Principal Software Automation – Test Engineer

Palo Alto Networks

. Design and implement autonomous QA workflows using AI agents and LLM-based frameworks to achieve continuous, intelligent test execution across multiple services.

Posted 3/27/2026full-timeSanta Clara • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $147,000 - $237,500 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSAzureCloudCyber SecurityDistributed SystemsDNSGoGoogle Cloud PlatformLinuxPuppeteerPythonSeleniumTCP/IP

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and implement autonomous QA workflows using AI agents and LLM-based frameworks to achieve continuous, intelligent test execution across multiple services.
Develop AI-augmented test infrastructure enabling scalable, context-aware testing that reflects real-world deployment scenarios.
Build AI-powered test generation systems that automatically create comprehensive test suites from requirements, specifications, and production telemetry.
Participate in system design to ensure quality, observability, and testability are built-in throughout the feature development lifecycle.
Provide technical leadership in browser security, cloud orchestration, distributed systems, and AI-assisted quality engineering across multi-team quality initiatives.
Mentor junior and mid-level engineers on AI/ML testing techniques, prompt engineering, and modern quality practices; lead adoption of new testing methodologies and measure impact.
Collaborate with Development, SRE, Product Management, and Technical Marketing to align quality strategy with business outcomes and establish quality standards.
Enhance test strategies, automation, and build infrastructure with feedback and analysis from real-world customer deployments.
Stay current with AI/ML advancements and translate them into practical testing innovations like agentic workflows, multimodal testing, and AI-powered observability.

Requirements

What you’ll need

M.S./B.S. degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent military experience required.
10+ years of experience in QA/Test Automation Engineering with demonstrated impact on product quality and team practices.
2+ years of hands-on experience with AI/ML technologies, including LLMs, prompt engineering, and AI-assisted development workflows.
Proven track record of building autonomous testing systems or AI-powered quality engineering tools.
Intermediate to Expert level experience with REST API driven automation using Python or Go.
Deep expertise in cybersecurity, cloud networking, or distributed systems test, including expert knowledge of TCP/IP, DNS, and SSL/TLS.
Experience with Identity Technologies such as Azure AD, Okta, or Ping Identity.
Experience with cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud networking architectures (VPCs, subnets, security groups, NAT).
Experience with Windows/Linux/MAC Networking and Security Features.
Expertise in REST API testing, web UI automation (Selenium, Playwright, Puppeteer), and cloud-native application testing.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Employee benefits may include restricted stock units and a bonus.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

QA/Test Automation EngineeringAI/ML technologiesLLMsprompt engineeringREST API automationPythonGocybersecuritycloud networkingdistributed systems testing

Soft Skills

technical leadershipmentoringcollaborationquality strategy alignmentfeedback analysis

Certifications

M.S. in Computer ScienceB.S. in Computer ScienceElectrical Engineering degreeequivalent military experience