a palo alto networks company, is the global leader in identity security, trusted by organizations around the world to secure human and machine identities in the modern enterprise. ai-powered identity security platform applies intelligent privilege controls to every identity with continuous threat prevention, detection and response across the identity lifecycle. with identity security, organizations can reduce operational and security risks by enabling zero trust and least privilege with complete visibility, empowering all users and identities, including workforce, it, developers and machines, to securely access any resource, located anywhere, from everywhere.
job description:
were building foundational infrastructure to secure ai agents-including their identities, access patterns, and interactions with sensitive systems and data. this includes designing intelligent, dynamic mechanisms for ephemeral access control, secrets management, and agent and user identity tailored to the modern agent ecosystem.
as a staff engineer, youll take ownership of these critical systems, designing and implementing how agents establish identity, receive dynamic access, securely interact with sensitive systems, and leave verifiable audit trails. youll shape the long-term architecture, anticipate technical risks, and evolve systems that span both machine- and human-facing workflows.
this is a rare opportunity to combine hands-on engineering with technical leadership-writing critical code, mentoring engineers, sharing knowledge, and driving best practices-while building a platform from the ground up at the cutting edge of ai, identity, and security.
responsibilities
own and guide the technical direction of core platform domains, including agent identity, authentication, authorization, and secrets management, shaping architectures that span multiple services and teams while balancing scalability, reliability, and security. lead by example through high-impact implementation, mentoring engineers, and helping them navigate complex technical tradeoffs. proactively identify critical technical problems or gaps, and drive solutions from concept through delivery. establish and promote engineering best practices, ensuring high standards for code quality, security, and operational excellence. communicate complex technical concepts clearly to engineers, architects, product managers, and stakeholders, influencing decisions, fostering alignment, and driving cross-team collaboration. document key decisions, patterns, and practices to elevate team knowledge and ensure consistency across the platform. advocate for continuous improvement and operational efficiency, helping the team work smarter while maintaining a secure, high-quality platform.
Requirements: you bring 8+ years of experience in backend and systems with a track record of owning large-scale or security-critical systems end-to-end. youve designed and operated distributed, cloud-based architectures that are secure, scalable, and reliable, and youre comfortable working with aws, gcp, or azure. you have experience or a strong interest in identity, authentication, authorization, and secrets management, and youre excited to apply these principles to ai and agent frameworks-this will give you an edge. you thrive in ambiguity, make high-impact technical decisions, and guide others through complex tradeoffs with confidence. you communicate clearly and effectively, influencing decisions, aligning teams, and mentoring engineers across multiple functions. youre passionate about sharing knowledge, raising the technical bar, and multiplying the impact of your peers and the team. you are self-driven, proactive, and organized, with a strong focus on delivering high-quality, secure, and scalable solutions that make a real difference.
This position is open to all candidates.