Palo Alto Networks

Sr. Principal Cybersecurity Researcher (Unit 42)

Palo Alto Networks$188K — $304K *
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in threat research and incident response
  • Strong organizational skills to manage multiple priorities
  • Ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority
  • Excellent communication skills for diverse audiences
  • Experience in reviewing and mentoring technical reports
  • Demonstrated project leadership in threat intelligence
  • Hands-on knowledge throughout the threat intelligence lifecycle

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate with various teams to unify threat research efforts
  • Triage and prioritize requests during Rapid Response
  • Develop actionable threat intelligence products for teams
  • Utilize unique data resources to produce insightful threat analysis
  • Balance priorities among teams for cohesive messaging
  • Manage content flow related to major cyber events
  • Write and publish complex technical threat research

Benefits

  • Comprehensive employee benefits package
  • Opportunities for professional development
  • Participation in industry conferences and events
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Support for work-life balance
Full Job Description
Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Principal Threat Researcher for our Unit 42 Threat Intelligence team to lead coordination for threat research, product protection, and communication efforts during major global events. This individual plays a critical role in providing timely, actionable threat intelligence and response capabilities to help protect our customers and internal stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities
  • Collaborate with threat analysts, detection engineers, and security consultants from various teams and departments within the organization. Foster strong relationships, gain buy-in across teams, share threat intelligence, and coordinate joint efforts to address complex threats that span multiple areas of expertise while driving towards a unified approach to threat research.
  • Triage and prioritize threat intelligence research requests during Rapid Response engagements.
  • Coordinate the development of actionable cross-team intelligence products relevant to both internal and external defenders, security engineers, and threat hunters.
  • Harness the full weight of the company's unique data holdings, including security product telemetry, front line Incident Response (IR) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) data, and Intel Holdings. Utilize these resources to collect threat data and produce valuable insights that enhance the effectiveness and differentiation of our threat intelligence capabilities.
  • Coordinate and balance priorities across diverse teams, including Communications, Legal, Policy, Marketing, to align external and internal messaging around global cyber events.
  • Work closely with the external engagement team to manage the flow of Rapid Response content, including blogs, social media content, and updates on major cyber events that align with Palo Alto Networks role as a global cybersecurity leader.
  • Write, edit, and publish complex technical threat research that informs defenders of the threat landscape and technical mitigations
  • Contribute to thought leadership initiatives by sharing insights and expertise on Unit 42 Threat Vector podcasts, at security conferences, and through internal and external executive briefings.
  • Establish and execute internal projects to mature and scale our Rapid


Qualifications

Required Qualifications
  • Seasoned threat researcher with experience tracking threat actors, supporting incident response engagements, and conducting deep technical research into emerging threats.
  • Highly organized with the ability to manage complex multi-tasking, prioritize effectively, and triage competing demands in a fast-paced environment.
  • Ability to advance objectives across matrixed teams and influence without direct reporting authority.
  • Strong public speaking and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex threat intelligence information to diverse audiences, including executives, conferences, and internal stakeholders.
  • Experience reviewing and editing complex technical reporting, providing guidance and mentoring to teammates and stakeholders
  • Demonstrated ability to coordinate with cross-organizational threat analysts, facilitating collaboration, and aligning efforts to achieve common goals.
  • Proven experience leading threat intelligence projects, integrating intelligence systems, and implementing new processes for multiple stakeholders.
  • Demonstrated experience speaking at conferences and with customers on research performed.
  • Proven experience throughout the cyber threat intelligence lifecycle, from data collection to production of intelligence outputs, such as blogs and whitepapers.
  • Experience writing and editing threat intelligence reporting.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with graph databases (e.g. Synapse) is a plus.


Compensation Disclosure

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.

$188,000.00 - $304,075.00/yr

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is an American multinational cybersecurity company with headquarters in Santa Clara, California. Its core products are a platform that includes advanced firewalls and cloud-based offerings that extend those firewalls to cover other aspects of security. The company serves over 70,000 organizations in over 150 countries, including 85 of the Fortune 100. It is home to the Unit 42 threat research team and hosts the Ignite cybersecurity conference.
Learn more about Palo Alto Networks
Size
11,870 employees
Market Cap
$42.6 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$368.2 million
Founded
2005
5 Year Trend
+25.7%
Revenue
$3.7 billion
NASDAQ

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