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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Software Engineer (Cloud Platform and AI Engineering) - **Company:** Palo Alto Networks - **Location:** Santa Clara, CA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $147,000.0 - $237,500.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, BigQuery, Cloud Computing, Computer Programming, Computer Engineering, Linux, Distributed Systems, Web Servers, Python (Programming Language), MySQL, Nginx, NoSQL, Redis, Cloud Services, SQL Databases, Systems Integration, Multithreading, Cloud Platform System, Large Language Models, Multi-Agent Systems, Prompt Engineering, Caching, Backend, Data Layers, Kubernetes, Information Technology, Apache Kafka, Docker, Golang - **Published:** June 24, 2026 - **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/B02B734E778F457EA00D50D3E072B579/job/ ## About the Role * BS/MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent military experience required * 8+ years of experience working on large cloud infrastructure platforms * Strong proficiency in Python and/or GoLang * Hands-on experience building AI agents or agentic workflows (e.g., using Google ADK, Vertex AI Agent Builder, or custom agent frameworks) * Experience with MCP (Model Context Protocol) or similar agent-tool integration patterns * Practical experience working with LLMs, prompt engineering, and integrating AI models into backend services * Experience building semantic layers, KV caching, or similar techniques to optimize LLM performance and reduce inference cost * Solid skills in multi-threaded and multi-process programming and experience in distributed systems * Strong microservice development experience * Rich GCP experience and its suite of managed services (Vertex AI, Pub/Sub, GKE, Cloud Run, Secret Manager) * Solid knowledge and skills in Linux, Kubernetes, and Docker * Solid knowledge of web servers/proxies such as NGINX, Envoy * Comprehensive experience with SQL and NoSQL technologies such as MySQL, Redis, BigQuery * Hands-on experience with messaging/queuing systems such as Pub/Sub or Kafka * Solid understanding of system design, scalability, optimization, and performance metrics * Exceptional problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment * Teamwork, problem-solving, and a can-do attitude ## Description Our ATP Cloud team is at the forefront of integrating AI into cybersecurity infrastructure - building intelligent systems that fundamentally change how we detect, respond to, and resolve incidents at scale. As a Principal Software Engineer, you will own the technical vision for our AI-powered platform, shaping how agentic workflows and LLM-driven automation are built into the backbone of our cloud services on GCP. This is a high-impact role where your decisions will directly influence product direction and team growth. Your Impact * Own the architecture and technical roadmap for AI agentic workflows that automate complex operational and engineering challenges * Design and scale backend systems on GCP that seamlessly integrate AI capabilities into production services * Drive the adoption of GCP-native AI tools (Vertex AI Agent Builder, Google ADK) and define how our team builds and ships AI agents * Partner with product managers, cybersecurity researchers, and AI application teams to translate business problems into AI-driven solutions * Set the engineering bar for the team - establish best practices for building, testing, and operating AI-augmented services in production * Influence technical direction across the organization and mentor engineers to grow their cloud and AI expertise ## Related Videos - [Docker network without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1418-docker-network-without-docker) - [MySQL Protocol Features You Should Be Aware Of](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100267-mysql-protocol-features-you-should-be-aware-of) - [Post-Quantum Cryptography: Preparing for Q-Day](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100179-post-quantum-cryptography-preparing-for-q-day) - [Alibaba Big Data and Machine Learning Technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/37-alibaba-big-data-and-machine-learning-technology) - [Docker exec without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1094-docker-exec-without-docker) - [The Private AI Platform: Why Agentic Apps Need a Private Application Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100162-the-private-ai-platform-why-agentic-apps-need-a-private-application-platform) ## Related Articles - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [Got AI ideas but no money? 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