Sr. Principal Security Researcher - Wildfire

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 Engineering - Our engineering team is at the core of our products and connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. We are constantly innovating — challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity. Our engineers don’t shy away from building products to solve problems no one has pursued before. We define the industry instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of a challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment. Job Summary As a Security Researcher on the WildFire Team, you will play a crucial role in developing automated defenses against emerging and sophisticated threats and malware. Part of the Cloud Delivered Security Service (CDSS) organization, our team is dedicated to innovating and delivering cutting-edge security services. Your expertise will be instrumental in translating deep threat knowledge into scalable, productized detection capabilities to combat cyber threats. Key Responsibilities Lead the deep-dive analysis of emerging malware and advanced persistent threats. Maintain an authoritative command of the global threat landscape to preemptively identify shifts in adversary tactics. Architect and validate next-generation detection methodologies, leveraging different approaches to build automated systems. Drive the full software development lifecycle for scalable, extensible prevention systems from architecture to deployment. Act as the primary conduit between Research and Engineering teams, ensuring discoveries are integrated into product features. Represent the company as a subject matter expert through high-impact white papers, industry conferences, and patent filings. Qualifications Required Qualifications 10 years of deep technical experience in malware analysis (static/dynamic) and reverse engineering. Deep experience with OS internals (Windows/Linux/macOS). Proven track record of designing high-performance, distributed systems for automated threat analysis at scale. Proficiency in at least one of the following programming languages: Python, Golang, C. A self-starting “can-do” attitude with the ability to lead cross-functional projects independently while mentoring junior researchers. Excellent communication (written and verbal) and presentation skills. BS/MS in Computer Science or related fields with security research experience. Preferred Qualifications Experience building or fine-tuning AI agents to autonomously triage alerts, summarize malware behavior, or generate detection content via LLMs. Experience with public cloud development (e.g., GCP, AWS, Azure). PhD in Cybersecurity or a related fiel ... (truncated, view full listing at source)