Senior Principal Engineer Software (Unit 42)

Role Overview

Palo Alto Networks (Unit 42) is seeking a Senior Principal Software Engineer (Backend-Focused) to architect and modernize the backend infrastructure powering its intelligence platforms. This is a remote role with hybrid collaboration across geographies. The role starts as an Individual Contributor for critical backend initiatives, with a plan to grow and mentor junior backend engineers as the team scales.

Responsibilities

• Champion AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor/Claude) to:
  • enforce coding standards
  • automate boilerplate
  • accelerate technical debt resolution
• Design and implement resilient distributed backend services using Go, Python, and C++, with strong focus on backend architectural health and scalability.
• Use full-stack awareness to maintain sufficient frontend literacy (e.g., coordinating with frontend teams for API and state integration).
• Act as an IC on complex greenfield backend projects:
  • establish the technical roadmap
  • build a mentorship framework for junior engineers
• Bridge threat research data and service architecture to ensure long-term maintainability and high-throughput data processing.

Requirements

• 10+ years of backend-heavy experience with proven success in distributed systems (Go/Python/Java).
• Expert proficiency with AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude) and the ability to optimize workflow/team workflow.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop junior talent, transitioning from high-impact IC to technical leadership.
• Ability to read, debug, and architect data flow in coordination with frontend teams using React/TypeScript.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience operating and evolving intelligence-platform backends at scale (implied by Unit 42 mission and responsibilities).