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 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.

Your Career

Palo Alto Networks' SD-WAN group is looking for an exceptionally skilled Senior Staff Software Engineer. This pivotal individual contributor role demands deep expertise in core networking, security, and a keen understanding of security certification needs for network and firewall appliances. You'll be instrumental in shaping the future of our next-generation SD-WAN platform, driving the architecture, design, and development of its core software components alongside a world-class team. We require strong proficiency in networking protocols, distributed systems, and modern software engineering practices.

We expect office-based employees to be in the office four days per week, with one day working from where they choose. We believe being together facilitates casual conversations and those magic moments where we can work on issues and ideas informally. These moments build capability and deepen trusted relationships, and allow our people to feel safe in taking risks and being disruptive. Like so many companies, we are working through the details and things could change.., but in general, if a role is deemed office-based, we want our teams to be together four days per week.

Your Impact

• SD-WAN Architecture & Design: Lead the architectural design and development of critical software modules for our SD-WAN platform, including control plane, data plane, orchestration, and management components.

• Hands-on Development: Write high-quality, scalable, efficient, and well-tested code primarily in C/C++, Go, or Python for core SD-WAN functionalities.

• Feature Development & Enhancement: Drive the end-to-end implementation and/or enhancement of SD-WAN features such as dynamic path selection, application-aware routing, traffic engineering, and network security features 

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with Product Management, QA, and other engineering teams to translate product requirements into technical specifications and deliver high-quality solutions.

• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Serve as a technical expert and mentor for other engineers, providing architectural guidance, technical direction, and conducting thorough code reviews.

Your Experience 

• Bachelors/Masters in Computer Science or a related fields or equivalent military experience required

• 5+ years of experience in Software Development

• Strong leadership skills with a can-do attitude

• Extensive hands-on programming skills in C/C++, Python and Go

• Expertise in control plane, data plane, and security features of SD-WAN platforms

• Knowledge of multi-core/multi-process/multi-threaded programming with strong OS concepts.

• Expertise with standard TCP/IP protocols such as ARP, IP, ICMP, TCP, UDP & IPSec VPNs

• Expertise in testing of  Layer 2/3 networking, routing protocols such as BGP, OSPF, IPSec, QoS, NAT, and policies etc.

• Expertise in networking features like Multicast, IPv6, DNS, NAT & DHCP

• Expertise in Solution scale, Performance, interoperability, and failover testing of SD-WAN solutions 

• Familiarity with virtualization technologies such as VMware ESXi, OpenStack, qemu/kvm, Microsoft Hyper-V, 

• Excellent problem-solving, system debugging/troubleshooting skills with proficiency with GDB protocol analyser tools (Wireshark),  and a customer-focused mindset

The Team

• Our engineering team is at the core of SDWAN products – connected directly to the mission of providing world class SASE solutions. We are constantly innovating – challenging the way we, and the industry, think about SD WAN. 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.

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  [email protected].

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.