Senior Manager Software Engineering

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 Summary Job Summary

As the Senior AI Engineering Manager, you will be a "player-coach" leading a talented team of 8 AI/ML engineers based in India. You will be a critical technical leader within our global AI Enterprise Team, responsible for not just the architecture, but the direct technical execution and delivery of AI-powered solutions across Palo Alto Networks.

This role is designed for a leader who still loves to get their hands dirty. You will balance people management with active involvement in architecture, code reviews, and building POCs. You will partner closely with product management, engineering leaders and business stakeholders to contribute to roadmaps while ensuring the technical foundation of our AI initiatives is world-class.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead by Example: Manage a team of 8 direct reports while remaining an active technical contributor. You will provide mentorship not just through career coaching, but through shared coding sessions and deep-dive technical troubleshooting.
• Architect & Build: Take a lead role in designing and implementing scalable AI architectures. You aren't just reviewing diagrams; you are helping write the core frameworks that power our models.
• Embrace "Vibe Coding" & Modern Tooling: Lead the shift toward high-velocity development by championing AI-augmented engineering. You will guide the team in "vibe coding"—using natural language, LLM-based agents, and sophisticated prompting to rapidly iterate from idea to functional code, while ensuring the underlying "vibes" are backed by rigorous logic and sound engineering.
• Rapid Prototyping: Drive the "zero-to-one" phase of new AI initiatives by building initial prototypes and proof-of-concepts to validate technical feasibility at the speed of thought.
• Execute & Deploy: Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of AI/ML projects. You will ensure MLOps pipelines are robust by participating in the deployment and operational monitoring of production models.
• Code Quality & Guardrails: As the team moves faster with AI-assisted coding, you will act as the ultimate filter—establishing high standards for code quality, security, and maintainability to ensure that AI-generated contributions meet enterprise-grade requirements.

Qualifications Required Qualifications

• 14+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 5 years of deep, hands-on experience building and scaling AI/ML systems.
• 3+ years of formal people management experience, with a focus on leading technical teams in an agile environment.
• Expert-level Proficiency in Python: You should be comfortable writing production-grade code and navigating complex repositories.
• Deep Technical Mastery: Practical experience with deep learning, NLP (including LLMs/RAG), and predictive modeling using frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Hands-on MLOps: Proven experience building and maintaining ML pipelines using tools such as Kubeflow, MLflow, or Vertex AI. You should be comfortable managing the infrastructure that supports your models.
• Cloud & Data Engineering: Significant experience with cloud platforms (GCP preferred) and "big data" tools like BigQuery, Spark, or Kafka to ensure seamless data flow for AI applications.
• Communication: Ability to translate complex algorithmic logic into clear business value for non-technical stakeholders while maintaining high-level technical discourse with engineers.
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.

Our Commitment We’re trailblazers that dream big, 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.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.