Principal Engineer - Enterprise Cloud Security

Job Description
About This Opportunity

CTI Consulting & Staffing is partnering with a large enterprise organization in the Pleasanton, CA area to place a Principal Cloud Security Engineer for a high-visibility global security transformation initiative. This team is modernizing their network security infrastructure - moving away from legacy VPN architecture toward a cloud-native, zero-trust security model - and needs a principal-level engineer to lead that transformation from design through global deployment.

This is a primarily remote engagement with periodic onsite collaboration in Pleasanton, CA. The role carries real ownership - you'll be the technical authority on architecture decisions, migration strategy, and deployment execution across multiple regions.

What You'll Do

• Lead the architecture and global enterprise deployment of Zscaler solutions across a large, multi-region environment
• Design and execute migration strategies from legacy VPN infrastructure to modern cloud security platforms
• Own technical decision-making across the full deployment lifecycle - from architecture through cutover
• Manage implementation timelines, technical resources, and stakeholder coordination across regions and business units
• Ensure security, performance, and compliance standards are maintained throughout the migration
• Provide technical leadership and establish deployment standards for the engineering team
• Mentor junior engineers and serve as the escalation point for technical blockers
• Communicate project status, risks, and architecture decisions to technical and executive stakeholders

Requirements

What You Bring

Must-Have:

• Extensive hands-on experience deploying Zscaler at enterprise scale - ZIA and/or ZPA, multi-region, large user populations
• Proven experience architecting or leading migrations from legacy VPN platforms to cloud security solutions
• Principal or lead-level ownership of global infrastructure projects - strategy through execution
• Deep understanding of zero-trust architecture, SASE frameworks, and cloud security design principles
• Experience managing complex technical transitions with minimal disruption to business operations
• Strong stakeholder management skills - comfortable communicating across technical and executive audiences
• Ability to travel to Pleasanton, CA periodically for onsite collaboration sessions

Nice-to-Have:

• Experience with Palo Alto Networks security platforms beyond VPN (NGFW, Prisma)
• Background in network modernization programs at Fortune 1000 or global enterprise scale
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST) in the context of cloud security transformations
• Prior experience mentoring or technically leading a deployment team
• Certifications:
  
  Zscaler Certified Professional, CISSP, CCNP Security, or equivalent

Technical Environment:

• Zscaler (ZIA / ZPA / ZDX)
• Palo Alto Networks (Global Protect, NGFW)
• Cloud security and zero-trust architecture platforms
• Enterprise network infrastructure (SD-WAN, DNS, identity/IAM integrations)
• SASE and SSE frameworks

What Success Looks Like:

• Enterprise Zscaler deployment underway at scale within the first 60-90 days, with architecture validated and regional rollout sequenced
• Global Protect migration progressing on plan with no material business disruption and documented runbook in place
• Deployment team operating under clear technical standards with reduced escalations to principal level

About CTI Consulting & Staffing CTI is a Fort Lauderdale-based staffing firm with 25+ years of experience connecting exceptional IT and engineering talent with leading organizations across the US, Canada, and LATAM. We specialize in onshore and nearshore staffing - contract, permanent, and contract-to-hire. We don't send candidates we wouldn't hire ourselves.