Palo Alto Networks · 1 day ago
Senior Principal Cloud Architect (Office of the CPO: Innovation Team)
Santa Clara, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$170K/yr - $270K/yr
10+ years expPalo Alto Networks is a cybersecurity company dedicated to protecting the digital way of life. The Principal Cloud Architect will lead the secure software and infrastructure architecture for advanced experiments, driving the design of cloud-native security solutions and collaborating with various teams to innovate and implement security standards.
Cloud SecurityCyber SecurityNetwork SecuritySecurity
Responsibilities
Serve as the principal architect for new solutions, translating complex security requirements into high-level, modular software and system designs
Govern the architectural principles for performance, reliability, and security across the entire application stack
Design and build resilient, secure-by-design cloud infrastructure primarily on GCP, while establishing multi-cloud interoperability patterns (AWS, Azure) to support diverse customer environments
Take abstract ideas and rapidly build functional Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and Proofs of Concept (PoCs), writing production-grade code (with a focus on Python) for custom automation, application logic, and integration layers
Champion a 'shift-left' methodology by building automated CI/CD pipelines, container security strategies, and Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform/Ansible) that ensure speed never compromises safety
Partner deeply with InfoSec teams to bake governance into experimental architectures, and collaborate with Sales Architects to translate technical innovations into scalable, market-ready solutions
Continuously research emerging cloud security tools and architectures to maintain a cutting-edge technology stack for the team
Provide technical leadership and architectural mentorship to senior engineers and communicate complex architectural trade-offs to executive stakeholders and product leadership
Qualification
Required
10+ years in software engineering, cloud architecture, or site reliability engineering (SRE), with a specific focus on designing and implementing security-centric software systems and infrastructure
Deep expertise in GCP, AWS, and/or Azure (GCP preferred)
Proven experience in designing complex, highly available, and scalable distributed systems. Ability to document and defend architectural decisions across the software stack
Hands-on experience designing and implementing core security controls (e.g., authentication/authorization, secrets management, data encryption in transit/at rest) within a cloud-native application context
Strong full-stack programming proficiency with Python (required); additional experience with Go, Node.js, or modern frontend frameworks (React/Vue) is preferred
Proven background in automation and orchestration, including Kubernetes, Docker, and CI/CD security scanning tools
A demonstrated ability to pivot between 'hacker mode' (building rapid prototypes/MVPs) and 'architect mode' (designing long-term, compliant enterprise solutions)
Ability to articulate technical strategy to both technical and non-technical audiences
B.S. or higher in CS, Engineering, or related field; M.S. preferred or equivalent military experience
Preferred
GCP preferred
Additional experience with Go, Node.js, or modern frontend frameworks (React/Vue) is preferred
M.S. preferred
Benefits
Restricted stock units
Bonus
Company
Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is a cybersecurity company that offers cybersecurity solutions for organizations.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Palo Alto Networks has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
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Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (579)
2024 (482)
2023 (341)
2022 (452)
2021 (493)
2020 (235)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$65MKey Investors
Icon VenturesLehman HoldingsGlobespan Capital Partners
2012-07-20IPO
2008-11-03Series C· $10M
2008-08-18Series C· $27M
Leadership Team
Helmut Reisinger
CEO EMEA
Nikesh Arora
Chairman CEO
Recent News
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