Skip to main contentA logo with &quat;the muse&quat; in dark blue text.

Principal Engineer Software in Test (Prisma Access)

AT Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks

Principal Engineer Software in Test (Prisma Access)

Santa Clara, CA

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we're looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

Want more jobs like this?

Get jobs in Santa Clara, CA delivered to your inbox every week.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy.


As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Your Career

As a Principal Software Engineer in Test on our Prisma Access Cloud Service team, you will design, develop and deliver next-generation technologies. You will build, automate, and run performance testing scenarios for our products in virtualized elements.

We are looking for highly technical individuals driven in their desire to get hands-on experience with a wide variety of networking technologies. You'll work closely with our development and product management teams, testing and presenting the results to identify new approaches.

You will participate in design discussions and help make a difference in developing the future direction of our software.

You will drive the efficiency and reliability of our products by testing them thoroughly to understand potential risks, bugs, or issues, providing an exemplary product experience for our end users. You strive for the best in everything you do-meaning you won't rest until the products you work on are of the highest quality. You love hunting for problems within code, seeking issues to correct, and enjoy the challenge of a code-based scavenger hunt that includes testing, providing feedback, and identifying alternative suggestions for our product's environment.

Prisma Access™ extends the protection of our next-generation security platform. Prisma Access Cloud Service operationalizes the deployment by leveraging a cloud-based security infrastructure operated by Palo Alto Networks. It uses cutting-edge public and private cloud technologies extending the next generation security protection to all cloud services, customers on-premise remote networks and mobile users.

Your Impact

  • Design, develop and execute test automation to test software features on our next-generation security platform as part of our Prisma Access Cloud Service
  • Become inventive in testing approaches by building tools and automation scripts
  • Suggest and implement improvements to the test process
  • File bugs and work with Development to fix issues seen
  • Mix in your creative skills with a focused testing approach to produce the best quality products in cybersecurity
  • Be involved in a rigorous approach to testing for specifications, assist the team with testing methods or tools for new testing
  • You will also have the chance to work on different public cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) to automate cloud orchestration, visualization and alerting mechanisms

Your Experience

  • Be proficient in one or more scripting/programming languages including Python or Go
  • Experience with IPSec, BGP, L3 VPNs, SD-WAN, DHCP, TCP, UDP
  • Networking - Intermediate to Expert level Experience with REST API driven Automation using Python or Go
  • Experience with Cloud Technologies such Aws/Azure/GCP
  • Experience with DB clusters (MySQL,BQ, Redis,,Zookeeper,Neo
  • Experience with Linux or Esxi Virtualization or Docker/Kubernetes is a plus
  • M.S./B.S. degree in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering or equivalent military experience required
  • 10+ years experience

The Team

Our engineering team is at the core of our products - 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. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of a challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

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/commissioned roles) is expected to be between $147000 - $237500/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our Commitment

We're problem solvers that 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 accommodations@paloaltonetworks.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.

Client-provided location(s): Santa Clara, CA, USA
Job ID: Palo_Alto_Networks-JR-003329
Employment Type: Full Time

Perks and Benefits

  • Health and Wellness

    • Health Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • FSA
    • HSA
    • HSA With Employer Contribution
    • Life Insurance
    • Short-Term Disability
    • Long-Term Disability
    • Fitness Subsidies
    • On-Site Gym
    • Pet Insurance
    • Mental Health Benefits
    • Virtual Fitness Classes
  • Parental Benefits

    • Fertility Benefits
    • Adoption Assistance Program
    • Family Support Resources
    • Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
    • Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
    • Adoption Leave
  • Work Flexibility

    • Flexible Work Hours
    • Remote Work Opportunities
    • Hybrid Work Opportunities
    • Work-From-Home Stipend
  • Office Life and Perks

    • Commuter Benefits Program
    • Casual Dress
    • Happy Hours
    • Snacks
    • On-Site Cafeteria
    • Holiday Events
  • Vacation and Time Off

    • Paid Vacation
    • Unlimited Paid Time Off
    • Paid Holidays
    • Personal/Sick Days
    • Leave of Absence
    • Volunteer Time Off
  • Financial and Retirement

    • 401(K)
    • 401(K) With Company Matching
    • Company Equity
    • Stock Purchase Program
    • Performance Bonus
    • Relocation Assistance
  • Professional Development

    • Promote From Within
    • Mentor Program
    • Access to Online Courses
    • Leadership Training Program
    • Tuition Reimbursement
    • Lunch and Learns
    • Internship Program
    • Professional Coaching
    • Work Visa Sponsorship
  • Diversity and Inclusion

    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program
    • Employee Resource Groups (ERG)
    • Founder led
    • Veteran founded/led
    • Asian founded/led

Company Videos

Hear directly from employees about what it is like to work at Palo Alto Networks.