Senior People Scientist, Insights and Analytics

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

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Your Career

The People Science team at Palo Alto Networks is driven by a fundamental purpose: harnessing data to understand and enhance our greatest asset—our people. As a Senior People Scientist with a focus on analytics around Talent Acquisition (TA) Analytics and Talent Development (TD), you will be at the forefront of optimizing our recruitment processes to ensure we attract and retain top talent. Additionally, you will identify opportunities to enhance our talent development programs and rigorously measure their effectiveness. Your insights will help inform critical strategic decisions, bolster our organizational capability, and foster an environment where employees can thrive and grow.

This is an office-based position (3 days a week) at our headquarters in Santa Clara, CA.

Your Impact

• Data-Driven Insights – Conduct in-depth analyses to uncover bottlenecks and opportunities within our recruitment pipeline, as well as identify areas where learning and development can drive significant value. Evaluate trends and effectiveness of recruiting channels and learning programs to generate actionable insights. 

• Process Optimization – Dive into key metrics related to both TA (e.g., time-to-fill, quality of hire, candidate experience, cost per hire) and TD (e.g., learning engagement, skill acquisition, program effectiveness). Partner with stakeholders to streamline practices and enhance overall efficiency. 

• Program Evaluation and Measurement – Design and execute rigorous measurement strategies for high-value TA and TD initiatives. This includes developing standardized evaluation frameworks to enable clear comparisons and trend analyses across programs. 

• Metrics, Dashboards, and Tool Enhancement – Collaborate with IT, TA, and TD leaders to develop and standardize dashboards, ensuring real-time access to operational data and core metrics. Evaluate and implement tools to improve efficiency and insights, fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. 

• Stakeholder Management – Work closely with cross-functional teams to translate data into compelling narratives and practical business recommendations supporting TA and TD goals.

Your Experience 

• 5+ years of experience in people analytics, industrial/organizational psychology, or a related field, with a demonstrated history of working with various types of people data (e.g., survey data, HR data, psychological or behavioral data) in an organizational setting.

• Expertise in data manipulation using R/Python and SQL, with experience accessing and working with big data platforms (e.g., Google Cloud, Hive, or Redshift).

• Proficient in data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI) and implementing dashboards for real-time reporting.

• Proven ability to develop and deploy measurement strategies for TA and/or TD programs.

• Experienced in advanced statistical methods (e.g., regression, cluster analysis, HLM, longitudinal methods, difference-in-differences, synthetic control).

• Hands-on experience with recruitment metrics, pipeline analysis, process optimization, and evaluating recruiting and development technologies.

• Adept at collaborating cross-functionally with IT, TA, and TD to communicate practical business recommendations.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex analytical findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior leaders.

• Strong understanding of organizational strategy, enabling the translation of people data into insights that align with broader business goals.

• Thrives in a fast-paced, matrixed environment with shifting priorities, continuously eager to learn new tools, methodologies, and emerging trends in people analytics.

The Team

Our People team at Palo Alto Networks works throughout the organization to enable...you guessed it, people. We’re one team – driven to one mission statement. Each piece matters, and within the people team, you are focused on enabling our teams to resolve the world’s most challenging cybersecurity threats.

You will be part of a growing, passionate, and dynamic team with an opportunity to work on challenging and exciting projects – centered on what we believe is one of the most significant mission statements in the world.

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 $126,000 - $203,500/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  [email protected].

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.