Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in California
Principal Devops Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in the technology, enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, and financial services sectors across all levels of seniority. The largest hiring metros are the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where companies like Google, Apple, and Salesforce maintain deep engineering organizations and consistently recruit for principal-level devops talent. The most in-demand specialties are Kubernetes orchestration, platform engineering, and cloud security automation. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Location: Santa Clara, California, United States
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!
We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes.
Job Summary
Your Career
The Prisma Browser Platform plays a critical role in today's digital landscape by enabling secure and efficient remote work. By protecting unmanaged devices and securing workflows, it allows users to work from anywhere with absolute confidence, meeting the growing need for flexibility and security in the modern workplace.
As a DevOps Engineer within the Prisma Browser Group, you will contribute significantly to a cutting-edge environment. Your expertise will be pivotal in developing, scaling, and operating our modern technology stack, which includes:
- Cloud Infrastructure: AWS & GCP
- Infrastructure as Code: Terraform & Terragrunt
- Architecture: Microservices deployed over Kubernetes
- CI/CD: ArgoCD and GitOps practices
- Observability: Datadog & Chronosphere platform
In this role, you will ensure the continuous delivery, quality, performance, and reliability of our browser platform, helping to shape the future of secure corporate browsing.
Your Impact
- Implement and optimize CI/CD pipelines and cloud infrastructure using our technology stack, ensuring efficient and reliable deployment to production.
- Participate in the deployment of monitoring and alerting systems to maintain high system performance and reliability.
- Collaborate with software development and other cross-functional teams to streamline and enhance processes, aiming for efficiency and alignment with business goals.
- Contribute to the management of the cloud infrastructure, utilizing Infrastructure as Code principles.
Qualifications
Your Experience
- Proficiency in DevOps and Platform Engineering with expertise in AWS, GCP, Terraform, ArgoCD, Kubernetes, and related tools.
- Experience in developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines for continuous delivery in agile environments.
- Skilled in managing cloud infrastructure, particularly with AWS and GCP, and adept in infrastructure as code practices using Terraform/Terragrunt.
- Demonstrated capability in supporting high-scale SaaS applications, focusing on scalability, reliability, and performance.
- Strong communication, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills.
- Experience with FinOps & Cost Management is considered an advantage.
Education Requirement: All degrees must be in Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related field.
- Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 8 years of related experience; OR
- Master’s degree with a minimum of 6 years of related experience; OR
- PhD with a minimum of 3 years of related experience; OR
- Equivalent work experience.
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 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.
$147,000.00 - $237,500.00/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?: Yes
See All 265+ Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsPrincipal Devops Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Principal Devops Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Palo Alto Networks57

- NVIDIA14

- Walmart14

- Roblox13

- Saviynt12

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software181
- Agriculture & Farming42
- Electronics & Hardware22
- Retail16
- Media & Entertainment8
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in principal devops engineer jobs across California.
- Ten or more years of devops or infrastructure engineering experience with demonstrated technical leadership
- Deep expertise in cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure
- Proficiency with container orchestration tools, particularly Kubernetes and Docker at enterprise scale
- Proven experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab, or Argo
- Strong background in infrastructure-as-code using Terraform, Ansible, or equivalent frameworks
- Experience leading cross-functional engineering teams and mentoring mid-level and senior devops engineers
Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a principal devops engineer in California?
Principal devops engineer roles in California require no state-issued license, but employers here consistently expect a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical field alongside substantial hands-on experience. California hiring managers at major technology companies and enterprise firms weight cloud certifications from AWS, Google, or Microsoft heavily, as well as a demonstrated history leading devops practice at a team or organizational level before considering candidates for the principal tier.
How much do principal devops engineers make in California?
Principal devops engineers in California earn a median of about $174,410 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $105,060 for the lowest 10% to over $272,670 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire principal devops engineers in California?
Employers hiring principal devops engineers in California right now include Palo Alto Networks, NVIDIA, and Walmart, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's concentration of large enterprise technology firms, cloud-native startups, and financial services companies means demand for principal-level devops talent remains consistent even outside peak hiring cycles.
Which California cities have the most principal devops engineer jobs?
Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale have the most principal devops engineer openings in California, driven by the Bay Area's dense concentration of technology headquarters, Los Angeles's growing enterprise and entertainment-technology sector, and San Diego's established defense technology and biotech infrastructure, which all generate sustained demand for senior devops leadership.
Are there remote principal devops engineer jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 31% of principal devops engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting how much of the work involves code, configuration, and system design rather than on-site infrastructure. Platform engineering, cloud architecture, and CI/CD pipeline ownership tend to be the most remote-compatible parts of the principal devops role.
How can I get hired as a principal devops engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is securing a junior devops, site reliability engineering, or systems administration role at a California technology company and building from there. Large Bay Area employers including cloud-focused firms and enterprise software companies run associate infrastructure and devops programs that welcome candidates transitioning from software development or IT operations. Earning a cloud practitioner certification from AWS or Google, building public infrastructure-as-code projects on GitHub, and applying to devops engineer roles one level below principal are the credentials and lateral moves that open the door fastest in the California market.
Where can I find and apply to principal devops engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to principal devops engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings updated regularly. Find the roles that fit your experience and specialization, then apply directly to each one.
See All 265+ Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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