Principal Sales Engineer - Federal

Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) accelerates digital transformation so customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location. Distributed across 160+ public exchanges globally and thousands of private exchanges at the edge, the SASE-based Zero Trust Exchange is the world’s largest in-line cloud security platform.

We believe the future of work is Human + AI and are building an AI-native enterprise where human potential is amplified by machine intelligence to solve the world’s hardest security challenges. Driven by deep customer obsession, we are committed to the mission, outcome, and to each other. We bring these commitments to life through three core behaviors: ownership and collaboration, trust through outcomes and impact, and a challenge culture with ongoing feedback.

Ready to make an impact at the company pioneering security transformation in the AI era? Join us at Zscaler.

Role

We are looking for a Principal Sales Engineer to join our Public Sector team. This is a remote role in the East Coast, reporting to the Sales Engineering Manager in the Federal department. As a key technical driver in our Federal organization, you will partner directly with Federal Civilian entities to architect solutions, demonstrate value, and guide their Zero Trust transformation.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Present and demonstrate the Zscaler platform to prospects, customers, and partners to articulate value and drive technical alignment
• Oversee the technical sales process end to end to accelerate deals and ensure technical success
• Run Proof of Value engagements from start to finish to validate outcomes and secure technical buy-in
• Collaborate across internal Zscaler teams to ensure seamless execution and customer success
• Act as a trusted advisor, translating customer desired outcomes into technical recommendations and guiding their Zero Trust transformation

Who You Are (Success Profile)

You thrive in ambiguity and feel comfortable building the path as you walk it, viewing dynamic environments as the raw material to create something meaningful.

You act like an owner with a strong bias for action, operating with integrity and navigating seamlessly between strategic vision and hands-on execution.

You are a continuous learner with a true growth mindset, actively seeking feedback to hone your skills, support your team, and deliver work with purpose.

You are customer-obsessed, building deep empathy for user challenges and anchoring every technical recommendation in solving real-world problems.

You are resilient and adaptable, viewing change as an opportunity and maintaining composure in high-pressure situations to guide partners through complexity.

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

Demonstrated curiosity and active exploration of AI tools, with a proven history of integrating new technologies to enhance daily workflows and augment problem-solving

Experience in security operations, firewall or proxy operations, and networking

Demonstrated ability and proactive desire to learn new technical concepts quickly

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Demonstrated ability to act as a Consultative AI Advisor, guiding customers through AI change management, including mapping manual business workflows to agentic AI systems and managing expectations around non-deterministic outputs

Utilization of AI tools, coding skills, or technical project development using AI to drive operational efficiency and outcomes

Strong technical background in enterprise security and modern networking architectures

• Industry certifications including CCIE,…