Senior Staff Software Development Engineer ( C, Networking, Cyber Security)

About Zscaler

Zscaler accelerates digital transformation so our customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. Our cloud native Zero Trust Exchange platform protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location.

Here, impact in your role matters more than title and trust is built on results. We believe in transparency and value constructive, honest debate—we’re focused on getting to the best ideas, faster. We build high-performing teams that can make an impact quickly and with high quality. To do this, we are building a culture of execution centered on customer obsession, collaboration, ownership and accountability. 

We value high-impact, high-accountability with a sense of urgency where you’re enabled to do your best work and embrace your potential. If you’re driven by purpose, thrive on solving complex challenges and want to make a positive difference on a global scale, we invite you to bring your talents to Zscaler and help shape the future of cybersecurity.

Our Engineering team built the world’s largest cloud security platform from the ground up, and we keep building. With more than 100 patents and big plans for enhancing services and increasing our global footprint, the team has made us and our multitenant architecture today's cloud security leader, with more than 15 million users in 185 countries. Bring your vision and passion to our team of cloud architects, software engineers, security experts, and more who are enabling organizations worldwide to harness speed and agility with a cloud-first strategy.

We're looking for an experienced Senior Staff Software Development Engineer to join our ZIA team.You will drive technical strategy, set engineering standards, mentor other engineers, and collaborate with Operations and Support to ensure a healthy cloud and exceptional customer outcomes. You’ll demonstrate ownership, accountability, and a bias for precision in execution. Reporting to the Director, Software Engineering you'll be responsible for:

• Developing, implementing and optimizing network applications and protocols using C
• Architecting and scaling distributed systems across multiple data centers with stringent performance, resiliency, and multi-tenant requirements
• Working within Linux environments to perform system programming, scripting, and troubleshooting
• Contribute to and guide key initiatives in Secure Web Gateway area
• Collaborating with teams to define requirements, design architectures, and ensure reliable software through testing and debugging

What We're Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• 6+ years of experience in C programming in a distributed and enterprise-scale environment
• Expertise in designing for HA, failover redundancy, load balancing, and optimization for scale and performance; familiarity with SLOs, observability, and capacity planning for 24x7 services
• Strong understanding of networking protocols and services: DNS, HTTP, QUIC, TCP/IP, SSL/TLS
• Experience with security technologies (firewall, IPS, authentication) and networking technologies (VPN/IPSec, data‑plane traffic forwarding) is a plus
• Proficiency with one or more AI code-assistance tools such as Windsurf, Cursor, GCA, Claude etc to accelerate development, refactoring, unit test creation, and troubleshooting

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience in Python/Go programming
• Stay current with industry trends and propose enhancements to improve system reliability, scalability and network efficiency

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At Zscaler, we are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve and the customers we work with. We foster an inclusive environment that values all backgrounds and perspectives, emphasizing collaboration and belonging. Join us in our mission to make doing business seamless and secure.

Our Benefits program is one of the most important ways we support our employees. Zscaler proudly offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families throughout their life stages, including:

By applying for this role, you adhere to applicable laws, regulations, and Zscaler policies, including those related to security and privacy standards and guidelines.

Zscaler is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We strive to create a workplace where employees are treated with respect and have the chance to succeed. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy or related medical conditions), age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. See more information by clicking on the Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal link.

Pay Transparency

Zscaler complies with all applicable federal, state, and local pay transparency rules.

Zscaler is committed to providing reasonable support (called accommodations or adjustments) in our recruiting processes for candidates who are differently abled, have long term conditions, mental health conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs, or who are neurodivergent or require pregnancy-related support.