Principal/ Senior Software Engineer | Backend & Cloud (Cortex Cloud)
About the role
Our Mission At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place.
Who We Are In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us! 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 Summary As a Senior or Principal Software Engineer in Cortex Cloud, you will contribute to the development and scaling of cloud-native security solutions for enterprise organizations. This role involves working within an established team to evolve a high-traffic product, with a focus on refining architecture, optimizing the technology stack, and maintaining engineering standards. Your
responsibilities include writing reliable code, influencing product direction, and designing distributed systems. You will be expected to make technical decisions that impact the long-term stability and performance of cloud workload protection services. AI Integration & Engineering Workflow A core component of our development process is the use of AI. Rather than basic code completion, we integrate AI assistants as functional components of our workflow. Our team utilizes a multi-agent AI system ( IDEX/ProDex ) that assists across the development lifecycle: from planning and architecture to code analysis and security reviews. In this role, you will: Work with AI Tools: Utilize platforms such as Gemini, Claude, and Cursor for tasks beyond code generation, including root-cause analysis, system design reviews, and architectural assessment. Develop AI-Augmented Workflows: Help refine how AI is integrated into the SDLC, including the orchestration of agents and the development of internal tools that extend AI capabilities across our codebase. Maintain Quality Standards: While AI assists in increasing velocity, you are responsible for the technical output. This includes critical review of all generated code and ensuring that AI-assisted work aligns with our architectural