Staff Software Development Engineer (Microservices)

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 Staff Software Development Engineer (Microservices) to join our team. This is a hybrid role based in San Jose, CA (3 days a week in office) role, reporting to the Senior Director of Engineering in the ZIA Engineering department. You will work on the control plane for the Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) product, which has redefined how security services are delivered in the cloud. Because our platform has redefined cloud security, our underlying technology must continuously evolve to meet massive scale. We are seeking engineers experienced in designing and navigating complex distributed architectures to help us innovate and elevate our foundational tech stack. What you’ll do (Role Expectations) - Execute the technical roadmap to modernize enterprise platforms using API-first design and microservices architecture - Design, develop, and deploy highly resilient, low-latency, event-driven solutions while maintaining ownership from API tiers to back-end services - Role model a culture of quality by adhering to coding standards, performing code reviews, and championing TDD/BDD practices - Partner with Product, DevOps, and System Architects to translate complex business needs into scalable, high-performance technical solutions - Utilize containerization (Docker) and orchestration platforms (Kubernetes) to manage service lifecycles within hybrid or public cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP) and use AI-powered tools for advanced problem solving and engineering efficiency 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 - 5+ years of software development with experience in production-grade microservices - Strong proficiency in Java (Spring Boot), Go, or Rust - Expertise in distributed data patterns (CQRS, Event Sourcing) and event-driven communication (Kafka, RabbitMQ, or SQS) - Extensive hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes within AWS, Azure, or GCP environments, alongside SQL and NoSQL database design and scaling What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications) - Experience implementing AI-driven automated testing or using generative AI tools to optimize microser