Software Development Engineer- C​/C++

About Zscaler

Zscaler is a pioneer and global leader in zero trust security. The world’s largest businesses, critical infrastructure organizations, and government agencies rely on Zscaler to secure users, branches, applications, data & devices, and to accelerate digital transformation initiatives. Distributed across more than 160 data centers globally, the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform combined with advanced AI combats billions of cyber threats and policy violations every day and unlocks productivity gains for modern enterprises by reducing costs and complexity.

Here, impact in your role matters more than title and trust is built on results. 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 champion an “AI Forward, People First” philosophy to help us accelerate and innovate, empowering our people to embrace their potential. If you’re driven by purpose, thrive on solving complex challenges and want to make a positive difference on a global scale, we invite you to bring your talents to Zscaler to help shape the future of cybersecurity.

We are looking for a Staff Development Engineer, Nanolog to join our team. This is a Hybrid (San Jose, 3 days in office) role, reporting to the Sr. Director, Software Engineering in the Zero Trust Exchange department.

You will play a critical role in the evolution of the Zscaler Nanolog Service, driving the design and optimization of our proprietary time series database. By identifying system bottlenecks and implementing kernel-level enhancements, you will ensure our platform continues to deliver high-performance, scalable security solutions for our global customer base.

• Design, develop, and test enhancements to the Zscaler Nanolog Service powered by the proprietary time series database.
• Profile and analyze system performance, identify bottlenecks, and deliver code improvements in areas such as memory management, file I/O, and data structures.
• Stay updated on emerging database technologies and trends to evaluate new concepts for our database kernel.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers and other engineering leads, to define and prioritize technical requirements.
• Troubleshoot and debug complex database issues reported by internal teams or customers.

• 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, operating with integrity because you genuinely care about the outcome.
• You seek out challenges because you are energized by finding solutions, knowing that solving the hard problems delivers the biggest impact.
• You are customer-obsessed, championing their needs from start to finish because their success is our success.
• You are driven by innovation, believing in the power of technology to accelerate transformation and always looking for a better, more secure, and scalable way.

• 5+ years of C programming experience on Unix/Linux platforms.
• Deep proficiency in algorithms and data structures.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems and experience building scalable systems.
• Deep expertise in Unix/Linux OS internals and command-line utilities to build, debug, and optimize high-performance services.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.

• Understanding of database kernels and internal architectures.
• Proficiency in schema design and management for database and big data environments.

Zscaler’s salary ranges are benchmarked and are determined by role and level. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations and could be higher or lower based on a multitude of factors, including job‑related…