Senior Data Security Competitive Test Analyst

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

As a Senior Data Security Competitive Test Analyst at Palo Alto Networks, you will play a critical role in defining how our Data Security capabilities perform against competitors—both in real-world scenarios and across targeted benchmark testing.

You’ll be responsible for testing, analyzing, and reporting on data protection capabilities across inline and API-based DLP, data classification, SaaS security, and structured/unstructured data flows—using hands-on tools, custom-built test harnesses, and third-party validation frameworks.

This is a hands-on technical role that blends deep product knowledge, competitive research, and strategic influence. Your work will shape product decisions, strengthen our positioning in the market, and empower the field with credible, data-backed insights.

Your Impact

• Build and operate a dedicated data security test lab, spanning SaaS apps, inline DLP, email security, and cloud data channels

• Design and execute competitive test plans focused on:

  • Sensitive data detection (structured & unstructured)

  • Inline DLP efficacy across web, email, SaaS

  • Shadow IT & SaaS risk coverage

  • Data classification and policy enforcement

  • File movement, content inspection, and contextual tagging

• Use tools such as and custom harnesses, traffic generators, and third-party SaaS environments to simulate realistic data leakage scenarios

• Generate benchmarking reports and dashboards highlighting comparative coverage, policy accuracy, false positive/negative rates, and data visibility

• Collaborate with Product Management, Engineering, and Threat Research to identify competitive gaps and recommend mitigation strategies

• Translate findings into actionable competitive intelligence—including battlecards, whitepapers, sales enablement decks, and internal FAQs

• Support Sales and Field teams with deep-dive technical insights on data security differentiation, including customer-facing escalations

• Stay informed on emerging trends in data security, including AI-driven DLP, data sovereignty, and evolving regulatory frameworks

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• 3–7 years of experience in security testing, QA, DLP, or competitive analysis

• Strong understanding of data protection technologies (e.g., DLP, CASB, SaaS security, classification engines)

• Experience with testing tools (e.g., CyPerf, BreakingPoint, Metasploit, custom traffic generators)

• Familiarity with data security us