Staff AI/ML Scientist, Palo Alto Networks
$136-221k
Office located in Santa Clara, CA
Leading cybersecurity protections and software platform
Posted today
Leading cybersecurity protections and software platform
1001+ employees
Posted today
$136-221k
Office located in Santa Clara, CA
1001+ employees
Company mission
To be the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
Role
Who you are
- PhD in a relevant field with 1+ years of industry experience, or MSc with 3+ years, or BSc with 5+ years
- Strong programming skills in Python, with experience in ML/AI toolkits such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX
- Proven ability to implement and optimize models for real-world applications
- Experience working with structured and unstructured data, and applying ML to production environments
- Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and MLOps best practices
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
- Bonus: experience with Spark or distributed computing frameworks; publications or open-source contributions a plus
What the job involves
- As a Staff AI Scientist at Palo Alto Networks, you’ll contribute to the development of cutting-edge AI and machine learning solutions that solve high-impact problems across cybersecurity and enterprise operations
- This is a senior-level individual contributor role focused on research, experimentation, and production development—not technical leadership or architectural ownership
- You’ll work on a collaborative team of engineers and scientists, applying your expertise to build intelligent systems that enhance products, automate complex workflows, and drive measurable value
- Research and implement advanced AI/ML models in areas such as LLMs, generative AI, deep learning, reinforcement learning, NLP, or computer vision
- Contribute to the design and development of scalable, production-ready solutions in close partnership with engineering and product teams
- Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code—primarily in Python—using modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX)
- Run experiments, evaluate model performance, and iterate quickly to improve accuracy, reliability, and impact
- Collaborate cross-functionally to understand use cases, define requirements, and integrate models into broader systems
- Stay current with AI/ML research and bring new techniques and tools into the team’s workflow when appropriate
- Share knowledge with peers through documentation, code reviews, and informal mentorship
Our take
With cyber threats evolving at lightening speed, businesses need robust solutions to protect their data and infrastructure. And the global cybersecurity market is projected to grow significantly, driven by increasing cyberattacks and the adoption of digital transformation initiatives. Because of this, companies are seeking security platforms that can address these challenges efficiently.
That's where Palo Alto Networks steps in, a frontrunner in the cybersecurity arena. It offers a suite of AI-powered security solutions designed to safeguard enterprises across various sectors. Its platforms, such as Cortex XSIAM and Prisma AIRS, integrate advanced threat detection, zero trust architecture, and real-time response capabilities so organizations are ready to manage and mitigate risks.
Its leadership is evident too, with impressive growth and strategic partnerships. Recently the company surpassed $1.5M in sales through the Google Cloud Marketplace, highlighting the demand for its innovative security solutions. Additionally, a collaboration with AT&T aims to enhance cybersecurity offerings, further solidifying its position in the market.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (2 rounds)
Sep 2022
$34m
SERIES A
May 2022
$11m
SEED
Total funding: $45m
Company benefits
- Healthcare: We value your health and provide options so you can choose what best supports your lifestyle and personal health goals. Various nationwide plans — including Blue Shield of California, Kaiser Permanente, Delta Dental, VSP, and more — are available to you and your family. Our providers offer the flexibility you want and the coverage you need
- Wellness: With a large on-site gym and daily, instructor-led exercise classes at HQ in Santa Clara, Palo Alto Networks actively supports employee fitness. Our juice bar, Gym & Juice, features fresh juice blends, a quick and nutritious option pre- or post-workout. And our ongoing wellness speaker series highlights the latest trends in health and wellness
- Development: Professional development is serious business at Palo Alto Networks, where the Talent Development team offers 25+ courses to help employees boost their careers and develop leadership capability
- Financial: Most roles are eligible for equity grants, and we now offer new hires a quarterly vesting schedule right away. We want you to be fairly compensated and rewarded as soon as you make an impact – on our team, that happens immediately! And because we consider every employee a stakeholder in our long-term success, we offer an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with a 24-month lookback. From life insurance to health savings accounts, we provide ways to help you protect and grow your wealth. Palo Alto Networks offers both traditional and Roth 401(k) options, along with a company match of 50% to a max annual amount of $1,000
- Time Off: In addition to paid corporate holidays, Flexible Time Off programs empower our employees to balance their work schedules with personal time off. We offer 12 weeks of full pay for medical leave and 6 weeks of full pay for parental leave. As a company with strong ties to the military and veterans, we also offer 26 weeks of full pay for military leave
- Perks: Our corporate discount program provides employees with significant discounts on merchandise, travel and entertainment. We offer many on-site perks at headquarters, including cafeterias, fuel service, dry cleaning service, EV charging stations, and a company store. We also provide complimentary drinks, fresh fruit, and snacks in break rooms across our campus to help everyone power through the day. Life at Palo Alto Network
Company HQ
Santa Clara, CA
Leadership
Nikesh Arora
(CEO & Chairman)Previously the President and COO at SoftBank, CBO at Google, and CMO at T-Mobile.
Nir Zuk
(Founder & CTO)Previously CTO at NetScreen Technologies, which was acquired by Juniper Neworks in 2004. They also co-founded OneSecure where they served as CTO and was the Principal Engineer at Check Point Software Technologies.
Lee Klarich
(CPO)Initially joined Palo Alto in 2006 as the EVP of Product Management and became CPO in 2018. Prior to this, they were the Director of Product Management at Juniper Networks and a Product Line Manager at NetScreen Technologies.
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