Senior Director, Engineering (Unit 42)

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!

This role is remote, but distance is no barrier to impact. Our hybrid teams collaborate across geographies to solve big problems, stay close to our customers, and grow together. You will be part of a culture that values trust, accountability, and shared success where your work truly matters.

Job Summary

As the Senior Director of Engineering for Unit 42, you will lead the development of cutting-edge AI frameworks and specialized tooling to revolutionize incident response. You will drive the evolution of our external-facing platforms, align engineering execution with our strategic vision, and foster a culture of excellence and innovation. This role is pivotal in enhancing our technical capabilities, ensuring operational superiority, and integrating our efforts across the entire Palo Alto Networks product portfolio to maintain our leadership in cybersecurity.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain cutting-edge AI frameworks to automate complex investigation and response workflows for Unit 42 consultants.
• Evolve and scale the external-facing Unit 42 Arcade platform to enhance customer engagement and deliver interactive security experiences.
• Lead the rapid development of specialized tooling for Threat Analysts, Red Team consultants, and Incident Responders for immediate field impact.
• Serve as a key member of the Unit 42 leadership team, aligning engineering execution with the broader vision, strategy, and product roadmaps.
• Drive technical collaboration across Palo Alto Networks product divisions to ensure Unit 42's engineering efforts are integrated with the broader platform.
• Mentor and guide the professional and technical development of engineers and managers, fostering a culture of excellence and career progression.
• Oversee the cloud engineering budget, balancing the high computational demands of AI/ML with operational cost efficiency.
• Establish an 'Engineering Response' protocol to provide 24/7 technical support for consultants during massive, global cyberattacks.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of software engineering experience, with a proven track record leading data-intensive engineering organizations and large-scale cloud-delivered products.
• Demonstrated experience in Data Science and Machine Learning, including leveraging GenAI, LLMs, and autonomous agent frameworks.
• Proven ability to implement agile engineering processes that shorten release cycles and improve 'time to market' for critical field tools.
• Ability to be a strategic thinker who can dive deep into technical details to guide architectural choices.
• Technical degree (e.g., Computer Science, Engineering) or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep domain expertise in threat intelligence, malware analysis, red teaming, and/or incident response.
• A history of public speaking in technical industry forums and the ability to communicate effectively with both executive and technical audiences.
• Experience making critical 'Build vs. Buy' decisions for tools, open-source, and platform components.
• Advanced technical degree (Master's or PhD).

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/com-missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

$250,000.00 - $344,500.00/yr

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.

Client-provided location(s): Santa Clara, CA

Job ID: Palo_Alto_Networks-JR-013979

Employment Type: OTHER

Posted: 2026-01-31T19:28:06