Senior Principal Engineer, Vulnerability Assessment

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.

Your Career

The Cortex Exposure Management Scanning team is expanding, and we’re looking for an experienced engineer with a background in lab infrastructure and security engineering to join our team. At Xpanse, we believe that making the internet a safer place for our customers matters. The Cortex Vulnerability Assessment Research & Scanning teams build the software that provides our customers visibility into their behind-the-firewall attack surface, allowing them to prioritize and remediate critical vulnerabilities using the XSIAM platform.

Your Impact

• Build lab for automated testing and deploying new vulnerability assessment content, including design, development, and production
• Build out lab deployments as needed, both via hands-on development and through collaboration with other engineers and teams
• Participate in rapid response to emerging threats to ensure we are able to deploy content quickly and meet customer security needs
• Present testing and infrastructure plans to senior leadership
• Work closely with research and engineering teams to understand their concerns, utilize their skills, and enable their testing needs
• Take part in architecture strategy sessions - design solutions that accommodate the requirements of the various teams and groups
• Take ownership of projects, drive them to completion, and support them in production

Your Experience 

• 8+ years of experience in infrastructure, automation, and/or quality in the vulnerability management, penetration testing, or security research space
• Deep understanding of Windows, Linux, macOS and Unix-based systems
• Strong understanding of lab setup options and existing frameworks, and ability to set up lab infrastructure – including the pros and cons of various infrastructure options
• Familiarity with scanning and vulnerability testing fundamentals (open source scanners, TCP/IP and networking protocols, pen testing tools)
• Experience using cloud managed services (ideally in GCP)
• Proficient in one or more programming languages

Nice to haves

• Strong understanding of TCP/IP and networking protocols (eg. HTTP, FTP, SSH, SNMP)
• Significant experience with common open source security software such as Nuclei, OpenVAS, and Nmap
• Deep knowledge of current penetration and security assessment tools such as Metasploit, Nmap, Burp Suite, Wireshark, etc. 

The Team

We’re not your ordinary Information Security team. We’re a diverse group of security professionals who challenge the status quo in order to protect Palo Alto Networks and our customers. 

Driving innovation on the Information Security team of the fastest-growing high-tech cybersecurity company is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You’ll be joined by the brightest minds in technology, and our global teams are on the front line of defense against cyberattacks.

You will be part of a growing, passionate, and dynamic team with an opportunity to work on challenging and exciting projects — centered on what we believe is one of the most significant mission statements in the world. We also strive to be the most people-centric company ever! That means we’re constantly working to make your experience amazing, and you are part of the team breaking boundaries of what the workplace can be!

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 $170000 - $277000/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  [email protected].

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