Principal Technical Support Engineer

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 Description The Team Our technical support team is critical to the success of our mission. As part of this elite team, you will play a vital role in ensuring ultimate customer success by providing world-class, proactive support and driving continuous, strategic improvement within our global support organization. Job Summary At Palo Alto Networks®, everything starts and ends with our mission: Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are. Key Responsibilities - Strategic Technical Leadership: Act as the highest level of technical authority. You will hold peer-to-peer conversations with Engineering and Customers to drive permanent resolution on complex architectural issues, ensuring supportability is a key consideration in organizational and product decisions - AI & Automation Strategy: Drive AI-led workflow improvements and automation efforts across GCS. Your goal is to achieve specific, measurable outcomes including significant Case Avoidance and Case Deflection, while drastically reducing Time to Resolution (TTR) and Time to Connect (TTC) - Champion Serviceability & Scalability: Influence the product development lifecycle by advocating for improved serviceability and scalability in new and existing products. Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering to incorporate critical support requirements early in the design phase - Engineer Enablement: Develop and deliver cutting-edge training programs, technical deep dives, and enablement content for our Technical Assistance Center (TAC) engineers, ensuring the global team is ready to expertly support complex Cloud and SASE architectures - Root Cause Elimination: Systematically analyze root causes of recurring, high-impact issues. Collaborate directly with Engineering to implement permanent product fixes and process improvements, minimizing customer impact and elevating the overall support experience Qualifications Required Qualifications - Professional Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in technical support, engineering, or a related field within the networking and security industry - Core Domain Expertise: Deep and comprehensive understanding of TCP/IP, routing protocols (BGP, OSPF), and complex LAN/WAN architectures - Expertise in network security concepts and technologies, including firewalls, VPNs (IPSEC, SSL), PKI, and intrusion prevention systems - Extensive, hands-on background in SASE and SD-WAN technologies. - Cloud & Deployment Fluency: Significant exposure to solutions deployed across major Public Clouds (e.G., AWS, Azure, GCP) and Private Clouds - Proven track record of leading, managing, and implementing successful, high-impact technical projects - Operational Background: Proven experience working in Security, Network, and/or IT Operations environments - Experience developing and implementing Technical Support strategy and successfully mentoring Senior Technical Staff - Automation & AI Skills: Demonstrated experience applying AI/ML concepts to operational workflows or support processes for tangible business outcomes - Expertise with scripting languages (e.G., Python) for Automation and utilizing effective tools to achieve Case Avoidance and Deflection targets - Soft Skills & Authority: Exceptional communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts clearly and persuasively to both highly technical and non-technical executive audiences. - Proven ability to influence product direction by effectively collaborating with Product Management and Engineering teams Additional Information Our Commitment We’re problem solvers that 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.