Sr Principal Data Architect

Company Description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Job Description

Your Career

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Principal Data Architect to lead our data architecture, governance, and quality frameworks, supporting the company's vision to achieve maximum leverage from all our data assets. This role is essential in developing and maintaining a robust data infrastructure that serves as a reliable foundation for analytics, insights, and decision-making. You will oversee the establishment of our Enterprise Data Model (EDM) including Single Sources of Truth (SSOTs) for critical data assets, ensuring data consistency and reliability across the organization.

Your Impact

• Architectural Strategy & Design - Lead the design, development, and optimization of scalable data architectures, including data warehouses, data lakes, and other data platforms that support high-volume and high-velocity data processing
• SSOT Implementation & Management - Design and implement Single Sources of Truth (SSOTs) for critical datasets, ensuring consistent and reliable data across the organization - Define processes and standards to centralize, govern, and validate SSOTs, promoting data integrity across multiple business functions
• Data Governance - Develop and enforce data governance policies and frameworks to ensure responsible and compliant data usage - Partner with cross-functional teams to establish data stewardship, ownership, and accountability across departments, maintaining SSOTs
• Data Quality Management - Establish and manage data quality standards, processes, and metrics to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and completeness - Deliver initiatives to monitor, improve, and report on data quality, particularly for SSOTs
• Technical Leadership - Provide technical leadership and mentorship to the data engineering and architecture teams, fostering best practices in data management, governance, and quality - Encourage a culture of continuous learning and innovation
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement - Drive in data quality/governance/architecture discussions across IT and business teams, aligning data architecture and SSOT decisions with business objectives, and translating complex concepts into actionable insights
• Scalability & Performance Optimization - Design and support the implementation of  scalable data systems capable of handling large datasets efficiently, ensuring performance that meets SLAs and maintains system reliability
• Data Security - Work closely with Infosec team to incorporate data privacy and security best practices into data architectures and SSOTs, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA)
• Innovation & Emerging Technologies - Stay updated on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in data architecture, governance, quality management, and SSOT frameworks to continuously enhance our data ecosystem

Qualifications

Your Experience ​​​​​​

• Education - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or a related field or equivalent military experience required (Master’s or Ph.D preferred)
• Experience - 10+ years in data architecture, data engineering, or related roles, with demonstrated experience in SSOT, data governance, and data quality management
• Technical Expertise - Proficiency in data warehousing (e.g., BigQuery, Snowflake, or Redshift), data lakes, ETL/ELT frameworks, and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) - Strong knowledge of SQL and at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Java)
• SSOT & Data Governance - Proven experience establishing SSOT frameworks and data governance strategies to maintain data accuracy and accessibility across the organization
• Data Modeling - Expertise in data modeling, including OLAP, OLTP, star schemas, normalized forms, and semi/unstructured data
• Leadership Skills - Strong track record of mentoring, influencing, and managing technical teams, with the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams
• Analytical Skills - Strong problem-solving skills focused on operational efficiency, data integrity, and analytical accuracy
• Communication - Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences

Preferred

• Experience with machine learning data pipelines and supporting AI/ML infrastructure
• Familiarity with data governance frameworks (e.g., DAMA DMBOK, DCAM)
• Knowledge of industry regulations and data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA)

Additional Information

The Team

Working at a high-tech cybersecurity company within Information Technology is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You’ll join the brightest minds in technology, creating, building, and supporting tools and enabling our global teams on the front line of defense against cyberattacks. We’re connected by one mission but driven by the impact of that mission and
what it means to protect our way of life in the digital age. Join a dynamic and fast-paced team of people who feel excited by the prospect of a challenge and feel a thrill at resolving technical gaps that inhibit productivity.

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 to be between $243,000 - $335,000/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that 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.