Principal Software Engineer (NGFW System Infrastructure)

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!

Job Description

Your Career

We're seeking innovators - software engineers who seek to design new products, designing state-of-the-art products that do not exist today. These engineers love to code with a drive to build global products and bring new ideas to develop security disciplines to solve real-world problems. 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.

As a key member of the Next-Gen Firewall (NGFW) System Infrastructure team, you will be responsible for designing and developing core system services and libraries for PAN-OS, which powers all next-gen firewall products at Palo Alto Networks. You will be part of a world-class multi-functional software engineering team that works on various ground-breaking technologies.

Your Impact

• Innovate, design, and develop core system infrastructure libraries and services (e.g. IPC infrastructure, process management, software upgrade, serviceability features)
• Contribute in all phases of the software development cycle, from definition, design, through implementation and test
• Develop functional specifications, assess task requirements and scheduling, and contribute to development, debugging and support
• Identify and drive improvements in existing software and development process

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• B.S. or M.S. degree in Computer Science, similar technical discipline or equivalent practical experience or equivalent military experience required
• 15+ years experience in embedded programming, Linux kernel, OS infrastructure, device drivers and platform software
• Experience developing, integrating and delivering product features or system components on Linux-based systems
• Expertise in designing and implementing high-quality, secure software
• Strong C coding/debugging skills
• Strong scripting skills with bash and python
• Experience with debugging Linux kernel performance, memory and platform boot-time  issues is a plus
• Experience with TPM, FIPS and CC Certifications is a plus
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to work with multi-functional groups
• Team player with a collaborative mindset, a quality-driven focus and a can-do attitude

Additional Information

The Team

To stay ahead of the curve, it’s critical to know where the curve is, and how to anticipate the changes we’re facing. For the fastest growing cybersecurity company, the curve is the evolution of cyberattacks, and the products and services that proactively address them. Our engineering team is at the core of our products – connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. They are constantly innovating – challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity. These engineers aren’t shy about creating products to solve problems no one has tackled before. They define the industry, instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

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