Principal/ Senior Principal Software Engineer | Cortex Detection team
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 Cortex is expanding. We combine the high energy of a startup with the massive resources of the world’s cybersecurity leader. We aren't just processing data; we are managing hundreds of petabytes of it, waiting Cortex for you to apply your "magic" to invent the next generation of threat detection. As a Principal Software Development Engineer, you will be a cornerstone of the Cortex Detection Backend team. This role is designed for a technical powerhouse who thrives in the "sweet spot" between high-level architectural strategy and hands-on execution. You will influence our product roadmap, mentor elite engineers, and build systems that protect thousands of the world's most sensitive organizations. Key
Responsibilities Architect & Innovate: Design and build a new set of capabilities focused on Data Analytics and Threat Detection. You will solve cloud security challenges that have never been tackled before. Scale Without Limits: Ensure our microservices architecture remains robust and resilient under massive loads, processing millions of events per second. Technical Leadership: Act as a technical sounding board and mentor. You will guide design discussions, conduct deep-dive research, and foster a culture of engineering excellence. Strategic Collaboration: Work closely with Product Management, R&D leaders, and Security Researchers to define