Sr. Software Development Engineer; Controlplane

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.

We are looking for a Sr. Software Development Engineer (Controlplane) to join our team. This is a hybrid (in office 3 days a week in San Jose, CA) role, reporting to the Manager, Software Engineering in the Zero Trust Exchange department. In this role, you will lead the design and development of highly scalable, resilient, and secure control plane platform services that power the Zero Trust Exchange.

You will drive architecture, influence technical strategy across teams, and deliver platform capabilities that improve reliability, operability, and developer velocity. The ideal candidate pairs deep distributed systems expertise with strong cross-functional leadership and a pragmatic, execution-focused mindset.

• Lead the architecture, design, and delivery of large-scale control plane and platform services with a strong focus on scalability, availability, security, and operational excellence
• Drive complex cross-team technical initiatives, align stakeholders on architecture and execution plans, and ensure high-quality delivery against business and engineering priorities
• Identify and resolve system bottlenecks, reliability risks, and architectural gaps across distributed systems, improving performance, observability, and long-term maintainability
• Set a high technical bar through design reviews, code reviews, engineering best practices, and hands-on mentorship of senior engineers across the organization
• Evaluate and apply emerging technologies, including AI-assisted engineering workflows where appropriate, to improve developer productivity, system intelligence, and product delivery outcomes

• You act like an owner with a passion for the mission, operating with integrity and navigating seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.
• You are a dedicated problem-solver who is energized by complex technical challenges and focused on delivering high-impact outcomes.
• You are a high-trust collaborator who embraces a challenge culture with candid feedback, respect, and shared ambition for team success.
• You embody a true growth mindset, continuously developing your skills, seeking feedback, and bringing purpose to your work.
• You champion simplicity by distilling complex problems and technical concepts into clear, actionable plans and precise communication.

• Demonstrated curiosity and active exploration of AI tools, with a proven history of integrating new technologies to enhance daily workflows and augment problem-solving
• 3+ years of software engineering experience, including significant experience designing and building large-scale distributed systems and backend platform services
• Deep expertise…