Sr. Principal Software Engineer (Prisma SASE)

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.

The Team

Engineering - Our engineering team is at the core of our products and connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. We are constantly innovating — challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity. Our engineers don’t shy away from building products to solve problems no one has pursued before. We define the industry instead of waiting for directions.

Job Summary

As a Sr. Principal Software Engineer in the Engineering team, you will join a world‑class group developing ground‑breaking SASE technologies. You will serve as a technical lead, designing and developing systems to solve complex problems in networking data path software. This role requires working with cross‑functional teams to drive innovation and deliver impactful results in the SASE domain.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical lead to drive core implementation and design of networking data path components with high autonomy.

• Lead full product release cycles, spanning from initial feature design to final version release and deployment.

• Collaborate within a fast‑paced team to solve critical customer problems and deliver high‑impact security solutions.

• Contribute to all phases of the product development cycle, including definition, architecture, implementation, and testing.

• Proactively identify opportunities for product improvement and innovate new features based on customer feedback.

• Design and develop high‑performance data plane and control plane architectures for networking devices.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• BS degree in Computer Science or related field with 12+ years of experience, or MS degree with 10+ years of experience in system software development.

• Extensive experience developing data path components and working with data plane/control plane architectures on networking devices.

• Proficiency in C programming and experience with packet forwarding mechanisms using DPDK.

• Strong background in system design and architecture of networking products involving switching, routing, and security.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Linux system programming, including sockets, shared memory, and multi‑threaded programming.

• Knowledge of Layer 3/Layer 4 network protocols (TCP/IP, ARP, ICMP, UDP) and the Linux networking stack.

• Proficiency in additional languages such as Python or Go, and experience with cloud networking technologies.

• Experience with cloud networking technologies is desired.

• Strong passion for troubleshooting and debugging complex systems with excellent problem‑solving techniques.

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 (

$170,000.00 - $277,000.00/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