Principal Software Engineer

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 As a Principal Engineer in our Identity Security division, you will be the ultimate technical authority and go-to expert for our core Single Sign-On (SSO) and Federation capabilities. You will own the architectural integrity, security posture, and scalability of our SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect (OIDC) implementations. In this role, you will balance deep technical execution with organizational leadership—driving best practices across microservices, mentoring engineering teams, representing our identity expertise externally, and pioneering the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to advance our identity security capabilities. Key Responsibilities Write clean, highly secure, and performance-optimized code for critical authentication paths and build Proof of Concepts (PoCs) to evaluate new architectures. Architect resilient, low-latency microservices capable of handling millions of token validations, federation requests, and authentication flows globally. Drive engineering modernizations, including upgrading backend frameworks, implementing secure CI/CD pipelines, and integrating advanced security analysis tools. Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of critical bugs involving multi-tenant SSO setups, token encryption/signing, and token lifecycles. Partner with data science teams to integrate AI/ML models into authentication flows for real-time risk scoring and anomalous token behavior detection. Advocate for and embed generative AI development tools into the team's daily workflows to safely accelerate delivery and improve code quality. Lead large-scale features, protocol refactors, and microservice optimizations, ensuring alignment with the company’s Tech Radar and security baselines. Identify architectural gaps in SSO services, advocate for improvements, and implement robust solutions. Conduct rigorous reviews of complex protocol implementations and cryptographic designs to ensure strict adherence to RFC standards. Proactively identify and resolve cross-team technical dependencies for seamless integration. Teach, guide, and upskill developers, fostering a culture of deep identity security awareness. Represent the company in the cybersecurity industry by speaking at tech conferences, writing technical blogs, or contributing to open-source identity standards. Qualifications Required Qualifications 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a proven track record in a Tech Lead or Principal Engineer role. Deep, hands-on expertise with Identity and Access Management (IAM) architectures, specifically building and securing SAML 2.0 Identity/Service Providers and OAuth 2.0/OIDC Authorization Servers. Strong background in modern cloud-native architectures, distributed microservices, and secure-by-design engineering principles. Preferred Qualifications Exposure or strong interest in applying AI/ML technologies within cybersecurity contexts, such as risk-based authentication or behavior analytics. Proven experience in public speaking, technical writing (blogs/whitepapers), or mentoring engineering communities. Broad understanding of the business context, connecting technical decisions to customer value. Ability to translate highly complex technical concepts for both engineering and business stakeholders. 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 . 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.