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# Principal Engineer Software (Idira)

- **Company:** Palo Alto Networks
- **Location:** Santa Clara, CA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $156,400 - $253,000
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** .NET Framework, Active Directory, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Agile Methodology, Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, C Sharp (Programming Language), Code Generation, Code Review, Databases, Continuous Integration, Cursor, Software Debugging, Programming Tools, Web Development, Distributed Systems, PostgreSQL, OAuth, Redis, Openid Connect, Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Software Engineering, Systems Integration, Software Vulnerability Management, Web Services, Test-Driven Development (TDD), GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Backend, Kubernetes, Information Technology, Deployment Automation, Palo Alto Networks, AWS EKS, Docker, Microservices
- **Published:** November 7, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.juju.com/job/28_25197_ccd3395e41eadf758d210b20f38b275f

## About the Role

* B.S. or higher in Computer Science or related technical field (or equivalent practical experience), with 12+ years of professional software engineering experience and a proven track record in a Tech Lead or Principal Engineer role.
 * 8+ years of solid experience architecting and developing large-scale, complex applications, distributed microservices, and modern cloud-native systems (preferably AWS, Azure, or GCP).
 * Demonstrated, hands-on proficiency with modern AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or equivalent agentic IDEs) to accelerate design, implementation, code review, and debugging-with a clear understanding of when and when not to leverage AI.
 * Technical Stack & Identity Domain:
 + Deep expertise in enterprise backend development using .NET / C# (or comparable enterprise stack), along with web development and modern test methodologies.
 + Expertise in building and integrating web services (REST, SOAP) and deep knowledge of authentication/identity standards (SAML, WS-Fed, OpenID Connect, OAuth).
 + Knowledge of Directory Services (e.g., Active Directory) is a plus.
 + Deep, hands-on experience designing, building, and operating microservices on containerized platforms - Docker, Kubernetes, and managed offerings such as AWS EKS (or equivalent GKE/AKS) - including service meshes, autoscaling, rolling deployments, observability, and production-grade reliability patterns.
 * Strong knowledge of databases and caching technologies (e.g., PostgreSQL, Redis), data modeling, analytics, and system performance profiling/tracing.
 * Solid grounding in secure-by-default design, threat modeling, vulnerability management, Agile practices, and CI/CD automated deployments.
 * Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, negotiation, and written/verbal communication skills to articulate complex technical decisions to both technical and executive audiences.

## Description

* Lead the Identity Platform's technical strategy as an individual contributor-architecting resilient, distributed systems and taking end-to-end ownership of major cross-team initiatives.
 * Make initiative-level design and architecture decisions in fast-moving, ambiguous conditions; document trade-offs and align cross-functional stakeholders around technical directions without direct reporting authority.
 * Set and enforce the engineering bar through design and code reviews, upholding security, scalability, and performance criteria in alignment with Palo Alto Networks engineering practices.
 * Prototype, design, and build new platform components and Proof of Concepts (PoCs); Write clean, secure, and performance-optimized code while applying test-driven development, automation, and CI/CD practices.
 * Leverage AI/ML to automate incident detection, root cause analysis, and remediation - reducing toil and accelerating mean time to resolution
 * Partner with Product, Infrastructure, and Support teams to translate customer and business needs into scalable system designs and delivery plans.
 * Mentor senior and junior engineers through code reviews, and design guidance. Partner with engineering managers on hiring to help attract, evaluate, and onboard high-caliber talent.
 * Champion AI-augmented engineering across the team using modern AI tools, reusable context assets, and efficient workflows. Critically review AI-generated code for correctness, security gaps, and API accuracy while maintaining strict data privacy, secret security, and risk mitigation standards.