Senior Principal Software Engineer – Backend (Machine Identity Security, SaaS Control Plane)

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of professional experience in software development, with demonstrated ownership of complex backend or control plane systems
• Strong experience building backend services and APIs using Java (primary); Go experience is a plus
• Deep experience designing and scaling distributed systems and microservices architectures
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), ideally in SaaS environments
• Strong system design expertise, including API design, performance optimization, and scalability patterns
• Experience building or operating systems under real production load, including high request throughput, concurrency, and performance optimization at scale
• Experience building and supporting APIs, SDKs, and integrations used by internal and external customers
• Experience with data streaming, messaging systems, or real-time processing (e.g., Kafka)
• Experience with CI/CD, containerization (Docker), and orchestration (Kubernetes)
• Familiarity with identity, authentication, or security systems (SAML, OAuth, certificate management) is a plus
• Proven ability to lead large-scale system design efforts and influence technical direction across multiple teams or services
• Ability to influence technical direction, mentor engineers, and drive alignment across teams
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to operate effectively in a collaborative, fast-paced 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/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.
• 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 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.