Principal AutomationTest Engineer

Your Career

We are seeking a highly skilled and forward-thinking Principal Quality Engineer to join our team in Santa Clara US. This is a senior hands-on technical role focused on driving our AI-First quality strategy. You will be instrumental in architecting developing and implementing sophisticated test automation frameworks. The ideal candidate is a deep technical expert with a passion for leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to revolutionize the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) from test automation and code generation to pioneering new quality paradigms.

Your Impact

• AI-Driven Test Strategy & Architecture: Design and implement a visionary test automation strategy that leverages AI/ML for intelligent test case generation predictive quality analytics and self-healing automation frameworks.
• Hands-On Test Automation Development: Lead the development of robust scalable and maintainable test automation frameworks from the ground up using languages like Python or Java. You will be writing code and setting the standard for the entire team.
• AI Fluency in Practice: Utilize generative AI and other AI-powered tools for efficient test code generation synthetic data creation and anomaly detection within our applications and CI/CD pipelines.
• Technical Leadership and Mentorship: Act as the foremost technical authority in quality engineering. Mentor and guide other engineers on best practices in software testing automation and the application of AI in QE.
• Drive AI-First SDLC: Champion and integrate an AI-First mindset throughout the software development lifecycle influencing how we build test and release software.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Partner closely with Software Development DevOps and Product Management teams to embed quality into the development process and ensure the delivery of high-quality reliable products.
  • Good hold on DevOps & non-prod Environment management (Architecture Refresh strategy and automation connectivity Release train and env mgmt for optimal release strategy etc.)
• Continuous Improvement: Research evaluate and implement cutting-edge tools and technologies in test automation and AI to continuously enhance testing efficiency and effectiveness.

Qualifications :

Your Experience 

• 15 years of hands-on experience in Quality Engineering or Software Development in Test (SDET).
• Expert-level programming skills in Python Java or a similar object-oriented language.
• Proven demonstrable experience in designing building and maintaining complex test automation frameworks from scratch (e.g. using Pytest Selenium Playwright REST Assured).
• Strong practical knowledge and experience applying AI/ML concepts and tools to software quality challenges. This includes hands-on experience with generative AI for code/test generation.
• Experience with AI-powered copilot tools (e.g. GitHub Copilot Cursor Amp) for script generation and development productivity.
• Deep expertise with CI/CD pipelines version control systems (Git) and modern DevOps practices.
• Experience testing complex distributed systems and microservices architectures.
• Excellent analytical debugging and problem-solving skills with an ability to think strategically about quality and technical challenges.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Education

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Information Technology or a related field or equivalent military experience required. A Masters degree is a plus.

Additional Information :

The Team

Our IT Quality Assurance team is responsible for ensuring that high-quality products are delivered to our business users. They are the first line of defence in vetting any new product build and assisting our engineers in building reliable and scalable solutions. Its a critical function that will enable all of IT to execute with excellence at a faster pace without compromising delivery quality.

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/commissioned roles) is expected. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our Commitment

Were problem solvers that take risks and challenge cybersecuritys status quo. Its simple: we cant 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  .

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: Yes

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time