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# Principal Software Engineer (Prisma Access)

- **Company:** Palo Alto Networks
- **Location:** Mountain View, CA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $156,400 - $253,000
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Web Services, Systems Engineering, Border Gateway Protocol, C++ (Programming Language), Cloud Computing, Cloud Engineering, Profiling, Cyber Security, Computer Programming, Computer Networks, Computer Engineering, Daemon Tools, Cursor, Deep Packet Inspection, Linux, Distributed Systems, Networking Hardware, Internet Protocol Security (IP SEC), Internet Security, Python (Programming Language), Network Control, Routing, Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Performance Tuning, Systems Development Life Cycle, Socket Programming, Software Engineering, Subsystems, TCP/IP, Network Switches, Network Routers, Dynamic Routing, Google Cloud, Multi-Cloud, Containerization, Kubernetes, Information Technology, Iptables, Palo Alto Networks, Transport Protocols, Claude, Terraform, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Dynatrace
- **Published:** November 10, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.careerbuilder.com/job-details/principal-software-engineer-prisma-access-mountain-view-ca--96d0c2e9-f1b9-41ca-94f6-74d121e04670

## About the Role

Software Engineering, Leading Edge Technology, Internet Security, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Problem Solving Skills, Performance Tuning/Optimization, Software Engineering, Cloud Computing, Linux System Internals/Programming, Routing Protocols, * 10+ years of progressive systems engineering and software development experience in cloud networking infrastructure, high-throughput systems, or distributed security platforms.

 * Strong programming proficiency in C/C++, Go, or Rust, combined with extensive scripting and automation experience in Python.
 * Hands-on expertise in the Linux networking subsystem (netfilter, iptables/nftables, network namespaces, routing tables, socket programming) and high-performance packet acceleration frameworks (eBPF, DPDK, or SR-IOV).
 * Knowledge of dynamic routing protocols (BGP, OSPF), routing daemons (e.g., FRR, BIRD), tunneling protocols (IPSec, GRE, WireGuard), and core transport protocols (TCP/UDP, SSL/TLS, QUIC).
 * Demonstrated track record of deploying and operating mission-critical network appliances or services within AWS, GCP, or OCI environments.
 * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical industry experience.

## Description

As a Principal Software Engineer for Prisma Access, you will lead the architecture, systems design, and performance optimization of cloud infrastructure underpinning Palo Alto Networks' flagship solution.

In this role, you will bridge low-level Linux systems programming, packet processing, and routing protocols with hyper-scale multi-cloud infrastructure.

You will be responsible for building, hardening, and scaling resilient, multi-cloud network data paths and control plane connectivity running globally across AWS, GCP, and OCI. We are looking for a hands-on systems leader who excels at diagnosing complex networking bottlenecks, designing carrier-grade distributed systems, and adopting modern, AI-augmented engineering workflows to drive engineering velocity.

Key Responsibilities & Impact

 * Drive deep kernel-level profiling, TCP/IP stack tuning, socket optimization, memory/CPU cache efficiency, and interrupt handling to achieve deterministic, low-latency packet forwarding.
 * Architect, optimize, and maintain high-throughput networking pipelines, kernel/user-space data paths, and control plane routing engines across distributed multi-cloud footprints.
 * Design resilient, hyper-scale cloud connectivity topologies across AWS, GCP, and OCI-integrating cloud-native primitives (Transit Gateways, Cloud Routers, Interconnect/Direct Connect) with software-defined overlays and containerized workloads.
 * Establish systems-level telemetry, distributed tracing, and deep packet inspection diagnostics to ensure adherence to strict SLAs and SLOs.
 * Build scalable automation for fleet provisioning, configuration deployment, and validation using Terraform, Kubernetes, and Python-based toolchains.
 * Champion engineering efficiency by integrating agentic coding environments, automated diagnostic harnesses, and AI-assisted workflows (e.g., Cursor, Claude, autonomous testing agents) into day-to-day systems development.
 * Partner with Product Management, Cloud Architecture, SecOps, and Support to resolve complex customer escalations, establish architectural standards, conduct rigorous design reviews, and mentor senior systems engineers.