Principal Consultant, DFIR, Reactive Services (Unit 42) - Weekend Shift

Job Summary

As a Principal Consultant for our reactive services, you will serve as a client-facing leader in critical cybersecurity incidents. You will manage incident response engagements from start to finish, working directly with key stakeholders to investigate breaches, provide expert guidance, and deliver actionable recommendations for long-term remediation. This role is pivotal in helping clients recover from attacks and strengthen their security posture.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage complex incident response engagements, including scoping work, guiding clients through forensic investigations, and containing security incidents.
• Perform reactive incident response functions, including host-based analysis of Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X systems to identify Indicators of Compromise (IOCs).
• Investigate data breaches by leveraging advanced digital forensics tools (e.g., EnCase, FTK, X-Ways, SIFT, Splunk) to determine the source and scope of compromises.
• Examine and analyze firewall, web, database, and other log sources to identify evidence of threat actor activity.
• Collaborate with clients and internal teams to provide strategic guidance and recommendations for long-term remediation and security posture improvement.
• Develop and produce high-quality, client-facing deliverables, including detailed reports and executive summaries.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to junior team members on incident response and forensics best practices, empowering others to develop their skills.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Security, Computer Science, Digital Forensics, Cyber Security, or a related field, or equivalent military experience.
• 6+ years of direct incident response or digital forensics consulting experience.
• Proficiency with host-based forensics, data breach response, and forensic tools such as EnCase, FTK, X-Ways, SIFT, Splunk, Volatility, or WireShark.
• Demonstrated experience managing the full lifecycle of a technical consulting engagement.
• Ability to travel as needed to meet business demands, averaging approximately 20%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading complex, multi-faceted engagements, from initial scoping to technical execution and client interfacing.
• Strong leadership skills with experience in mentoring or managing team members.
• Proven ability to establish credibility and executive presence with senior-level client stakeholders.
• Public-facing contributions to the cybersecurity community, such as public speaking, conference presentations, or publications.

Additional Information

The Team

Unit 42 Consulting is Palo Alto Network's security advisory team.  Our vision is to create a more secure digital world by providing the highest quality incident response, risk management, and digital forensic services to clients of all sizes. Our team is composed of recognized experts and incident responders with deep technical expertise and experience in investigations, data breach response, digital forensics, and information security. With a highly successful track record of delivering mission-critical cybersecurity solutions, we are experienced in working quickly to provide an effective incident response, attack readiness, and remediation plans with a focus on providing long-term support to improve our clients’ security posture. 

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 $151,400/yr to $208,100/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.

About the Company

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

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.