Manager, Software Engineering (Cortex Platform) (Santa Clara)

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

Palo Alto Networks' Cortex Cloud team is looking for a seasoned and accomplished Engineering Manager to lead the development of next‑generation cloud security solutions and operate highly scalable cloud platforms. In this role, you will lead high‑performing engineering teams, drive technical execution, and foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence while delivering secure, reliable, and scalable services.

As an Engineering Leader, you will:

• Lead and grow high‑performing software engineering teams building innovative cloud security products and platforms.

• Drive the technical vision and execution of cloud‑native services in collaboration with Product Management, Architecture, and cross‑functional engineering teams.

• Own the successful delivery of features and platforms throughout the product development lifecycle, from planning and design through implementation, testing, deployment, and ongoing operations.

• Foster an engineering culture centered on quality, customer obsession, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the technical strategy and execution for building world‑class cloud security solutions, partnering with architects and senior engineering leaders on technology and architectural decisions.

• Build, develop, and retain high‑performing engineering teams through hiring, mentoring, coaching, and career development.

• Drive engineering execution by owning planning, prioritization, estimation, and predictable delivery across multiple initiatives.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Software Engineering, Quality Engineering, and Customer Success teams to deliver high‑quality Security‑as‑a‑Service offerings.

• Lead engineering teams responsible for designing, building, deploying, and operating scalable cloud security platforms and services with end‑to‑end ownership.

• Champion engineering excellence by driving software quality, reliability, security, observability, and operational best practices.

• Establish and monitor engineering metrics, including service reliability, availability, performance, and delivery efficiency.

• Drive operational excellence through incident management, root cause analysis, automation, and continuous service improvements.

• Contribute to architecture, design, and technical discussions while empowering engineers to own technical decisions and execution.

• Foster a culture of diversity, inclusion, intellectual curiosity, innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.

• Partner closely with Customer Support and Customer Success teams to improve customer experience and product reliability.

• Effectively balance multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, highly collaborative environment.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, including developing enterprise‑scale cloud services at large organizations or high‑growth startups.

• 2+ years of experience leading and managing software engineering teams.

• Proven experience delivering highly scalable, distributed cloud‑native applications and services.

• 5+ years of experience designing and building cloud‑based architectures on AWS, GCP, or Azure.

• Hands‑on programming experience in one or more of the following languages: Golang or Python.

• Strong understanding of distributed systems, microservices architectures, and cloud‑native application design.

• Deep understanding of database technologies, including SQL, NoSQL, and columnar databases. Experience with analytical data platforms such as BigQuery is a plus.

• Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and modern container orchestration platforms.

• Experience building and operating production services with a strong focus on scalability, reliability, observability, and performance.

• Strong understanding of DevOps principles, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, and cloud operations.

• Working knowledge of cloud security concepts and secure software development practices.

• Experience leading Agile software development teams delivering full‑stack cloud applications.

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to make data‑driven decisions, balance technical trade‑offs, and drive execution across multiple stakeholders.

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building AI‑powered applications, conversational AI platforms, or developer productivity tools.

• Experience with large‑scale analytics and data processing platforms.

• Experience working in cybersecurity or cloud security domains.

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent military experience.

#LI‑NP1

#LI‑HYBRID

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.

- /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 apply.placed-app.com.

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? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.