Staff Site Reliability Engineer

Job Summary Palo Alto Networks is looking for a cloud infrastructure and observability professional to help build and operate reliable, scalable, and secure technology platforms. You will combine expertise in cloud operations, automation, and observability to improve infrastructure performance and reliability, while exploring opportunities to apply AI and machine learning to IT operations. Your Career Join a team of senior engineers operating in a large-scale, multi-cloud production environment supporting tens of thousands of enterprise customers worldwide. This is not a typical SRE role — you'll work at the intersection of Site Reliability Engineering and AI-driven automation, pioneering the next generation of intelligent infrastructure operations. As a Staff AI-SRE, you will be managing cloud infrastructure comprising Kubernetes (GKE) and API Gateway (Kong), while leading the adoption of AIOps, Large Language Models (LLMs), and AI-assisted workflows to transform how we build, monitor, and operate systems. You'll work alongside experienced Dev Ops professionals in a fast-paced, cybersecurity-focused organization committed to AI-first operations. Own and operate large-scale, global production environments with an AI focus — leveraging AIOps and machine learning to drive autonomous operations Pioneer AI-driven automation: Implement LLM-powered runbooks, AI-assisted incident diagnostics, and intelligent alerting systems that predict issues before they impact customers Design self-healing infrastructure: Build systems that leverage AI for automated incident remediation, anomaly detection, and proactive service monitoring Lead architecture, deployment, and operations of Kong API Gateway infrastructure — including rate limiting, authentication, traffic management, and plugin customization Design, deploy, and manage production-grade GKE clusters — cluster upgrades, node pool management, workload optimization, and multi-tenancy Implement predictive scalability: Use AI modeling to forecast resource needs, prevent bottlenecks, and optimize capacity planning across GKE and cloud infrastructure Actively monitor, investigate, and resolve P1/P2 incidents using AI-assisted diagnostics and automated playbooks Drive end-to-end troubleshooting across complex, distributed systems — augmented by AI tools for faster root cause analysis Implement and maintain Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and Helm — integrating with AI APIs for intent-based infrastructure management Champion "vibe coding" workflows: Leverage AI coding assistants (Git Hub Copilot, Claude) to accelerate development — focusing on high-level architecture and intent while AI handles boilerplate Develop and maintain automation and tooling (Python, Bash, Go) with AI-augmented development practices Create AI-powered operational runbooks using Generative AI for faster documentation, knowledge sharing, and incident response Contribute to a culture of AI-first operational excellence in a high-scale, high-availability environment On-call RESPONSIBILITIES: Daytime hours with occasional weekends and holidays (rotation-based) Qualifications Your Experience 6–10 years of experience in SRE/Dev Ops roles in production environments at scale Linux Expert: Deep hands-on experience managing and supporting Linux (RHEL/Ubuntu) at scale, including kernel tuning and system internals AI/ML Integration Experience: Hands-on experience or strong interest in AIOps platforms and tools Strong hands-on experience with Kubernete Strong hands-on experience with API Gateway (Kong) Strong hands-on experience with GCP (required); AWS or Azure experience is a plus Mastery of Terraform for infrastructure provisioning and management Familiarity with CI/CD and Git Ops tools (Git Lab CI, Git Hub Actions, Argo CD, Flux) Proficiency in Python for scripting, automation, and AI/ML integrations Proven track record leading P1/P2 incident bridges and post-mortems for complex, global application stacks Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills with a passion for incident handling Fluent in security, vulnerability management, and CIS compliance Highly responsive, proactive, and ownership-driven The AI-First Mindset: You possess the "vibe coding" spirit — leveraging AI to solve complex problems faster without losing the critical eye of a senior engineer. You're excited about transforming traditional SRE practices with intelligent automation. Nice to Have Experience with Service Mesh (Istio, Kong Mesh) Certifications: CKA, CKAD, Google Cloud Professional Experience building or integrating with AIOps platforms Why This Role is Different This isn't just about keeping systems running — it's about reinventing how SRE is done. You'll be at the forefront of: AI-Assisted Incident Response: Using LLMs to accelerate diagnostics and automate remediation Predictive Operations: Moving from reactive firefighting to proactive, AI-driven prevention Intelligent Automation: Building systems that learn, adapt, and self-heal Next-Gen Tooling: Shaping how AI transforms infrastructure engineering 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. Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position. 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