Principal Software Engineer
Palo Alto Networks · Hyderabad · 10+ yrs experience · Posted 2026-07-18
Tech stack: Go
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About the role
As a Principal Engineer in our Identity Security division, you will be the ultimate technical authority and go-to expert for our core Single Sign-On (SSO) and Federation capabilities. You will own the architectural integrity, security posture, and scalability of our SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect (OIDC) implementations. In this role, you will balance deep technical execution with organizational leadership—driving best practices across microservices, mentoring engineering teams, representing our identity expertise externally, and pioneering the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to advance our identity security capabilities. Responsibilities: Write clean, highly secure, and performance-optimized code for critical authentication paths and build Proof of Concepts (PoCs) to evaluate new architectures. Architect resilient, low-latency microservices capable of handling millions of token validations, federation requests, and authentication flows globally. Drive engineering modernizations, including upgrading backend frameworks, implementing secure CI/CD pipelines, and integrating advanced security analysis tools. Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of critical bugs involving multi-tenant SSO setups, token encryption/signing, and token lifecycles. Partner with data science teams to integrate AI/ML models into authentication flows for real-time risk scoring and anomalous token behavior detection. Advocate for and embed generative AI development tools into the team's daily workflows to safely accelerate delivery and improve code quality. Lead large-scale features, protocol refactors, and microservice optimizations, ensuring alignment with the company’s Tech Radar and security baselines. Identify architectural gaps in SSO services, advocate for improvements, and implement robust solutions. Conduct rigorous reviews of complex protocol implementations and cryptographic designs to ensure strict adherence to RFC standards. Proactively identify and resolve cross-team technical dependencies for seamless integration. Teach, guide, and upskill developers, fostering a culture of deep identity security awareness. Represent the company in the cybersecurity industry by speaking at tech conferences, writing technical blogs, or contributing to open-source identity standards. Qualifications: Required Qualifications 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a proven track record in a Tech Lead or Principal Engineer role. Deep, hands-on expertise with Identity and Access Management (IAM) architectures, specifically building and securing SAML 2.0 Identity/Service Providers and OAuth 2.0/OIDC Authorization Servers. Strong background in modern cloud-native architectures, distributed microservices, and secure-by-design engineering principles. Preferred Qualifications Exposure or strong interest in applying AI/ML technologies within cybersecurity contexts, such as risk-based authentication or behavior analytics. Proven experience in public speaking, technical writing (blogs/whitepapers), or mentoring engineering communities. Broad understanding of the business context, connecting technical decisions to customer value. Ability to translate highly complex technical concepts for both engineering and business stakeholders
Qualifications
- Required Qualifications 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a proven track record in a Tech
- Lead or Principal Engineer role.
- Deep, hands-on expertise with Identity and Access Management (IAM) architectures, specifically building and securing SAML 2.0 Identity/Service Providers and OAuth 2.0/OIDC Authorization Servers.
- Strong background in modern cloud-native architectures, distributed microservices, and secure-by-design engineering principles.
- Exposure or strong interest in applying AI/ML technologies within cybersecurity contexts, such as risk-based authentication or behavior analytics.
- Proven experience in public speaking, technical writing (blogs/whitepapers), or mentoring engineering communities.
- Broad understanding of the business context, connecting technical decisions to customer value.
- Ability to translate highly complex technical concepts for both engineering and business stakeholders
Responsibilities
- Write clean, highly secure, and performance-optimized code for critical authentication paths and build Proof of Concepts (PoCs) to evaluate new architectures.
- Architect resilient, low-latency microservices capable of handling millions of token validations, federation requests, and authentication flows globally.
- Drive engineering modernizations, including upgrading backend frameworks, implementing secure CI/CD pipelines, and integrating advanced security analysis tools.
- Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of critical bugs involving multi-tenant SSO setups, token encryption/signing, and token lifecycles.
- Partner with data science teams to integrate AI/ML models into authentication flows for real-time risk scoring and anomalous token behavior detection.
- Advocate for and embed generative AI development tools into the team's daily workflows to safely accelerate delivery and improve code quality.
- Lead large-scale features, protocol refactors, and microservice optimizations, ensuring alignment with the company’s Tech Radar and security baselines.
- Identify architectural gaps in SSO services, advocate for improvements, and implement robust solutions.
- Conduct rigorous reviews of complex protocol implementations and cryptographic designs to ensure strict adherence to RFC standards.
- Proactively identify and resolve cross-team technical dependencies for seamless integration.
- Teach, guide, and upskill developers, fostering a culture of deep identity security awareness.
- Represent the company in the cybersecurity industry by speaking at tech conferences, writing technical blogs, or
- contributing to open-source identity standards.