Palo Alto Networks

Sr Staff Machine Learning Engineer

Palo Alto Networks$141K — $228K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field.
  • 4+ years of industry experience in machine learning model production.
  • Proven track record in ML project execution within Cybersecurity.
  • Strong knowledge of deep learning architectures such as Transformers.
  • Proficiency in Python for scalable and testable code.
  • Familiarity with Systems-level languages like C++, Go, or Rust.
  • Hands-on experience with ML frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.
  • Experience with MLOps tools and infrastructure.

Responsibilities

  • Lead end-to-end ML projects for threat detection.
  • Design and deploy security solutions using Generative AI.
  • Develop workflows for automated threat hunting and malware analysis.
  • Publish research findings to contribute to the security community.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams on product integration.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work in a pioneering cybersecurity role.
  • Engagement with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions.
  • Involvement in community research and publication opportunities.
  • Potential for immigration sponsorship to facilitate relocation.
Full Job Description
Job Summary

Job Summary

We are seeking a Machine Learning Engineer to join our pioneering security team. This role is for a technical expert passionate about deconstructing complex threats and building the next generation of intelligent defense systems. You will be responsible for leading our efforts in leveraging machine learning and AI to detect and analyze emerging threats. You will also spearhead the design and implementation of innovative security solutions using generative AI, large language models (LLMs), and agentic systems to automate and scale our detection and response capabilities, keeping us ahead of sophisticated adversaries.

Key Responsibilities
  • AI-Driven Detection & Automation: Lead end-to-end machine learning projects for threat detection. Design, build, and deploy innovative security solutions leveraging Generative AI and agentic systems. Develop intelligent agents and workflows to automate threat hunting, accelerate malware analysis, and streamline threat intelligence processes.
  • Research & Publication: Disseminate cutting-edge research findings and contribute to the security community by publishing results in technical blogs, industry white papers, and academic papers, particularly on topics related to malware analysis and AI in security
  • Collaboration & Communication: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including security researchers, engineers and product teams, to integrate your findings in reversing to product PoC and threat research.


Qualifications

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field.
  • 4+ years of industry experience building, training, and deploying machine learning models into production environments.
  • Proven track record of taking ML projects from initial research/prototyping through to successful production rollout, particularly in the Cybersecurity domain.
  • Solid foundational knowledge of machine learning algorithms and deep learning architectures (e.g., Sequence models, GNNs, Transformers).
  • Strong proficiency in Python for ML development, with experience writing clean, scalable, and testable production code.
  • Familiarity with or willingness to work in Systems-level languages (e.g., C++, Go, or Rust) for performance-critical components.
  • Deep hands-on experience with PyTorch, TensorFlow, or other ML Frameworks.
  • Experience with MLOps Infrastructure, such as containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and ML lifecycle tools (MLflow, Kubeflow, Airflow, or similar).
  • Ability to autonomously debug complex issues in both ML model performance and distributed software systems.
  • Clear and effective communication skills, with the ability to explain technical ML concepts to cross-functional partners.


Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with model evaluation, tuning, and handling imbalanced datasets (a common challenge in malware detection).
  • Bonus: Applied experience fine-tuning Large Language Models (LLMs) or building agentic AI workflows.


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.

$141,000.00 - $228,075.00/yr

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.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship?: Yes

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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