Principal Software Engineer (Network Security)

Company Description

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.

FLEXWORK is an employee-centric reimagining of how we work. We built FLEXWORK based on employee feedback – it is about flexibility, trust, and choice whenever possible. It’s been a journey of disruption that has yielded the best of our values. We offer as much flexibility as possible, and choices that enable you to be most productive, including benefits that meet your needs and learning opportunities that you feel passionate about.

Job Description

Your Career

As part of the Network Security dataplane team, you are responsible for developing and innovating solutions for Palo Alto Networks next-generation Firewalls and Prisma Access Cloud. Specifically in the areas of network security, high throughput networking, next generation cluster and data plane architecture.

You will also be responsible for innovation, developing proof of concept and productizing 'new' ideas by implementing them and collaborating with team members.

We expect office-based employees to be in the office four days per week, with one day working from where they choose. We believe being together facilitates casual conversations and those magic moments where we can work on issues and ideas informally. These moments build capability and deepen trusted relationships and allow our people to feel safe in taking risks and being disruptive. Like so many companies, we are working through the details and things could change…. but in general if a role is deemed office-based we want our teams to be together four days per week.

Your Impact

1. Responsible for development of NextGen Network Security Components and Protocols for State-of-the-art firewalls deployed at Enterprise, Data Center, Public/Private Cloud, and Service Provider environments
2. Development of features and architecture for NextGen Security Hardware and Virtual platforms in areas of Network Security/Threats and stateful TCP/UDP inspection
3. Develop scalable flow architecture for packet processing pipeline for multi-core platforms
4. Develop scalable software solutions for a distributed session architecture spanning across a cluster of firewalls
5. Work with multi-functional team members on feature requirements, including but not limited to Product Management, QA, Support, etc
6. Product visionary, ideas on competitive edge, Effective decision maker, take ownership and independently drive, lead tasks and assignments

Qualifications

Your Experience

1. BS Degree in Computer Science and 10 plus years of work experience or MS Degree in Computer Science with 8 plus years experience or equivalent military experience required
2. Proficient coding skills in C/C++/Python and large scale software development on Unix/Linux
3. Strong technical knowledge in computer architecture and operating systems
4. Strong experience in packet processing, networking (L2-L4) protocols - TCP/UDP/IP
5. Experience in DPDK and performance tuning is desired
6. Can-do attitude and ability to take initiative and drive open issues to completion
7. Good communication skills to work effectively with multi-functional groups

Additional Information

The Team

We define the industry, instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of a challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

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

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.

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 $140,100/yr to $226,600/yr. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.