Principal Software Engineer (Prisma Access)
Palo Alto Networks4 days ago
Base Salary
$156k - $253k/yr
Responsibilities
- Lead architecture, systems design, performance optimization, and scaling of Prisma Access cloud infrastructure.
- Profile Linux kernels and optimize TCP/IP stacks, sockets, memory and CPU caches, interrupts, and low-latency packet forwarding.
- Architect high-throughput networking pipelines, kernel/user-space data paths, and control-plane routing engines across AWS, GCP, and OCI.
- Design resilient multi-cloud connectivity topologies integrating cloud-native networking primitives, software-defined overlays, and containerized workloads.
- Establish telemetry, distributed tracing, and deep-packet inspection diagnostics for strict SLAs and SLOs.
- Build fleet provisioning, configuration deployment, and validation automation using Terraform, Kubernetes, and Python.
- Integrate agentic coding environments, automated diagnostic harnesses, and AI-assisted workflows into systems development.
- Partner with Product Management, Cloud Architecture, SecOps, and Support on customer escalations, architectural standards, design reviews, and mentoring.
Requirements
- 10+ years of progressive systems engineering and software development experience in cloud networking infrastructure, high-throughput systems, or distributed security platforms.
- Strong programming proficiency in C/C++, Go, or Rust and extensive scripting and automation experience in Python.
- Hands-on expertise with Linux networking, including netfilter, iptables/nftables, network namespaces, routing tables, and socket programming.
- Expertise with high-performance packet acceleration frameworks such as eBPF, DPDK, or SR-IOV.
- Knowledge of BGP, OSPF, FRR, BIRD, IPSec, GRE, WireGuard, TCP/UDP, SSL/TLS, and QUIC.
- Experience deploying and operating mission-critical network appliances or services in AWS, GCP, or OCI.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical industry experience.
Benefits
- Most teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when needed.
- The position is eligible for immigration sponsorship.
- Benefits may include restricted stock units and a bonus in addition to the base salary.
About Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks builds cybersecurity products for enterprises and governments, including next-generation firewalls, cloud security (Prisma Cloud/Prisma Access), and SOC tools (Cortex). It sells subscriptions and appliances with cloud-delivered threat intelligence, securing networks, endpoints, and applications across data centers and public clouds. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company is publicly traded on the NYSE under the ticker PANW.