Research Team Lead Full Time

Cato Networks is the first company to converge enterprise networking and security into one centralized and global service that is delivered by cloud. It is led by networking and security pioneer Shlomo Kramer (Check Point, Imperva) and early investor (Palo Alto Networks, Exabeam, Trusteer and more). Cato’s unique technology inspired a brand-new product category, later named “SASE” by Gartner and a market expected to reach $28.5 billion by 2028.

This is your opportunity to get on the rocket ship and join a company that is building a cutting-edge enterprise network and secure cloud platform, and is on a fast track to becoming the worldwide market leader – don’t miss it!

We are looking for a Research Team Lead to establish and lead a cross-product research team focused on horizontal, high-impact initiatives that influence multiple Cato offerings.

Unlike product-embedded research roles, this team drives foundational and strategic research projects across networking, security, identity, automation, and AI-driven capabilities. Examples include large-scale reasoning systems, autonomous policy frameworks, cross-domain detection and response concepts (xOps), and platform-wide intelligence capabilities.

You will combine deep technical expertise with strong leadership and execution skills -identifying impactful research directions, building a high-performing team, and turning advanced research into real platform capabilities used by thousands of customers worldwide.

Responsibilities

Technical Vision & Strategy

• Define and execute the roadmap for cross-product research initiatives.
• Identify high-leverage research opportunities that impact multiple domains and products.
• Drive long-term architectural thinking and influence platform evolution.
• Balance innovation, experimentation, and production-readiness.

Team Leadership

• Recruit, mentor, and grow a multidisciplinary team of researchers (AI, data, algorithms, networking, security).
• Establish high standards for research rigor, experimentation methodology, and engineering quality.
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and technical excellence.

Research & Execution

• Lead complex, ambiguous research initiatives from ideation through validation and productionization.
• Design large-scale experiments and validation methodologies using Cato’s data platform.
• Drive innovation in areas such as:
• Autonomous policy systems
• Cross-domain detection and response frameworks
• Large-scale reasoning and decision systems
• Data-driven optimization and automation capabilities
• Ensure research outcomes are measurable, scalable, and aligned with business impact.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Product, Engineering, Architecture, and Product Research teams to translate research into shipped capabilities.
• Provide technical guidance and influence cross-organizational decisions.
• Act as a bridge between exploratory research and production systems.

Communication & Influence

• Present research findings and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
• Produce clear technical documentation, design proposals, and internal position papers.
• Represent Platform Research as a center of excellence for cross-product innovation.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• BSc/MSc (PhD is a plus) in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in applied research, advanced engineering, or system-level innovation.
• 2+ years of experience leading technical teams or major cross-functional initiatives.

Technical Expertise

• Strong background in networking and cybersecurity, including deep understanding of network protocols, architectures, threat models, and modern security frameworks, with the ability to design and analyze secure, large-scale systems.
• Experience applying AI/ML in production environments.
• Experience designing and delivering complex systems operating at scale.
• Hands-on programming experience (Python, Go, Java, or similar).
• Experience working with large datasets and experimentation frameworks.
• Strong analytical thinking and ability to formalize complex problems.

Leadership & Soft Skills

• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Strategic thinker with strong execution capabilities.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
• Excellent English communication skills.
• Team player, responsible, and well-organized.

Nice to Have

• Experience building autonomous or decision-making systems.
• Experience in networking or security product companies.
• Publications, patents, or recognized technical contributions.