Sr. Staff Software Development Engineer

About Zscaler Zscaler accelerates digital transformation to ensure our customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. As an AI-forward enterprise, we are constantly pushing the envelope, leveraging the world’s largest security data lake to power our cloud-native Zero Trust Exchange platform. This innovation protects our 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 say, impact over activity. We seek innovators who actively use AI to amplify their impact and who thrive in an environment where we leverage intelligent systems to stay ahead of evolving threats. 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 be part of the team that’s helping to secure the AI age, we invite you to bring your talents to Zscaler and help shape the future of cybersecurity. Role We are looking for a Sr Staff Software Development Engineer to join our team. This is a hybrid role based in Bangalore role, reporting to the Sr. Director, Software Engineering in the Engineering department. You will be responsible for writing the frameworks and tools used to test our products, occupying a unique space that combines the "building" mindset of software design with the "breaking" mindset of software test engineering. In this role, you will design and develop wide-reaching tools and write code that automatically verifies product quality, often writing more code than the developers themselves. What you’ll do (Role Expectations) - Build robust frameworks and tools specifically designed to test complex products - Design and develop wide-reaching tools that impact the entire engineering lifecycle - Write high-quality code to automatically verify product quality and ensure seamless performance Who You Are (Success Profile) - You thrive in ambiguity. You're comfortable building the path as you walk it. You thrive in a dynamic environment, seeing ambiguity not as a hindrance, but as the raw material to build something meaningful. - You act like an owner. Your passion for the mission fuels your bias for action. You operate with integrity because you genuinely care about the outcome. True ownership involves leveraging dynamic range: the ability to navigate seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution. - You are a problem-solver. You love running towards the challenges because you are laser-focused on finding the solution, knowing that solving the hard problems delivers the biggest impact. - You are a high-trust collaborator. You are ambitious for the team, not just yourself. You embrace our challenge culture by giving and receiving ongoing feedback—knowing that candor delivered with clarity and respect is the truest form of teamwork and the fastest way to earn trust. - You are a learner. You have a true growth mindset and are obsessed with your own development, actively seeking feedback to become a better partner and a stronger teammate. You love what you do and you do it with purpose. What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications) - 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 experience working on systems or distributed systems with a focus on networking, firewall technologies, and cloud infrastructure - Hands-on proficiency in Python or Golang and a proven track record of building automated testing frameworks - Foundational knowledge of public cloud computing platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure - Experience with virtual environments including Docker, containers, Kubernetes, and OVA What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications) - Experience implementing AI-powered test generation, predictive defect modeling, or intelligent test automation frameworks to optimize engineering velocity - Deep understanding of TCP/IP protocol stack, HTTP, TLS, PKI, and related networking products like DNS, DHCP, VPN, and HA - Familiarity with security technologies such as firewalls, IPS, and Authentication alongside advanced expertise in software development lifecycles and high-level development automation #LI-RM6 #LI-Hybrid 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 pe