Principal Researcher, Financial Services

Palo Alto Networks•Remote - USA - VA, VA

4d•$162,700 - $263,175•Remote

About The Position

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 As a Principal Researcher for Financial Services in Unit 42, you will leverage expert knowledge of industry-specific threats to provide meaningful intelligence. You will identify emerging trends, establish thought leadership through industry engagement, and become a go-to expert for internal and external stakeholders. This role requires you to be a self-starter who can collaborate effectively with researchers, partners, and the broader cybersecurity community. You will communicate your findings through presentations, articles, and social posts to advance the security of the financial services sector.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in threat intelligence focused on a variety of threats including ransomware, nation-state, cybercrime, supply-chain/3rd party risks, cloud, mobile, dark web, offensive security, and insider threats.
Advanced understanding of the adversary’s attack lifecycle, TTPs and high-fidelity indicators of compromise.
Experience with tools for data analysis, such as passive DNS, network infrastructure and host-based information.
Proven communicator and collaborator with success in building trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to lead tasks and projects independently and drive process improvement.
Proven record as a problem solver in complex and often ambiguous situations.
Drive to overcome the most challenging obstacles and look for ways to improve results.
Ability to understand and assimilate different points of view, manage time and prioritize work based on project needs and deadlines.

Nice To Haves

Understanding of specific cybersecurity needs and concerns of the financial services industry.
Established relationships within the financial services industry.
Experience as a public speaker at industry conferences.
History of publishing impactful cybersecurity research and/or trend publications, especially focused on the financial services industry.
Experience with using social media to connect with cybersecurity and industry peers.
Comfortable working effectively within a remote team.
Ability to interpret and action internal and external reports including technical malware analysis.
Knowledge of scripting languages to facilitate data collection and analysis.

Responsibilities

Demonstrate expertise in collecting and analyzing threat intelligence data across all categories of cyberthreats relevant to the financial services industry.
Document and communicate emerging threats, trends and their potential impact to the financial services industry in a timely manner.
Translate your threat intelligence collection into multiple formats that can be shared effectively with internal and external partners.
Map new threat intelligence findings into threat intelligence repositories.
Investigate and communicate an adversary’s actions through use of common frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK and the Diamond Model.
Conduct deep analysis using Palo Alto Networks internal telemetry and open-source datasets.
Conduct quick-turnaround threat analysis for high-visibility threat research and urgent requests.
Serve as an internal SME for threats related to the financial services industry.
Demonstrate thought leadership across Unit 42 and within the financial services industry.
Foster strong collaboration with key stakeholders across different functional teams and among partner organizations.
Grow and maintain industry connections.