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. 

FLEXWORK is an employee-centric reimagining of how we work. We built FLEXWORK based on employee feedback – it is about flexibility, trust, and choice whenever possible. It’s been a journey of disruption that has yielded the best of our values. We offer as much flexibility as possible, and choices that enable you to be most productive, including benefits that meet your needs and learning opportunities that you feel passionate about. 

Your Career

We expect office-based employees to be in the office three days per week, with two days working from where they choose. We believe being together facilitates casual conversations and those magic moments where we can work on issues and ideas informally. These moments build capability and deepen trusted relationships and allow our people to feel safe in taking risks and being disruptive. Like so many companies, we are working through the details and things could change …. but in general if a role is deemed office-based we want our teams to be together three days per week. 

There are two tracks for the Associate Consultant - Unit 42 position:

• Associate Consultant Governance Risk & Compliance (GRC)
• Associate Consultant Digital Forensic and Incident Response (DFIR)

The Associate Consultant Governance Risk & Compliance (GRC) role is a full-time employment opportunity for recent graduates of BS or MS programs, typically in areas of study related to digital forensics, incident response, cybersecurity, information security, etc., as well as new veterans with applicable skills, seeking to enter the world of consulting. At the start of the program, you will benefit from in-house training covering different types of Unit 42 DFIR investigations, and gain an understanding of the methodologies involved. This will be followed by opportunities to shadow client engagements and receive mentorship to further develop your technical skills, as well as consulting skills, from experienced incident response consultants. Thereafter, you will support investigations by performing tasks at levels of increasing complexity on your path towards earning a promotion to Consultant. 

Your Impact

• Act as a key member of our team, learning to lead audits, risk assessments, and other engagement-related duties in accordance with industry regulations, standards, and company policies and procedures for assurance and continuous improvement of controls
• Support client engagements related to matters such as ransomware readiness assessments, cyber risk assessments, cloud security assessments, and incident response tabletop exercises
• Proactively identify security risks and vulnerabilities while eliminating cybersecurity threats
• Leverage Unit 42 custom tools and third-party forensic suites to conduct digital investigations.
• Interact with prospects and clients by assisting with completing security questionnaires, assessments, and audits 
• Effectively write and communicate audit, assessment, or compliance engagement reports and provide recommendations to client management 
• Travel to Unit 42 offices and client sites as needed to meet business demands (estimated up to 20%).

Your Experience

• Bachelors or Masters degree earned recently or anticipated to be earned within the next 12 months, in a related field such as information security, computer science, or cybersecurity; OR relevant military experience 
• Passion and enthusiasm for cyber security, technology, and cyber risk management
• Working knowledge of risk management and/or compliance frameworks, such as NIST 800-53, NIST CSF, CIS Critical Security Controls, ISO 27000 series, HIPAA, and PCI DSS 
• Experience with GRC tools, technology, and implementation 
• Experience with Application Security Audits and Risk Scoring 
• Ability to understand technical concepts and to articulate these topics clearly, regardless of technical aptitude 
• Ability to adapt quickly to and operate within a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities 
• Familiarity or proficiency with scripting and/or programming is not required, but is desired
• Strong communication and writing skills, with a keen eye for detail 
• You must have authorization to work within the United States

The Associate Consultant Digital Forensic and Incident Response (DFIR) role is a full-time employment opportunity for recent graduates of BS or MS programs, typically in areas of study related to digital forensics, incident response, cybersecurity, information security, etc., as well as new veterans with applicable skills, seeking to enter the world of consulting. At the start of the program, you will benefit from in-house training covering different types of Unit 42 DFIR investigations focusing on understanding digital investigative techniques and methodologies.. This is followed by opportunities to shadow client engagements and receive mentorship to further develop your technical and consulting skills, from experienced incident response consultants. Thereafter, you will support investigations by performing tasks at levels of increasing complexity on your path toward earning a promotion to Consultant.

Your Impact

• Conduct digital forensic and incident response investigations related to matters such as ransomware, business email compromise, insider threats, and intellectual property theft.
• Perform host-based forensic analysis on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X systems to identify unauthorized access in victim environments.
• Hunt for threats across an enterprise via an endpoint detection and response platform to identify compromised hosts. 
• Examine logs from firewalls, servers, and relevant sources to identify evidence of unauthorized access and related indicators of compromise. 
• Leverage custom Unit 42 security tools and third-party forensic suites to conduct digital investigations. 
• Support senior team members on engagements involving forensic investigations, security incidents, and implementing remediation recommendations. 
• Draft written summaries and reports of investigative findings to share with the internal Unit 42 case team, external stakeholders, and clients. 
• Travel to Unit 42 offices and client sites as needed to meet business requirements (estimated up to 20%).

Your Experience

• Bachelors or Master's degree earned recently or anticipated to be earned within the next 12 months, in a related field such as information security, computer science, digital forensics, or cybersecurity; OR relevant military experience 
• Passion and enthusiasm for cyber security, technology, and digital investigations
• Training in or experience with the fundamentals of digital forensic and incident response investigations 
• Exposure to or experience using common commercial and open-source forensic suites and applications (e.g., EnCase, X-Ways, AXIOM, FTK, Volatility, Wireshark, Log Parser, etc.)
• Ability to understand technical concepts and to articulate these topics clearly to all levels of technical aptitude 
• Ability to adapt quickly to and operate within a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities

Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.

The Team

Unit 42 specializes in providing data breach response, digital forensics, and risk management consulting services to a growing list of clients ranging from small enterprises to Fortune 50 corporations around the world, as well as federal government agencies. Our experts combine deep security knowledge and proprietary technology to rapidly provide effective incident response, attack-readiness, and remediation plans for organizations around the world. With offices in Reston, New York, Austin and Los Angeles, we are firmly entrenched and well positioned as a leading provider of incident response. 

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. 

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 $103,000/yr. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. With more than 85,000 customers, and a growing presence in over 150 countries, it’s a great time to join Palo Alto Networks and make a global impact. Our commitment to innovation in cybersecurity runs deep, inspiring us to seek new opportunities, new ways to collaborate, and new ways to make a difference.