Senior Threat Researcher, Unit 42 (Clearance Required)

Palo Alto Networks • Washington, DC

8d • 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 The Team Unit 42 brings together world-renowned threat researchers, elite incident responders, and expert security consultants to create an intelligence-driven, response-ready organization. The Unit 42 team is on the front lines of every major intrusion, analyzing the tools and techniques of the most advanced threat actors, and sharing our findings to help prevent successful cyberattacks. Our mission is to arm organizations with the threat intelligence and security expertise they need to confidently go on the offense. As a member of the Unit 42 National Security Team (NATSEC), you will work with a globally distributed team of vulnerability researchers, reverse engineers, and threat intelligence analysts. In this role, you will be embedded within a customer environment, tracking cyber criminals, ransomware groups, and advanced persistent threats to support sensitive customer intelligence requirements and make a significant impact on national security. While this is a remote position, you must reside within a local commuting distance to Washington, DC, to support on-site requirements.

Requirements

• Active Top Secret Clearance (TS/SCI) with Polygraph.
• Bachelor of Science/Master of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field; OR 5+ years of equivalent experience as a cleared cyber threat intelligence analyst.
• Proficiency in a programming or scripting language such as Python, C, or C++.
• Strong knowledge of cyber security threat actors, particularly their tactics, techniques, procedures (TTPs), and tooling.
• Experience leveraging netflow, passive DNS, IP registration, and malware telemetry to form comprehensive threat assessments.
• To comply with U.S. federal government requirements, U.S. citizenship is required for this position.
• Must reside within a local commuting distance to Washington, DC, to support on-site requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with large-scale data analysis platforms, such as BigQuery.
• Familiarity with static and dynamic malware analysis using common industry tools (e.g., IDA Pro, Ghidra, x64dbg).
• Deep knowledge of the MITRE ATT&CK Matrix and its application in tracking threat actor behaviors.
• Experience working within a security operations center (SOC), fusion center, or incident management team.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with experience delivering presentations to technical and executive audiences.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely and actionable intelligence to support customer intelligence requirements.
• Leverage global datasets (e.g., netflow, malware, passive DNS, geospatial intelligence) to track malicious cyber actors, their infrastructure, and campaigns.
• Proactively collaborate and exchange information with a global team of threat intelligence analysts to analyze and develop coverage for emerging threats.
• Develop and present strategic threat assessments tailored to customer needs and intelligence gaps.
• Communicate effectively with product engineering teams to improve detection efficacy in our ecosystem of products.
• Challenge existing assumptions by curiously investigating threat actor TTPs to produce unique and predictive intelligence.
• Simplify complex technical findings into clear, concise reports for a variety of audiences.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level