Sr Principal Software Engineer

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.

Who We Are
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 Description
Your Career
Responsibilities
We're seeking innovators - engineers who seek to design new products, designing state-of-the-art products that do not exist today. These engineers love to code with a drive to build global products and bring new ideas to develop security disciplines to solve real-world problems. We are looking for leaders who take ownership of their areas of focus and who are driven to pursue problems at every level. Collaboration is at the heart of our culture and we need engineers who can communicate at a high level and work well with multi-functional teams towards achieving a common goal. As a key member of Layer-7 Security group, you will be responsible for:

• Designing and developing security features on the next-generation firewalls
• You will work with product management on user requirements, apply your knowledge to functional design
• Utilize your programming skills for efficient and robust implementation
• Interact with quality assurance and field support teams throughout the entire software development cycle

Your Impact

• Innovate, design, and develop new security features in our next-generation firewalls product
• Contribute in all phases of the product development cycle, from definition, design, through implementation and test
• Design new product features, with a high focus on quality and execution
• Develop functional specifications, assess task requirements and scheduling, and assist in development, debug and support
• Suggest and implement improvements to the development process
• Clearly communicate goals and desired outcomes to internal project teams
• Interview, mentor and coach new team members

Qualifications
Your Experience

• 10+ years of enterprise product development experience with C in a Unix/Linux environment
• Flair for coding and hands on experience debugging the code using tools like GDB is required
• Working knowledge of TCP/IP internals and common data structure and algorithms
• Working knowledge of Windows kernel and Windows Filtering Platform is preferred.
• Verbal and written communication skills to work with multi-functional groups
• Teammates who brings a can-do attitude to a dynamic working environment
• Graduate degree (MS or Ph.D.) in Computer Science or similar technical discipline is preferred
• Knowledge of multi-core / multi-process / multi-threaded programming is preferred
• Experience with windows agent programming and cloud programming (go) software development is preferred
• Experience with large-scale and/or high-performance software design and development is preferred
• Experience with TLS internals, cryptography, and OpenSSL is preferred
• Experience with HTTP and web server backend development is preferred
• B.S./M.S. degree in Computer Science, similar technical discipline or equivalent practical experience or equivalent military experience required

Additional Information
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 building products to solve problems no one has pursued 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 chance to create 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.

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/commissioned roles) is expected to be between $170,000 - $277,000/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our Commitment
We're problem solvers that 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.