Job Summary
As a Director of Engineering at Cortex Cloud, you will lead an engineering group of approximately 25 engineers operating in one of our most complex and cross-functional domains, focused on building KSPM (Kubernetes Security Posture Management) and CNS (Cloud Network Security).
This highly technical group works closely with some of the largest companies in the US across various domains.
This role requires a strong blend of strategic leadership and deep technical expertise, including systems design and large-scale distributed cloud architectures.
You will be responsible for driving the design and delivery of complex, high-impact systems, while ensuring your teams execute against the roadmap with both speed and engineering rigor.
Key Responsibilities
Build, mentor, and lead high-performing backend engineering teams, fostering a culture of empowerment and driving both individual growth and collective impact.
Partner closely with Product Management and cross-functional teams (Infrastructure, Research, UX) to define priorities and shape multi-quarter product roadmaps, ensuring alignment across all stakeholders.
Own the end-to-end software development lifecycle, translating product strategy into executable plans and ensuring consistent, high-quality, on-time delivery.
Provide architectural leadership for scalable, distributed systems operating at petabyte scale, guiding the design and implementation of high-throughput, cloud-native backend microservices.
Drive production readiness by enforcing best practices around deployment, observability, reliability, and runtime stability, focusing on the details to ensure operational excellence.
Align stakeholders across business units through clear communication of technical strategy, trade-offs, priorities, risks, and execution plans.
Engage directly with strategic enterprise customers—including some of the largest companies in the US—to lead technical deep dives, review architecture, and influence future product direction.
Foster a culture of high engineering standards, accountability, and continuous improvement, with a strong emphasis on quality and security.
Qualifications
Demonstrated experience leading several backend teams within a large-scale software organization.
5+ years of hands-on software engineering experience with a strong systems-level foundation.
Proven ability to plan, execute, and deliver complex roadmaps with high predictability, owning distributed cloud products end-to-end.
Demonstrated experience designing and operating large-scale cloud architectures on platforms such as GCP, AWS, or Azure.
Strong collaboration skills with a track record of aligning cross-disciplinary teams around shared objectives.
Preferred Qualifications
Strong deep understanding of security and Kubernetes (KSPM/CNS domain context).
Familiarity with large-scale data platforms, including BigQuery, MongoDB, and MySQL.
Professional experience in cybersecurity, data security, or threat intelligence.
Experience operating and maintaining highly distributed services at massive scale.
Our Commitment
We’re trailblazers that dream big, take risks, and challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.
Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.
