Principal Consultant, Proactive Security

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!

Job Summary

As a Principal Consultant in Unit 42, you will lead proactive cybersecurity engagements across Cloud Security, SOC Advisory, Cyber Risk Management, and Artificial Intelligence. We are seeking a curious, technically adept leader with a track record of continuous learning to deliver innovative, data-driven consulting outcomes. You will act as a subject matter expert, addressing the complex challenges of today’s threat landscape for large, multinational organizations.

About the team - Unit 42

Unit 42 is the global threat intelligence team at Palo Alto Networks. We believe threat intelligence should be shared and available to all within the industry. We deliver high-quality, in-depth research on adversaries, malware families, and attack campaigns. Our analysts uncover and document adversary behaviors and then share playbooks that give insight into the various tools, techniques, and procedures threat actors execute to compromise organizations. If you’re looking for a career with access to the brightest minds in cybersecurity, you’ve found it.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead SOC Transformations: Design and implement security operations programs, organizational structures, and capabilities for complex environments.
• Drive Cloud Security Strategy: Perform cloud security advisement and risk assessments across AWS, Azure, and GCP, focusing on secure migrations and posture management.
• Manage Cyber Risk: Conduct comprehensive threat and risk assessments to develop strategic security roadmaps and apply risk quantification methods.
• Execute Technical Assessments: Perform threat hunting, compromise assessments, vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing to identify IoCs and unknown threats.
• Enable Automation & Engineering: Implement SIEM, SOAR, EDR/XDR, and CASB solutions while integrating SecDevOps and automation techniques to improve detection and response.
• Practice Development: Build and strengthen client relationships, contribute to public-facing thought leadership (public speaking, publications), and collaborate across PANW functions to drive delivery excellence.
• Mentor & Manage: Lead teams of consultants, fostering a high-performance culture in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of cybersecurity consulting experience in at least two of the following domains: SOC Advisory, Cloud Security, or Cyber Risk Management.
• Deep Technical Proficiency: Expertise in SIEM, SOAR, EDR/XDR, Next-Gen Firewalls, CASB (MCAS, Netskope), WAF, SSO, API Security, and CSPM.
• Framework Mastery: Sound knowledge of NIST 800-53, ISO 27001/2, PCI, CIS 18, CMMC, OWASP, MITRE ATT&CK & D3FEND, and NIST CSF.
• Hands-on Cloud Experience: Direct experience with major providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud migration strategies.
• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Information Security, Computer Science, Digital Forensics, Cyber Security, or equivalent professional/military experience.
• Travel: Ability to perform travel requirements as needed to meet business demands.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications: CISSP, CISM, CISA, GDSA, GCIA, GMON, CSCP, or FAIR Open certification.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in CLI, scripting tools, threat modeling, and applying FAIR for cyber risk quantification.
• Soft Skills: Executive presence, gravitas, and the ability to communicate complex system concepts to senior leadership.
• Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of Palo Alto Networks (PANW) products and their application in enterprise environments.

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.