with current penetration and security assessment tools such as Metasploit, Nmap, Burp Suite, Wireshark, etc.

• Experience contributing to open source software

The Team

To stay ahead of the curve, it’s critical to know where the curve is, and how to anticipate the changes we’re facing. For the fastest growing cybersecurity company, the curve is the evolution of cyberattacks, and the products and services that proactively address them. Our engineering team is at the core of our products – connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. They are constantly innovating – challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity. These engineers aren’t shy about creating products to solve problems no one has tackled before. They define the industry, instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

Our engineering team is provided with an unrivaled opportunity to build the products and practices that will support our company growth over the next decade, defining the cybersecurity industry as we know it. If you see the potential of how incredible people products can transform a business, this is the team for you. If you don’t wait for directions, instead, identifying new features and opportunities we have to just get better, this is your new career.

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 accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com .

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