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# Sr. Principal Software Engineer (Cortex Platform)

- **Company:** Palo Alto Networks
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Java (Programming Language), Adaptable Database Systems, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Business Logic, ARM Architecture, BigQuery, Cloud Computing, Cloud Engineering, Databases, Computer Engineering, Distributed Systems, Python (Programming Language), MySQL, Software Engineering, Flask (Web Framework), Backend, Information Technology, Cortex XSOAR Platform, Restful APIs, Serverless Computing, Web Api, Microservices
- **Published:** August 9, 2026
- **Apply:** https://us.experteer.com/career/view-jobs/sr-principal-software-engineer-cortex-platform-san-francisco-ca-usa-58870098

## About the Role

Experteer Overview In this Senior Principal Backend Engineer role within Cortex, you will lead the backend engineering of hallmark security products (Cortex XSOAR, XDR, XSIAM), shaping scalable platform infrastructure. You'll drive cross-team collaboration, own design decisions, and deliver robust data-driven services that empower thousands of customers. The role blends hands-on technical leadership with mentorship in a fast-paced, impact-focused environment. You'll work on architectural challenges at scale, delivering high-performance backend solutions. Compensation / Benefits * Serve as a technical leader and consultant across engineering teams * Own project lifecycle from requirements to design and implementation, including mentoring * Align work with product management, UX, and engineering stakeholders * Analyze and solve complex technical problems with a big-picture view * Design and optimize scalable data models and queries (MySQL, BigQuery) * Develop business logic and API a
optimize (Python, Flask); build high-performance Go services * Identify and mitigate project risks for quality output * Mentor engineers to foster technical excellence and learning Tasks * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field * 14+ years of software engineering experience in distributed, cloud-native development * Expert-level programming in Python, Go, or Java with large-scale distributed systems experience * Extensive cloud development experience including REST APIs, databases, serverless, and microservices Key requirements * base salary and potential bonus * restricted stock units (RSUs) * benefits description available * base salary + commission target for some roles * opportunity for compensation within listed range

## Description

Experteer Overview In this Senior Principal Backend Engineer role within Cortex, you will lead the backend engineering of hallmark security products (Cortex XSOAR, XDR, XSIAM), shaping scalable platform infrastructure. You'll drive cross-team collaboration, own design decisions, and deliver robust data-driven services that empower thousands of customers. The role blends hands-on technical leadership with mentorship in a fast-paced, impact-focused environment. You'll work on architectural challenges at scale, delivering high-performance backend solutions. Compensation / Benefits * Serve as a technical leader and consultant across engineering teams * Own project lifecycle from requirements to design and implementation, including mentoring * Align work with product management, UX, and engineering stakeholders * Analyze and solve complex technical problems with a big-picture view * Design and optimize scalable data models and queries (MySQL, BigQuery) * Develop business logic and API endpoints (Python, Flask); build high-performance Go services * Identify and mitigate project risks for quality output * Mentor engineers to foster technical excellence and learning Tasks * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field * 14+ years of software engineering experience in distributed, cloud-native development * Expert-level programming in Python, Go, or Java with large-scale distributed systems experience * Extensive cloud development experience including REST APIs, databases, serverless, and microservices Key requirements * base salary and potential bonus * restricted stock units (RSUs) * benefits description available * base salary + commission target for some roles * opportunity for compensation within listed range


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