Principal Consultant, Cloud DFIR (Unit 42)

Our Mission At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place. Who We Are In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us! This role is remote, but distance is no barrier to impact. Our hybrid teams collaborate across geographies to solve big problems, stay close to our customers, and grow together. You will be part of a culture that values trust, accountability, and shared success where your work truly matters. Job Summary Job Summary The Principal Consultant, Cloud DFIR, Reactive Services is a senior individual contributor within Unit 42 responsible for leading cloud-focused incident response and digital forensics investigations across AWS, Azure, GCP, and hybrid enterprise environments. In this role, you will serve as a technical lead on active incidents, partnering with Consulting Directors and clients to investigate security breaches, determine scope and impact, contain threats, and guide recovery efforts. You will perform advanced cloud forensic analysis, identify attacker activity, and provide actionable remediation recommendations during high-severity cybersecurity events. Key Responsibilities Lead cloud-focused incident response and digital forensics engagements. Investigate attacks involving cloud infrastructure, identity compromise, ransomware, data theft, and unauthorized access. Analyze cloud telemetry, including audit logs, IAM activity, network traffic, storage access, containers, and endpoint data. Conduct forensic acquisition and analysis across cloud, hybrid, and enterprise environments. Serve as a technical lead during active investigations, guiding strategy and client communications. Deliver clear findings, executive-ready reporting, and remediation guidance. Support development of cloud investigation methodologies, playbooks, and tooling. Mentor team members and contribute to knowledge sharing across Unit 42. Qualifications Required Qualifications 6–8+ years of experience in DFIR, incident response, cloud security, or related cybersecurity disciplines. 3+ years of hands-on experience securing, operating, or investigating AWS, Azure, or GCP environments. Experience leading investigations involving cloud breaches, ransomware, advanced intrusions, or data compromise incidents. Strong understanding of cloud architecture, IAM, networking, logging, and security controls. Experience analyzing cloud-native telemetry such as AWS CloudTrail, Azure Activity Logs, Microsoft Entra ID, or Google Cloud Audit Logs. Hands-on experience with industry-standard DFIR and investigative tools. Experience investigating Windows, Linux, macOS, cloud workloads, and hybrid environments. Strong client-facing communication and consulting skills. Preferred Qualifications Experience responding to enterprise-scale cloud security incidents. Knowledge of cloud security platforms such as AWS Security Hub, GuardDuty, Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, or Google Security Command Center. Experience investigating containerized or Kubernetes environments. Knowledge of MITRE ATT&CK and modern cloud threat actor tradecraft. Consulting, MDR, or professional services experience. Certifications such as GCFA, GCIH, CISSP, AWS Security Specialty, Azure Security Engineer, or equivalent. Ability to travel up to 20% as required for client engagements. 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/com-missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here. $151,000.00 - $208,000.00/yr 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. Please use this form to provide us with information that will help direct your request and find your data in all of our systems