Technical Director, DFIR (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

The Team

Unit 42 brings together world-renowned threat researchers, elite incident responders, and seasoned security consultants to create an intelligence-driven, response-ready organization. The Unit 42 team is on the front lines of investigating and combating the most advanced and complex cyber threats. By providing actionable threat intelligence, expert incident response services, and proactive risk assessments, we help organizations around the globe understand and prepare for the cyber attacks of tomorrow.

• Provide expert-level strategic and technical guidance to clients during active data breach response and cybersecurity incidents.
• Lead complex client engagements from initial scoping and resource allocation through to technical execution and final reporting.
• Apply deep knowledge of forensic processes, including chain of custody, and advanced computer and memory acquisition techniques.
• Utilize industry-standard forensics tools (e.g., EnCase, FTK, SleuthKit, Volatility) for in-depth analysis across major operating systems.
• Challenge curiously by maintaining hyper-current knowledge of the threat landscape, emerging vulnerabilities, and attacker TTPs to inform response strategies.
• Conduct detailed analysis of malware, identify persistence mechanisms, and triage threats to determine root cause and impact.
• Proactively collaborate with internal teams and client stakeholders, ensuring alignment and communicating clear, actionable findings.
• Develop and automate scripts and processes to simplify and enhance the efficiency of incident response scenarios.

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Security, Computer Science, Digital Forensics, or a related field, or equivalent military experience.
• 10+ years of direct incident response or digital forensics consulting experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex technical engagements, including scoping, client interfacing, and hands-on technical execution.
• Proficiency in enterprise-wide data acquisition, host and network level analysis, and creating automation scripts for incident response.
• Expert operational understanding of at least one major operating system (Microsoft Windows, Linux, or Mac) from a forensic perspective.

• Established external presence through public speaking, conference presentations, or cybersecurity publications.
• Exceptional credibility and executive presence, with the ability to advise senior leadership and build strong client relationships.
• Proven ability to collaborate and build relationships across internal functions, including sales and research teams.
• An excellent understanding of the Palo Alto Networks product portfolio and its application in security solutions