Sr. Staff Software Development Engineer

• You thrive in ambiguity and see dynamic, complex environments as an opportunity to build meaningful solutions.
• You act like an owner, driving initiatives forward with passion, integrity, and a strong bias for action.
• You are a high-trust collaborator who embraces a challenge culture with clear, respectful, and constructive feedback.
• You are customer-obsessed, grounding engineering decisions in deep empathy to solve real-world problems.
• You champion simplicity by distilling complex technical concepts into clear, actionable plans.

• Foundational understanding of AI/ML technologies and experience leveraging, securing, or positioning AI-driven solutions to optimize outcomes within your functional domain
• 8+ years of production software engineering experience with strong C++ (C++14/17) expertise
• Solid grasp of Windows internals including services, user sessions, security tokens, IPC, and process/thread lifetime
• Experience debugging multithreaded C++ including races, deadlocks, iterator invalidation, and use-after-free
• Proficiency with diagnostic tools like WinDbg, ETW, Process Monitor, and crash dump analysis
• Track record of shipping and maintaining an enterprise desktop or endpoint product

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Deep background in networking, VPN, ZTNA, or secure tunneling architectures
• Experience with RPC (MS-RPC or custom), named pipes, or COM
• Familiarity with VDI platforms (Citrix, VMware Horizon, AVD), installer/updater flows, or kernel-mode components

#LI-DY1 #LI-SanJose

Zscaler’s salary ranges are benchmarked and are determined by role and level.

The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations and could be higher or lower based on a multitude of factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

The base salary range listed for this full-time position excludes commission/ bonus/ equity (if applicable) + benefits.

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:

• Various health plans
• Time off plans for vacation and sick time
• Parental leave options
• Retirement options
• Education reimbursement
• In-office perks, and more!

Learn more about Zscaler's hybrid working model and benefits here.

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.

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.