Principal Software Development Engineer (Agent Security)

Job-ID: 24395Category: Software DevelopmentLocation: Sunnyvale, CA, United StatesWorkplace: HybridSchedule: Full timePosted: 2026-09-16Principal Agent Security Engineer*Early Career Candidates with 0–2 years of professional experience, including recent graduates, are encouraged to apply.*ResponsibilitiesBuild AI security solutions for enterprise customers.Design and implement security controls for agentic AI systems.Provide technical leadership across product development, working closely with Product, Engineering, and QA teams to define architecture, drive technical decisions, and deliver secure and scalable solutions.Develop pre-sales and post-sales tools and environments to support customer evaluations, deployments, troubleshooting, and integration.Own and operate production services, including troubleshooting, performance optimization, reliability improvements, and ongoing hardening of security-critical systems.Research emerging technologies and security trends to identify new opportunities and develop innovative solutions.Drive technical strategy and product roadmap, including new feature design, architecture evolution.RequirementsStrong software engineering skills in Python or Go, or in a systems language such as Rust or C/C++.Bachelor’s degree or above in Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.8+ years of experience building and operating production backend services, including architecture ownership of security-critical and highly available systems.Strong system design and architecture skills, with the ability to make sound technical trade-offs across security, scalability, reliability, and performance.Self-driven and proactive, with strong problem-solving, debugging, and technical leadership skills and a focus on delivering high-quality solutions.Strong PlusExperience with LLM and agent security, including areas such as prompt injection, tool poisoning, jailbreaks, and agent security controls.Agentic AI architecture — Deep understanding of MCP and A2A, with hands-on experience designing and building agentic AI systems, including tool-calling and agent frameworks.Cybersecurity background — Professional experience in application security, network security, identity, API security, or other cybersecurity domains.Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.The US base salary range for this full-time position is $212,000-$259,000. Fortinet offers employees a variety of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 401(k), 11 paid holidays, vacation time, and sick time, as well as a comprehensive leave program.Wage ranges are based on various factors, including the labour market, job type, and job level. Exact salary offers will be determined by factors such as the candidate's subject knowledge, skill level, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.All roles are eligible to participate in the Fortinet equity program. Bonus eligibility is reviewed at the time of hire and annually at the Company’s discretion.Why Join Us:We encourage candidates from all backgrounds and identities to apply. We offer a supportive work environment and a competitive Total Rewards package to support you with your overall health and financial well-being.Embark on a challenging, enjoyable, and rewarding career journey with Fortinet. Join us in bringing solutions that make a meaningful and lasting impact to our 890,000+ customers around the globe.About the companyFortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) secures the largest enterprise, service provider, and government organizations around the world. Fortinet empowers its customers with intelligent, seamless protection across the expanding attack surface and the power to take on ever-increasing performance requirements of the borderless network - today and into the future. Only the Fortinet Security Fabric architecture can deliver security without compromise to address the most critical security challenges, whether in networked, application, cloud or mobile environments. Fortinet ranks number one in the most security appliances shipped worldwide and more than 500,000 customers trust Fortinet to protect their businesses.We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity in our company, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, military/veteran status or any other applicable legally protected characteristics in the location in which the candidate is applying.