Principal Software Engineer (Cloud Platform and AI Engineering)

Our MissionAt 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 AreIn 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 SummaryYour Career Our ATP Cloud team is at the forefront of integrating AI into cybersecurity infrastructure — building intelligent systems that fundamentally change how we detect, respond to, and resolve incidents at scale. As a Principal Software Engineer, you will own the technical vision for our AI-powered platform, shaping how agentic workflows and LLM-driven automation are built into the backbone of our cloud services on GCP. This is a high-impact role where your decisions will directly influence product direction and team growth.Your ImpactOwn the architecture and technical roadmap for AI agentic workflows that automate complex operational and engineering challengesDesign and scale backend systems on GCP that seamlessly integrate AI capabilities into production servicesDrive the adoption of GCP-native AI tools (Vertex AI Agent Builder, Google ADK) and define how our team builds and ships AI agentsPartner with product managers, cybersecurity researchers, and AI application teams to translate business problems into AI-driven solutionsSet the engineering bar for the team — establish best practices for building, testing, and operating AI-augmented services in productionInfluence technical direction across the organization and mentor engineers to grow their cloud and AI expertiseQualifications Your ExperienceBS/MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent military experience required8+ years of experience working on large cloud infrastructure platformsStrong proficiency in Python and/or GoLangHands-on experience building AI agents or agentic workflows (e.g., using Google ADK, Vertex AI Agent Builder, or custom agent frameworks)Experience with MCP (Model Context Protocol) or similar agent-tool integration patternsPractical experience working with LLMs, prompt engineering, and integrating AI models into backend servicesExperience building semantic layers, KV caching, or similar techniques to optimize LLM performance and reduce inference costSolid skills in multi-threaded and multi-process programming and experience in distributed systemsStrong microservice development experienceRich GCP experience and its suite of managed services (Vertex AI, Pub/Sub, GKE, Cloud Run, Secret Manager)Solid knowledge and skills in Linux, Kubernetes, and DockerSolid knowledge of web servers/proxies such as NGINX, EnvoyComprehensive experience with SQL and NoSQL technologies such as MySQL, Redis, BigQueryHands-on experience with messaging/queuing systems such as Pub/Sub or KafkaSolid understanding of system design, scalability, optimization, and performance metricsExceptional problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environmentTeamwork, problem-solving, and a can-do attitudeCompensation DisclosureThe 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.$147,000.00 - $237,500.00/yrOur 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 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?: YesSummaryLocation: Santa Clara, United States of AmericaType: Full time