Senior Staff IT AI Software Engineer

Palo Alto Networks

Confirmed live today High trust

Quick summary

Work type
On-site
Location
Santa Clara, CA
Salary
$145,000–$235,500 / yr
Posted
85 days ago
Freshness
Confirmed live today

Market check

Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $195k
This role $190k
$128k $279k
below market most similar roles pay here above market

This role pays less than 66% of similar roles. Most pay $165,000–$225,200 — the blue band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $190k versus about $195k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is a global cybersecurity company offering network security, cloud security, and endpoint protection solutions.

Palo Alto Networks currently has 51 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $159,100–$257,400 across 47 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Senior Staff IT AI Software Engineer

The Sr Staff IT AI Software Engineer joins the Customer Support Tools team to lead the design and delivery of next-generation scalable services. This role involves evolving core architecture into AI-native engineering by building resilient microservices and emerging agentic workflows. Key responsibilities include architecting advanced agentic systems, establishing enterprise-wide AI Evaluation frameworks, and defining strategies for data retrieval pipelines using vector embeddings and semantic search. The engineer will also standardize prompt engineering, implement LLM security frameworks, and scale Model Context Protocol servers. Required technical skills include Python, Django, FastAPI, React, GraphQL, and Google Cloud Platform. The position focuses on solving complex enterprise problems by integrating autonomous services, ensuring high-quality software assets, and bridging core IT data with LLM-driven applications across various business units.

What you'll do

  • Drive the strategic architectural vision and deployment of scalable software assets using Python and React.
  • Architect and govern advanced agentic systems using Vertex AI Agent SDK and A2A protocols.
  • Establish enterprise-wide AI Evaluation frameworks and automated benchmarking pipelines to monitor LLM performance.
  • Define the organizational strategy and architecture for data retrieval pipelines and vector embeddings.
  • Establish enterprise-wide prompt engineering standards and LLM security frameworks to prevent vulnerabilities.
  • Standardize and scale Model Context Protocol servers to bridge enterprise IT data with LLM applications.
  • Mentor and cultivate technical leaders and engineers across the organization in full-stack and AI domains.
  • Take ultimate accountability for cross-team project outcomes to ensure solutions meet enterprise-grade standards.

What we're looking for

  • Minimum of 9 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent military experience.
  • 9+ years of professional experience in backend development with Python using Django or FastAPI to build microservice architectures.
  • Proven track record of architecting, deploying, and scaling production-grade Generative AI and LLM-powered applications.
  • Hands-on experience with LLM orchestration and agentic frameworks like LangChain, LangGraph, or native cloud Agent SDKs.
  • Deep technical expertise in RAG architectures, including vector embeddings, semantic search, and vector databases.
  • Demonstrated experience implementing LLM guardrails, prompt injection defenses, and AI evaluation (Evals) workflows.
  • Demonstrated expertise in frontend development with JavaScript, TypeScript, and React.
  • Expert-level proficiency in containerization and orchestration using Docker and Kubernetes (GKE).
  • Deep, hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform, particularly Google Vertex AI (preferred).
  • Production-level knowledge of Agent SDK, LangChain, LangGraph, A2A protocols, and MCP servers (preferred).
  • Experience integrating and scaling Agentic IDEs like Cursor or Windsurf (preferred).
  • Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or a related field (preferred).

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