Sr. Staff Software Development Engineer – Datapath

Job Description

Sr. Staff Software Development Engineer | Confidential Employer

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at Zscaler, located in Santa Clara, CA, requiring a hybrid presence of at least three days a week in the office. Zscaler builds the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange, the world’s largest in-line cloud security platform, to protect thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss. This Sr. Staff Software Development Engineer role is critical for expanding the core datapath technology, adding essential features and functionality to ensure scalable, high-performance, and robust software design that directly impacts product capabilities.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Hybrid – Santa Clara, CA
• Pay: $180000–$225000 yearly
• Team: Reports to the Senior Manager Software Development Engineering in the Engineering department
• Mission: This person will expand the capabilities of Zscaler’s datapath technology to drive the next level of product impact.
• Tech Stack: C/C++, Go, Python, AWS/Azure/GCP networking components (transit gateway, IGW, NATGW, NACL, security groups, GWLB, ILB, Route53), AWS/Azure/GCP database services, PubSub mechanisms, SDKs, DNS, HTTP, TCP/IP, SSL/TLS

What You’ll Actually Do
• Define software design specifications and implement bug-free code using a test-driven methodology.
• Identify opportunities to refactor existing code for maintainability and reusability while owning the resolution of complex customer issues.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional engineering teams including security, UI, platform, analytics, and quality assurance.
• Partner with Product Management to drive detailed product requirements.
• Lead a group of junior engineers by providing technical guidance, mentoring, and assisting in development details.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Senior Staff level role requiring a foundational understanding of AI/ML technologies, with experience in leveraging, securing, or positioning AI-driven solutions to optimize outcomes within your functional domain. Candidates should possess deep knowledge of networking protocols and services.
• Experience: At least 7 years of experience in developing large-scale cloud networking and security applications, coupled with expertise in software design and programming. Proven hands-on experience working with AWS/Azure/GCP networking components, including transit gateway, IGW, NATGW, NACL, security groups, GWLB, ILB, and Route53. Demonstrated experience with AWS/Azure/GCP database services, PubSub mechanisms, and SDKs.
• Skills: Proficiency in software design and programming using C/C++, Go, or Python. Deep knowledge of networking protocols and services such as DNS, HTTP, TCP/IP, and SSL/TLS, ideally with an understanding of firewall policy enforcement. The ability to identify opportunities to refactor code for maintainability and reusability, and to own the resolution of complex customer issues is also key.
• Bonus: Experience specifically optimizing network datapath efficiency, automating routing performance, or improving intelligent threat-detection features using AI/ML technologies. Familiarity or direct experience with developing security Firewall features. Prior experience building solutions for Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms and leveraging cloud-native infrastructure services.