Senior Staff Software Engineer (C++ Win32)

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.

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 We are seeking a high-energy Senior Staff Software Engineer to implement technical solutions and architecture for our Windows Agent. You must be an energetic self-starter with a desire to learn quickly and leverage modern AI-assisted development tools to maximize productivity. In this position, you will collaborate with a team of talented software engineers to innovate, implement, and support the product roadmap while upholding enterprise security standards.

Application Development: AI driven develop and maintain software applications using C/C++ programming languages on the Windows platform. Architecture & Design: Drive the design and architecture of low-level Windows Agent components. AI-Assisted Workflows: Leverage AI coding assistants (e.g., Cursor, Claude, Copilot) to accelerate development, code review, and debugging workflows while maintaining high code quality and security standards. Collaboration & Deployment: Partner with cross-functional teams to design, document, implement, test, and deploy highly resilient and scalable solutions. Enterprise Security: Drive product improvements and security enhancements in enterprise-class products deployed on millions of desktops. AI Integration & Validation: Utilize AI tools for code analysis, vulnerability detection, and automated testing while maintaining critical thinking and thorough validation of AI-generated outputs. Mentorship & Best Practices: Mentor engineers on best practices—including effective use of AI tools—and ensure adherence to Palo Alto Networks engineering practices and secure coding guidelines. Windows Systems Engineering: Apply deep knowledge of Win32 and Windows internals to solve complex technical challenges and ensure seamless operation of enterprise applications.

Required Qualifications Advanced expertise in the C++ programming language. Strong background in Windows software development, including Windows internals and Win32 APIs. Demonstrated experience integrating AI-powered development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude, Copilot) effectively into daily workflows. Strong skills in crafting prompts for technical documentation, code generation, and complex technical problem-solving. Ability to critically evaluate and validate AI-generated code for security, performance, and maintainability. Excellent communication, mentorship, and cross-team collaboration skills. 6+ years of hands-on software development experience. Demonstrated track record of using AI coding assistants in production environments. BE / B.Tech / MCA or equivalent degree in Computer Science or a related field.

Prior experience in cybersecurity, Windows kernel driver development, or Windows