Staff Software Development Engineer (Solution Test)

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.

Role

We are looking for a Staff Software Development Engineer (Solution Test) to join our ZIA Solution Test Team in a hybrid capacity (San Jose - 3 days/week), reporting to the Director, Software Development Engineering in the ZIA Core Engineering department. In this role, you will be a key driver of transformation, beginning with the architectural foundation of our integration environments and evolving into a strategic leader for customer-centric validation.

Your journey will start by designing and deploying complex integration environments and the automated pipelines that power them. These environments will serve as a critical internal platform used by the entire engineering organization, making you a key enabler of developer productivity. As you build deep, cross-product expertise through this foundation, you will transition into recreating intricate, real-world customer topologies and leading the strategy for automated customer solution testing. This role requires a blend of "architect-level" networking knowledge, "developer-level" automation skills, and a "QA" mindset for troubleshooting.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Design and create multiple complex integration environments that incorporate a variety of Zscaler products and components; you will treat the entire engineering team as your internal customers, ensuring these environments are robust, scalable, and highly available

• Develop and maintain the CI/CD pipelines (using Jenkins/GitLab) required for the automated deployment, management, and monitoring of these environments, enabling other teams to spin up testbeds on demand

• Leverage expert-level knowledge of Zscaler’s internal architecture and cross-product interactions to recreate real-world customer topologies and develop high-impact automation suites for end-to-end customer solution testing

• Perform root-cause analysis on complex integration failures using Wireshark, tcpdump, and Linux system internals to resolve protocol-level and architectural bottlenecks

• Create and maintain comprehensive architectural diagrams, integration playbooks, Test Plans, and best-practice guides to empower the engineering team and facilitate seamless knowledge transfer across the organization

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You act like an owner, taking responsibility for the initial environment architecture and ensuring it meets the high standards required for organization-wide use.

• You are internal-customer obsessed. You build deep empathy for your fellow engineers, anchoring your automation and environment decisions in solving their real-world bottlenecks.

• You are a high-trust collaborator who can work across product lines to understand how different components interact, delivering results with candor and respect.

• You are a learner with a growth mindset, energized by the technical depth required to master multiple products and automate complex network flows.

• You think at scale, designing automation and test environments that don't just work for one team, but support the high-velocity demands of a global engineering organization.

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• 6+ years of engineering experience in networking and security products with a strong focus on automation, solutions engineering, or systems integration

• Bachelor’s or Graduate degree in Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent professional experience

• Strong hands-on experience designing and developing frameworks in Python and GoLang, along with orchestration using Ansible

• Proven track record of building and managing CI/CD pipelines within Jenkins and GitLab for complex, multi-component systems

• Expert knowledge of TCP/IP, SSL/TLS, Switching and Routing, and components like proxies or VPNs plus experience testing network security products and authentication systems

• Strong experience with Linux platform systems, including kernel-level troubleshooting and advanced log analysis using Wireshark and tcpdump

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Extensive hands-on experience with Proxmox, ESXi, or KVM to recreate complex, multi-vendor customer topologies, paired with familiarity with the FreeBSD platform or Windows networking internals

• Comfort using AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Windsurf, Claude) and experience with microservices architecture and REST APIs

• Experience defining health metrics and building dashboards in Grafana or Prometheus for large-scale engineering platforms

#LI-KM9 #LI-Hybrid

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 skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

The base salary range listed for this full-time position excludes commission/ bonus/ equity (if applicable) + benefits.

Base Pay Range
$129,500—$185,000 USD

At Zscaler, we are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve and the customers we work with. We foster an inclusive environment that values all backgrounds and perspectives, emphasizing collaboration and belonging. Join us in our mission to make doing business seamless and secure.

Our Benefits program is one of the most important ways we support our employees. Zscaler proudly offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families throughout their life stages, including:

• Various health plans

• Time off plans for vacation and sick time

• Parental leave options

• Retirement options

• Education reimbursement

• In-office perks, and more!

Learn more about Zscaler’s Future of Work strategy, hybrid working model, and benefits here.

By applying for this role, you adhere to applicable laws, regulations, and Zscaler policies, including those related to security and privacy standards and guidelines.

Zscaler is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We strive to create a workplace where employees are treated with respect and have the chance to succeed. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy or related medical conditions), age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. See more information by clicking on the Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal link.

Pay Transparency

Zscaler complies with all applicable federal, state, and local pay transparency rules.

Zscaler is committed to providing reasonable support (called accommodations or adjustments) in our recruiting processes for candidates who are differently abled, have long term conditions, mental health conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs, or who are neurodivergent or require pregnancy-related support.