Senior Principal Software Architect

About the job

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place.

Who We Are

In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us!

We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes. Job Summary

Job Summary The Senior Principal Software Architect designs and defines the end-to-end system architecture for our enterprise-scale SaaS environment. This role involves leading technology choices, ensuring security and scalability, and collaborating across teams to align technical strategy with business goals. The ideal candidate will leverage extensive experience in cloud platforms, big data, and AI-assisted development to drive innovation and manage technical debt.

Key Responsibilities

- Design and define end-to-end system architecture, including backend services, APIs, and UI components, ensuring seamless integration.

- Define UI architecture patterns, evaluate frontend technology choices (React/Angular/Vue), and review Low-Level Designs (LLDs).

- Collaborate with System Architects, Product Owners, and Technical Leads on strategy, serving as a bridge between technical and non-technical staff.

- Analyze team technical requirements, manage technical debt, and estimate cost and effort for resource usage.

- Lead features or refactors, assist with implementing and managing changes, and mentor peers in their professional development.

- Utilize AI tools (e.g., Copilot, Claude) and prompt engineering to accelerate the delivery of technical specifications and complex code.

- Review System Architect outputs and ensure their application by the team.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

- 15+ years of software development experience (e.g., Python, Go, Node, Java, C#), with at least 5 years in an architectural role.

- Experience with at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud).

- Extensive experience with identity management (Human IAM, Non-Human Identity) and security concepts like SSO, OIDC, and OAuth.

- Proven experience in enterprise-scale application development in a cloud/SaaS environment, including microservice and event-oriented design.

- Demonstrated experience with large-scale big data technologies, including messaging systems and real-time data processing.

- Experience with CI/CD pipelines, security standards, and compliance.

- Expertise in using AI-assisted development tools like Copilot, Cursor, or Claude for code generation, auditing, and threat modeling.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with C#, AWS, and AWS serverless architecture.

- Experience with modern CI/CD tools such as GitHub, Jenkins, and Artifactory.

- Solid understanding of security and networking implementation best practices.

- Experience implementing Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems for team knowledge bases.

- Proactive, goal-oriented individual with a strong work ethic

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.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.