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Senior Staff Software Engineer in Test - Performance

Palo Alto Networks.com

126k - 186k USD/year

Office

Santa Clara, CA, United States

Full Time

Company Description

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.

Our Approach to Work

We lead with flexibility and choice in all of our people programs. We have disrupted the traditional view that all employees have the same needs and wants. We offer personalization and offer our employees the opportunity to choose what works best for them as often as possible - from your wellbeing support to your growth and development, and beyond!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work from the office three days per week, leaving two days for choice and flexibility to work where you feel most effective. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. While details may evolve, our goal is to create an environment where innovation thrives, with office-based teams coming together three days a week to collaborate and thrive, together!

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!

Job Description

Your Career

As a Software Engineer in Test  you will be working on our Performance Team who automates testing using Python, executes performance tests and develops new test tools.

  • 1:1 mentorship
  • Fun and engaging events that inspire your intellectual curiosity
  • Opportunity to contribute to one of the most critical aspect of company’s vision
  • The opportunity to expand your knowledge and work on challenging projects
  • Connections to other  employees across the company as well as our leaders
  • Build automation Frameworks for, HW, Cloud, and Virtualization test environments
  • Design and implement AI/ML-driven test strategies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of performance testing.
  • Responsible for performance testing of our next-generation firewall platforms
  • 1:1 mentorship
  • Fun and engaging events that inspire your intellectual curiosity
  • Opportunity to contribute to one of the most critical aspect of company’s vision
  • The opportunity to expand your knowledge and work on challenging projects
  • Connections to other  employees across the company as well as our leaders
  • Build automation Frameworks for, HW, Cloud, and Virtualization test environments
  • Design and implement AI/ML-driven test strategies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of performance testing.
  • Responsible for performance testing of our next-generation firewall platforms

Your Impact

  • Build and maintain complex test environment
  • Develop and execute test plans and test cases
  • Develop tools and infrastructure to improve the quality and efficiency of testing
  • Work closely with the Software Engineering, Product Management teams during product development from design to release
  • Reproduce and debug issues found during and after software release
  • Develop and maintain complex test bed environments 

Qualifications

Your Experience

  • Create and execute automated and manual test plans and maintain accurate documentation of results and process
  •  Experience with typical test tools from Spirent, Breaking Point, and Ixia is a must
  • Hands-on experience with Python, Linux, MySQL, and Networking.
  • Knowledge of L4-L7 network layers and protocols such as TCP/IP, HTTP and SSL
  • L2-L3 network testing experience with knowledge of most common switching and routing protocols
  • Able to design, monitor and administer a scale-able, development and test automation system: From test integration to automation framework with proficiency in Python is a must
  • Experience with bug tracking systems such as Jira
  • Provide innovative insight to better the reliability, scale-ability, and maintainability of systems
  • Knowledge of setting test beds and testing in a Virtualization environment, including cloud platforms AWS, Azure, GCP etc.
  • Experience testing network security products, preferably with firewalls and intrusion prevention is a plus
  • Knowledge of encryption and tunneling protocol test methods is a plus
  • Knowledge of Windows and Linux system set up and administration is a plus
  • Hands-on experience with Python, Linux, MySQL, and Networking.
  •  Experience with typical test tools from Spirent, Breaking Point, and Ixia is a must
  • Hands-on experience with Python, Linux, MySQL, and Networking.
  • Knowledge of L4-L7 network layers and protocols such as TCP/IP, HTTP and SSL
  • L2-L3 network testing experience with knowledge of most common switching and routing protocols

Requirements – To apply, you must have a 4-year Undergraduate Degree  with 6+ years of experience in relevant fields. You must have the authorization to work within the United States.

Additional Information

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 $126000/YR - $185500/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.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship?: Yes

Senior Staff Software Engineer in Test - Performance

Office

Santa Clara, CA, United States

Full Time

126k - 186k USD/year

October 17, 2025

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Palo Alto Networks

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