Principal Software Automation/Test Engineer

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.

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.

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.

Job Description

Your Career

Palo Alto Networks NGFW (Next Generation Firewall) group is looking for a seasoned and accomplished QA/Automation engineer with experience in validating core networking & security features in the QA team.

You will be part of a world-class software test engineering team that works on various ground-breaking technologies (Cloud Identity, Data Loss Prevention, Post quantum cryptography, IoT Security etc) in the Layer 4-7 domain. You will work with a multi- functional team of engineers solving interesting problems in the  area of L4-7 security.

We are looking for highly motivated engineers who have intellectual curiosity, love the challenge of solving complex problems with variable factors and creativity in obtaining solutions. We are looking for leaders who take ownership of their areas of focus and who are driven to pursue problems at every level. Collaboration is at the heart of our culture and we need engineers who can communicate at a high level and work well with multi-functional teams towards achieving a common goal.

Your Impact

• Work in a small and fast paced team to solve important customer problems and deliver most impactful results
• Contribute in all phases of end to end product and solution validation
• Work with different development and quality assurances groups to achieve the best quality
• Suggest and implement improvements to the QA process 
• Work with DevOps and the Technical Support teams to troubleshoot customer issues
• Interview, mentor and coach new team members

Qualifications

Qualifications/Experience

•  AI-Driven Testing & Development (Key differentiator)
• Practical experience using AI-based tools to accelerate coding, test generation, debugging, and refactoring
• A demonstrated passion for researching and applying innovative, AI-based testing methodologies to improve engineering productivity.
• Core Technical Qualifications
• 10+ years of dedicated QA experience and expert-level proficiency in Python.
• Deep working knowledge of the TCP/IP stack and key application layer protocols (e.g., HTTP, HTTPS).
• Extensive hands-on experience testing network and/or cybersecurity products.
• Familiarity with security domains such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP), post-quantum cryptography or threat detection etc.
• Proven expertise in designing and implementing test frameworks, utilizing commercial test suites, developing custom tools, and driving comprehensive automation strategies.
• Professional Skills & Preferred Experience
•  Superior problem-solving skills with the ability to distill complex system issues into clear, concise, and actionable bug reports.
•  Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively within and across engineering teams to achieve shared quality goals.
• (Preferred) Hands-on experience with public cloud infrastructure (GCP, AWS, Azure) and CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins).
• Foundational Requirements
•  A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Equivalent military experience in a relevant technical field will be considered.
• Practical experience using AI-based tools to accelerate coding, test generation, debugging, and refactoring
• A demonstrated passion for researching and applying innovative, AI-based testing methodologies to improve engineering productivity.
• 10+ years of dedicated QA experience and expert-level proficiency in Python.
• Deep working knowledge of the TCP/IP stack and key application layer protocols (e.g., HTTP, HTTPS).
• Extensive hands-on experience testing network and/or cybersecurity products.
• Familiarity with security domains such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP), post-quantum cryptography or threat detection etc.
• Proven expertise in designing and implementing test frameworks, utilizing commercial test suites, developing custom tools, and driving comprehensive automation strategies.
•  Superior problem-solving skills with the ability to distill complex system issues into clear, concise, and actionable bug reports.
•  Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively within and across engineering teams to achieve shared quality goals.
• (Preferred) Hands-on experience with public cloud infrastructure (GCP, AWS, Azure) and CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins).
•  A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Equivalent military experience in a relevant technical field will be considered.
• 10+ years of experience in QA Automation Engineering

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 $147,000/yr to $200,500/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.