Senior Staff Software Engineer
Palo Alto Networks · Posted Sep 28
Network security, cloud security, AI threat defense, and security operations platforms
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About the role
Palo Alto Networks is a cybersecurity company whose mission is to protect the digital way of life, weaving AI into its products and engineering practices. The engineering organization builds and operates the distributed, cloud-native microservices that power its enterprise ecosystem. This Senior Staff Software Engineer role will architect and scale fault-tolerant distributed systems, deliver code in C#/.NET Core, Java or Python, drive Docker/Kubernetes/OpenShift and CI/CD pipelines, manage AWS infrastructure as code, and mentor peers while integrating AI-driven development practices.
What you will do
- As a Senior Staff Software Engineer, you will be a technical cornerstone of our engineering organization. You will design, build, and scale highly complex, distributed microservices that power our enterprise ecosystem. This role requires a blend of deep hands-on technical expertise, systems thinking, and a passion for modern engineering practices. You won’t just write code; you will architect scalable systems, champion code quality, and pave the way for AI-driven development methodologies
- System Architecture & Design: Design and evolve highly scalable, resilient, and fault-tolerant distributed systems capable of handling enterprise-level throughput.
- Hands-on Development: Deliver high-quality, clean, and maintainable code using C# (.NET Core), Java, or Python within cloud-native microservice environments.
- Complex Integrations: Deconstruct and map intricate enterprise integrations, understanding how disparate systems interact to build cohesive, scalable solutions.
- DevOps & Automation: Drive containerization and orchestration strategies using Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift. Own and optimize modern CI/CD pipelines (GitHub, Jenkins, Artifactory).
- Engineering Excellence: Champion rigorous code reviews, robust testing frameworks, and strict API design standards (RESTful APIs). Constantly challenge the status quo to optimize performance and tech stack efficiency.
- Infrastructure as Code: Leverage AWS and AWS CDK to build and manage secure, scalable, and automated cloud infrastructure.
- Technical Leadership: Act as a force multiplier by mentoring peers, driving spec-driven development, and integrating next-gen AI tools into the team's daily workflow
Skills used in this role
What the employer is looking for
- 5+ years of professional experience in large-scale, enterprise-level software environments.
- 5+ years of deep hands-on development experience in C#, Java, or Python, with a strong emphasis on .NET Core in cloud-based environments.
- Expert-level understanding of Distributed Systems Design, including design patterns, caching strategies, and asynchronous messaging.
- Strong experience with containerization and orchestration technologies, specifically Docker, Kubernetes, and Red Hat OpenShift.
- Proven track record with AWS cloud environments and Infrastructure as Code (AWS CDK, Python, or equivalent).
- Deep experience designing, building, and securing REST APIs and developing automated testing/automation frameworks.
- Expertise with modern CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions/Workflows, Jenkins, and JFrog Artifactory).
- Exceptional cognitive capacity to grasp complex, heavily integrated legacy and modern system architectures.
- A fierce passion for code design, refactoring, and maintaining a high bar for engineering discipline.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Preferred qualifications
- AI-Tool Driven Delivery: Familiarity or hands-on experience leveraging AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Claude, Cursor, LLM prompts) to accelerate delivery and code generation.
- Spec-Driven Development: Experience using AI tools to interpret, generate, or validate technical specifications and test cases before writing code.
- AI Agents & LLMs: Basic understanding of integrating AI agents, LLM APIs, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) frameworks into enterprise workflows is a massive plus.
Benefits and support
- Compensation and benefits are detailed in the job posting
About Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is a global cybersecurity leader that delivers integrated platforms and services across network security, cloud security, and security operations. Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence and threat intelligence through Unit 42, the company helps tens of thousands of enterprise and government customers worldwide protect against sophisticated cyber threats.
- Industry
- Cybersecurity
- Company size
- 16000+ employees
- Founded
- 2005
- Location
- Santa Clara, California, USA
- Funding stage
- Public Company
Funding
Public Company · $65.7M raised
- 2008-11-01Series C$40M
Leadership
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Chief Product and Technology Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Information Officer
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