below marketmost similar roles pay hereabove market
This role pays more than
59%
of similar roles. Most pay
$150,742–$218,900
— the blue band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$201k
versus about
$185k
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.
The Sr. Staff Systems Engineer (Fedramp) joins the Engineering & Infrastructure organization as a senior technical leader providing the operational backbone for automated cloud platforms across strictly governed public sector boundaries. You will architect, deploy, and maintain modular Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and Ansible across Google Cloud Platform and GCP Assured Workloads. Key responsibilities include managing production Google Kubernetes Engine clusters, hardening CI/CD pipelines for zero-trust software delivery, and automating technical controls for NIST SP 800-53 and DoD CC SRG IL5. You will utilize Python, Bash, and BigQuery to manage production telemetry, identity governance, and incident response. This role solves the complex challenge of maintaining defense-grade compliance and secure, scalable infrastructure within highly regulated FedRAMP environments.
What does a Systems Engineer earn in California?
Median $191000 from 99 postings across 21 companies.
Architect and maintain modular Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and Ansible across GCP and GCP Assured Workloads.
Build and harden automated CI/CD pipelines with integrated security scanning and automated artifact provenance signing.
Manage and scale production Google Kubernetes Engine clusters with strict network isolation and zero-trust security standards.
Automate technical controls for NIST SP 800-53 and DoD CC SRG IL5 to generate continuous monitoring evidence.
Design unified monitoring and proactive alerting frameworks using Google Cloud Operations Suite and BigQuery.
Implement zero-trust identity architectures using GCP Cloud IAM, Identity-Aware Proxy, and hardware-backed MFA.
Execute blue/green and canary deployment patterns and lead technical incident response for production service disruptions.
Provide self-service automation tooling and mentor junior engineers in cloud security and GitOps practices.
What we're looking for
8+ years of experience in DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), or Systems Engineering supporting complex, highly regulated cloud environments.
Deep hands-on experience provisioning, securing, and maintaining infrastructure on GCP, including GCP Assured Workloads, Cloud IAM, and VPC Service Controls.
Proven expertise in architecting and operating Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) or Kubernetes clusters in mission-critical production environments.
Advanced proficiency in writing and maintaining modular, testable infrastructure automation using Terraform and Ansible.
Strong background configuring, securing, and scaling enterprise CI/CD pipelines with integrated security testing.
Demonstrated experience implementing security controls aligned to FedRAMP Moderate/High (NIST SP 800-53) and/or DoD Cloud Computing SRG (IL4/IL5).
Fluency in Python and Bash for operational scripting, systems integration, and tool development.
U.S. Citizenship with the ability to pass background checks and security investigations required for DoD IL5 and federal boundary access.
Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer, Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Security Engineer, or Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) (preferred).
Familiarity with BigQuery for telemetry log aggregation, querying, and audit reporting (preferred).
Practical experience with service mesh technologies such as Anthos Service Mesh (preferred).
Experience with systems programming languages such as Golang and Rust (preferred).
Systems Engineering
System Architecture
Requirements Management
Risk Management
Verification and Validation
Usability Engineering
Regulatory Compliance
Traceability
Change Control
Design Transfer
Manufacturing Readiness
INCOSE
PMP
Systems Engineering
System Integration
System Architecture
Python
MATLAB
Embedded Software
Firmware
Hardware-Abstraction Layer
Data Mining
Data Analysis
Medical Devices
Product Development
Systems Engineering
Model-Based Systems Engineering
requirements-management
Embedded Firmware
Signal Processing
Data Analysis
Electrical Hardware
Mixed-Signal Hardware
Sensors
ISO 14971
IEC 60601
ISO 14708
Risk Management
Design Controls