Principal Automation/Test Engineer

Palo Alto Networks • Santa Clara, CA

35d • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled and forward-thinking Principal Quality Engineer to join our team in Santa Clara, US. This is a senior, hands-on technical role focused on driving our AI-First quality strategy. You will be instrumental in architecting, developing, and implementing sophisticated test automation frameworks. The ideal candidate is a deep technical expert with a passion for leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to revolutionize the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), from test automation and code generation to pioneering new quality paradigms.

Requirements

• 15+ years of hands-on experience in Quality Engineering or Software Development in Test (SDET).
• Expert-level programming skills in Python, Java, or a similar object-oriented language.
• Proven, demonstrable experience in designing, building, and maintaining complex test automation frameworks from scratch (e.g., using Pytest, Selenium, Playwright, REST Assured).
• Strong practical knowledge and experience applying AI/ML concepts and tools to software quality challenges. This includes hands-on experience with generative AI for code/test generation.
• Experience with AI-powered copilot tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Amp) for script generation and development productivity.
• Deep expertise with CI/CD pipelines, version control systems (Git), and modern DevOps practices.
• Experience testing complex, distributed systems and microservices architectures.
• Excellent analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills with an ability to think strategically about quality and technical challenges.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent military experience required.

Nice To Haves

• A Master’s degree is a plus.

Responsibilities

• AI-Driven Test Strategy & Architecture: Design and implement a visionary test automation strategy that leverages AI/ML for intelligent test case generation, predictive quality analytics, and self-healing automation frameworks.
• Hands-On Test Automation Development: Lead the development of robust, scalable, and maintainable test automation frameworks from the ground up using languages like Python or Java. You will be writing code and setting the standard for the entire team.
• AI Fluency in Practice: Utilize generative AI and other AI-powered tools for efficient test code generation, synthetic data creation, and anomaly detection within our applications and CI/CD pipelines.
• Technical Leadership and Mentorship: Act as the foremost technical authority in quality engineering. Mentor and guide other engineers on best practices in software testing, automation, and the application of AI in QE.
• Drive AI-First SDLC: Champion and integrate an "AI-First" mindset throughout the software development lifecycle, influencing how we build, test, and release software.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Software Development, DevOps, and Product Management teams to embed quality into the development process and ensure the delivery of high-quality, reliable products.
• Good hold on DevOps & non-prod Environment management (Architecture, Refresh strategy and automation, connectivity, Release train and env mgmt for optimal release strategy etc.)
• Continuous Improvement: Research, evaluate, and implement cutting-edge tools and technologies in test automation and AI to continuously enhance testing efficiency and effectiveness.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees