Principal Engineer Software

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!

This role is remote, but distance is no barrier to impact. Our hybrid teams collaborate across geographies to solve big problems, stay close to our customers, and grow together. You will be part of a culture that values trust, accountability, and shared success where your work truly matters. Job Summary

We are seeking a highly analytical and customer-focused Technical Operations & Escalation Lead to bridge the gap between our Support, R&D, and Product teams. This hybrid role requires a strategic thinker who can dive deep into code-level technical investigations, manage customer-facing content, optimize production environments, and lead peer engineers through complex escalations. If you are passionate about improving system performance and elevating the customer experience, this role offers a unique opportunity to drive cross-functional impact.

Core Responsibilities:

Technical Escalation Leadership (30%)

• Technical Investigation: Drill down into reported complex issues, isolate specific code segments, and escalate to R&D with comprehensive, actionable analysis.
• Customer Communication: Serve as the primary point of contact for high-level customer escalations, host live troubleshooting sessions, and actively address any communication or procedural flaws.
• Support & R&D Alignment: Identify gaps in current case handling and support processes. Develop, communicate, and follow up on execution plans to resolve these gaps.
• KPI Tracking & Strategy: Define, monitor, and report on Support-to-R&D escalation KPIs, root cause analyses, and long-term corrective actions.
• Peer Leadership: Provide technical guidance and leadership to non-management escalation engineers across relevant internal teams.

Content & Strategy Management (30%)

• Content Ownership: Manage and execute content changes, monitor industry trends, and ensure all internal and external documentation remains highly relevant and up to date.
• Process Optimization: Define rollout processes and continuously optimize adoption tools and methodologies.
• Knowledge Enhancement: Identify knowledge gaps and propose implementable solutions. Update online procedures to ensure information is easily digestible and drives the desired customer actions.

Production Improvements (20%)

• System Observation: Actively monitor production environments to identify key tracking points.
• Optimization Initiatives: Drive initiatives focused on improving customer adoption, reducing system load, optimizing costs, and enhancing platform interoperability.

Cross-Functional Team Participation (15%)

• Product Development: Actively contribute to agile grooming sessions.
• Innovation: Identify product gaps, propose potential updates, and contribute to innovative cross-product and internal design solutions.

Environment Management (5%)

• System Administration: Own and manage Pre-Prod, Beta, Early Adopter, and PT environments.
• Access & Maintenance: Assign user access, track environment usage, deploy necessary updates, and issue system notifications as required.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in technical support escalations, product operations, or a similar bridging role between Support and R&D.
• Strong technical background with the ability to isolate code segments and perform root-cause analysis.
• Excellent customer-facing communication skills with experience hosting resolution sessions.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to track KPIs and drive process improvements.

Compensation Disclosure

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/com-missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

$156,400.00 - $253,000.00/yr 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 accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.

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.