Principal Software Engineer (SaaS Agent Security)
At a glance
Senior Engineering Leadership role at Paloaltonetworks. Office - USA - CA - Headquarters · full-time · $156,400–$253,000 base.
techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Design safeguards for autonomous agents, using sandboxing, runtime policy checks and execution monitoring
- Deploy and run security controls that surface risks in internal and third-party SaaS services
- Lock down agent access through OAuth, OIDC, SAML/SSO, API tokens and agent-to-SaaS authorization
- Build production security tools, collect telemetry automatically and prepare response playbooks for agent and SaaS anomalies
- Work with SRE, AI/ML research, product and compliance teams to add guardrails to CI/CD and deployment pipelines
What you bring
- At least five years in information security, cloud security engineering or application security
- You understand agentic AI threats such as prompt or indirect injection, OAuth abuse, privilege escalation and data leaks
- You know enterprise SaaS platforms and SSPM tools, and can automate security work with Java, Python, Go or Bash
- You can configure GCP and work with its console
Who this fits
This senior principal engineering role suits someone focused on agent and SaaS security, including coding-agent defenses and access controls. Most teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when needed. Immigration sponsorship is available.
From the employer
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
Your Career
Architecting defenses, building monitoring pipelines, and managing governance for agentic AI workflows, API permissions, and enterprise SaaS-to-SaaS or agent-to-SaaS connections. Specialize in coding agent security such as Claude code, Codex and Cursor.
Key Responsibilities:
Agentic AI & Runtime Defense: Architect security controls for autonomous AI agents, including sandboxing, runtime policy enforcement, and execution safety monitoring.
SaaS & API Security Posture: Deploy, integrate, and operationalize SaaS agent security and data security to monitor third-party and internal SaaS risk.
Identity & Non-Human Access: Secure OAuth flows, OpenID Connect (OIDC), SAML/SSO, API token privileges, and agent-to-SaaS authorization models.
Detection & Incident Response: Build production-grade security tooling, automated telemetry collection, and incident response playbooks for agent/SaaS anomalies.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with SRE, AI/ML research, product, and compliance teams to bake guardrails into CI/CD and deployment pipelines.
Qualifications
Technical Experience:
- 5+ years in information security, cloud security engineering, or application security.
- AI & Agent Threats: Deep understanding of agentic AI risks, prompt/indirect injection, OAuth abuse, privilege escalation, and data leakage across LLM/agent stacks.
- SaaS Architecture: Strong grasp of enterprise SaaS platforms (e.g., Salesforce, M365, Google Workspace, ServiceNow) and SSPM platforms.
- Scripting & Automation: Proficiency in Java preffered. Next - Python, Go, or Bash for building security automation and API integrations.
- Cloud Provider: GCP basics and ability to configure GCP, understand BQ and work on GCP Console.
- Certifications (Preferred): CISSP, CCSP, or cloud-native security credentials.
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.
$156,400.00 - $253,000.00/yrOur 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?: Yes