Principal Automation/Test Engineer

Company Description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Job Description

Your Career

We are seeking a highly skilled and forward-thinking Principal Quality Engineer to join our team in Santa Clara, US. This is a senior, hands-on technical role focused on driving our AI-First quality strategy. You will be instrumental in architecting, developing, and implementing sophisticated test automation frameworks. The ideal candidate is a deep technical expert with a passion for leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to revolutionize the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), from test automation and code generation to pioneering new quality paradigms.

Your Impact

• AI-Driven Test Strategy & Architecture: Design and implement a visionary test automation strategy that leverages AI/ML for intelligent test case generation, predictive quality analytics, and self-healing automation frameworks.
• Hands-On Test Automation Development: Lead the development of robust, scalable, and maintainable test automation frameworks from the ground up using languages like Python or Java. You will be writing code and setting the standard for the entire team.
• AI Fluency in Practice: Utilize generative AI and other AI-powered tools for efficient test code generation, synthetic data creation, and anomaly detection within our applications and CI/CD pipelines.
• Technical Leadership and Mentorship: Act as the foremost technical authority in quality engineering. Mentor and guide other engineers on best practices in software testing, automation, and the application of AI in QE.
• Drive AI-First SDLC: Champion and integrate an "AI-First" mindset throughout the software development lifecycle, influencing how we build, test, and release software.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Partner closely with Software Development, DevOps, and Product Management teams to embed quality into the development process and ensure the delivery of high-quality, reliable products.
  • Good hold on DevOps & non-prod Environment management (Architecture, Refresh strategy and automation, connectivity, Release train and env mgmt for optimal release strategy etc.)
• Continuous Improvement: Research, evaluate, and implement cutting-edge tools and technologies in test automation and AI to continuously enhance testing efficiency and effectiveness.

Qualifications

Your Experience

• 15+ years of hands-on experience in Quality Engineering or Software Development in Test (SDET).
• Expert-level programming skills in Python, Java, or a similar object-oriented language.
• Proven, demonstrable experience in designing, building, and maintaining complex test automation frameworks from scratch (e.g., using Pytest, Selenium, Playwright, REST Assured).
• Strong practical knowledge and experience applying AI/ML concepts and tools to software quality challenges. This includes hands-on experience with generative AI for code/test generation.
• Experience with AI-powered copilot tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Amp) for script generation and development productivity.
• Deep expertise with CI/CD pipelines, version control systems (Git), and modern DevOps practices.
• Experience testing complex, distributed systems and microservices architectures.
• Excellent analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills with an ability to think strategically about quality and technical challenges.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent military experience required. A Master’s degree is a plus.

Additional Information

The Team

Our IT Quality Assurance team is responsible for ensuring that high-quality products are delivered to our business users. They are the first line of defence in vetting any new product build and assisting our engineers in building reliable and scalable solutions. It's a critical function that will enable all of IT to execute with excellence, at a faster pace without compromising delivery quality.

Compensation Disclosure

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/commissioned roles) is expected. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here .

Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that 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 [email protected] .

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?: Yes