Staff Engineer Software (NGFW) - NetSec

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission :

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Job Description

Your Career

As a member of the Virtualization team at Palo Alto Networks, you will develop our next-generation virtualization and service offerings. Responsibilities will include designing and implementing new features and integrations with Azure cloud and other public and private clouds. Core networking improvements in pure software environments in both Virtual machines and Container form factors.

Your Impact

You will be expected to participate in all phases of the product development cycle, from definition, design, through implementation and test

Develop functional specifications, assess task requirements and scheduling, and participate in development, debug and support

Candidate should also have hands-on experience with virtualization technologies, various hypervisors, system software, networking, and have experience with Linux kernel software development

Qualifications

Your Experience

3+ years of related programming experience required with BS / MS degree in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering or equivalent or equivalent military experience

Expert C programming skills

Strong scripting skills with bash and python

Have Architecture skills / background for different Azure services like compute, networking, load-balancers, identity management etc

Good Understanding of Linux Kernel, Networking stack in the kernel

Strong skills in packet forwarding, Tunneling(GTP, VxLAN) etc.

Experience developing device drivers and / or Linux kernel development preferred

Experience with deployment on cloud environments (Azure / AWS / GCP)

In-depth knowledge in selected network security fields such as stateful firewall, packet processing, TCP stream inspection, network ACL, and HA preferred

Hands-on development experience on various hypervisors and network virtualization technologies like DPDK, XDP, Packet forwarding area

Experience with Kubernetes and CNI is preferred

Ability to work well with a group of senior engineers in a dynamic, fast-paced environment

Additional Information

The Team

Our engineering team is at the core of our products – connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. We are constantly innovating – challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity. Our engineers don’t shy away from building products to solve problems no one has pursued before.

We define the industry, instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of a challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that 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.