Sr. Director of Software Engineering, AI-Enabled Solutions & Products

Palo Alto Networks•Office - USA - CA - Headquarters, CA

4d•$250,000 - $344,500•Onsite

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! We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes. Job Summary The Team Network Security (NetSec) Engineering – Our team is at the core of Palo Alto Networks' mission, developing the industry’s most advanced security platforms. We are now expanding our focus to build a suite of internal and customer-facing AI-enabled solutions designed to automate a variety of operations, and revolutionize how our teams interact with complex data. You will lead a specialized group of software engineers dedicated to integrating Generative AI and automation into the very DNA of our NetSec product portfolio and beyond. Job Summary As the Director of Software Engineering for AI-Enabled Solutions and Products, you will lead the development of a diverse portfolio of AI-driven solutions that enhance our Network Security capabilities. You will be responsible for bridging the gap between core security engineering and cutting-edge AI application, creating solutions that solve complex operational challenges. This role requires a leader who is equally comfortable discussing large-scale software architecture and the nuances of LLM integration, while scaling high-performing teams in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

12+ years of software development experience, with a proven track record of shipping large-scale, enterprise-grade cloud services or internal product platforms.
6+ years of formal engineering management experience, including experience managing other managers and leading geographically distributed teams.
Deep hands-on experience in modern software languages (e.g., Python, Golang, Java) and cloud-native infrastructure (AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, Microservices).
Recent experience delivering software products that utilize AI/ML, specifically involving LLM orchestration, AI Agents, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), or AI-driven automation workflows.
Exceptional ability to articulate complex technical strategies to executive leadership and influence stakeholders across different business units.

Nice To Haves

Deep experience in network security, threat detection, or cloud-based security solutions.
Familiarity with AI development frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex) and MLOps best practices for deploying and monitoring AI applications at scale.
BS/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
Proven track record of taking a "vague" problem statement and turning it into a successful, AI-enabled software product.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the roadmap for AI-enabled solutions within the NetSec organization, focusing on high-impact areas across various business processes
Drive the architectural direction for scalable, cloud-native applications that leverage AI/ML to solve real-world security problems.
Partner with NetSec product leaders, AI Research teams, and Cloud Operations to ensure AI solutions are seamlessly integrated and production-ready.
Build and mentor a multi-disciplinary engineering organization. You will be responsible for recruiting and developing top-tier talent and managers focused on the intersection of SWE and AI.
Identify opportunities to export successful AI solutions methodologies from NetSec to other organizations within Palo Alto Networks, driving a company-wide "AI-first" mindset.
Oversee the full software development lifecycle (SDLC), ensuring high-quality, secure, and performant code delivery in a continuous integration environment.