Principal Engineer — Python is a must

For more than 30 years, SonicWall  has delivered a partner-first unified cybersecurity portfolio that helps SMBs, MSPs, and IT teams consolidate network security, endpoint security, security service edge (SSE), and threat response across hybrid environments. By bringing connected technology, real-time threat intelligence, automation, and expert services together, SonicWall helps organizations simplify security operations, achieve better security outcomes, and lower total cost of ownership. Backed by a global ecosystem of more than 17,000 partners, SonicWall delivers enterprise-grade protection built for SMB and mid-market realities. 

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We are seeking an experienced  Principal Software Engineer to lead the architecture, development, and evolution of a large-scale malware analysis and cybersecurity platform. This role will own the end-to-end technical architecture across Python-based analysis pipelines, message-driven job orchestration systems, Windows VM sandbox environments, and web-based interfaces.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in software engineering, malware analysis, and distributed systems, with a proven ability to take ownership of complex legacy platforms and drive modernization initiatives. You will lead the design and implementation of advanced detection capabilities, including behavioral analysis, malware sandboxing, machine learning-based classification, and support for new file types, while ensuring platform scalability, reliability, and performance.

This position requires strong hands-on development skills in Python with Linux-based production environments, messaging architectures such as RabbitMQ, virtualization technologies, and cloud-native deployment practices. As the technical leader for the platform, you will establish engineering standards, guide architectural decisions, reduce technical debt, mentor senior engineers, and ensure the long-term maintainability and success of the system.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end technical architecture of both platforms: the SonicSandbox analysis pipeline (static analysis, dynamic VM analysis, and machine learning) and the UrlProtection microservices (URL reputation, machine learning, and browser automation).
• Lead the design, development, and delivery of new detection capabilities across both products.
• Define and drive technical direction, including architecture, coding standards, testing practices, and technical debt prioritization.
• Own the complete software delivery lifecycle, from solution design and development through Docker/Debian packaging and production deployment.
• Ensure production stability and service reliability by monitoring platform health, leading incident response, and driving root cause analysis and resolution.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to two Senior Software Engineers.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to align technical initiatives with product and business objectives.

Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years of software engineering experience with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; or 8 years with a Master's degree; or 6 years with a PhD; or equivalent professional experience.
• Expert-level Python development experience, including asynchronous programming (asyncio, aiohttp, FastAPI), multithreading, and distributed task processing architectures using RabbitMQ, Taskiq/Redis, Celery, or similar technologies.
• Strong proficiency in C and C++ with experience owning and maintaining compiled software components.
• Experience with KVM/libvirt or comparable virtualization and hypervisor technologies.
• Deep understanding of malware analysis, sandbox technologies, cybersecurity platforms, or related security software.
• Hands-on experience deploying and managing machine learning inference workloads in production using frameworks such as PyTorch, LightGBM, scikit-learn, or ONNX.
• Experience building or supporting production-scale headless browser automation pipelines is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Redis, MongoDB, and Consul, along with experience managing containerized applications using Docker and Docker Compose.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large, complex codebases spanning multiple systems and services.
• Excellent written communication skills and experience collaborating effectively within distributed, asynchronous engineering teams.

SonicWall is an equal opportunity employer.  

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

At SonicWall, we pride ourselves on recruiting a diverse mix of talented people and providing active security solutions in 100+ countries.

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