Principal Software Engineer (Mobility/Network Security)

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

We are looking for motivated, smart, hardworking and passionate individuals to join the Next-gen Firewall dataplane team as a Software Engineer. You will be part of a world-class software engineering team that works on various cutting-edge technologies for the firewall. As a member of a dataplane / mobility networking software group, you will be responsible for designing and developing the next-generation firewall. You will take ownership for large software components, work with product management on real life customer requirements, apply your knowledge to functional design, utilize your programming skills for efficient and robust implementation, and interact with quality assurance and field support teams in the whole software development cycle. The culture at Palo Alto Networks is creative, dynamic and inspiring to tackle real work Cyber-attacks.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop Next Gen Network Security Components and Protocols for State-of-the-art firewalls deployed at Enterprise, Data Center, Cloud, and Service Provider environments.

• Develop network security features for securing 4G/5G service provider networks as well as enterprise 5G deployments..

• Develop security modules with disruptive technologies based on deep packet inspection (DPI), Machine Learning (ML) Algorithms and automation via AI agents

• Develop scalable high availability solution for stateful Failover

• Collaborate with multi-functional team members on user requirements, including but not limited to Product Management, QA, Support, etc.

• As a decision maker, take ownership and independently drive, lead tasks and assignments

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience as a developer in the networking related products on the dataplane side.

• Expert C, Python, Shell script programming skills.

• Expert in common network protocols such as TCP/IP stack, IPv4, IPv6 etc.

• Knowledge of mobility protocols like GTP/PFCP/SCTP and 4G/ 5G is a plus, a strong ability to learn these is required.

• Strong experience in large scale software development on Unix/Linux systems.

• Can-do attitude and ability to take initiative and drive open issues to completion

• Strong communication skills to work effectively with multi-functional groups

• Effective decision maker, take ownership and independently drive, lead tasks and assignments

• BS/MS degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or equivalent or equivalent military experience.

#LI-TD12

Compensation Disclosure

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/com-missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

$156,400.00 - $253,000.00/yr

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 View email address on click.appcast.io.

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.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship?: Yes