Senior Principal Software Engineer – GlobalProtect (Windows & macOS Internals)
Palo Alto Networks · Posted Nov 4, 2026
- California, United States
- On-site
- Full-time · Principal
- $184K–$297K per year
- Visa sponsorship
Senior Principal Software Engineer for GlobalProtect
Compensation
The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/com-missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here. $183,600.00 - $297,000.00/yr
Responsibilities
- Design and implement low-level components for GlobalProtect's virtual network adapters, packet interception, routing, split-tunneling, and DNS handling on Windows and macOS.
- Align the client with evolving OS models by moving Windows NDIS and WFP-based components toward KMDF, WFP, and user-mode patterns, and evolving macOS System Extension and NetworkExtension providers.
- Own Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) test passes, WHQL/attestation signing through the Microsoft Partner Center, and Apple Developer ID signing, notarization, and system extension provisioning.
- Serve as the escalation engineer for BSODs, kernel panics, deadlocks, pool corruption, memory leaks, and hard-to-reproduce hangs.
- Drive fixes and design improvements for sleep/wake, Modern Standby, network change, and interface transition behavior.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field
- Nice to have: IPsec