Sr. Staff Software Engineer (Full-Stack)

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 Sr. Staff Software Engineer (Full-Stack) to join our team. This is a Hybrid (San Jose, CA) role, reporting to the Director, Software Engineering, AI Security in the AI Guard department. We are seeking a talented, high-energy team player to help develop cutting-edge AI security products. This is a greenfield opportunity to define and build a new class of market-defining products. As a member of this growing team, you will share responsibility for ensuring the Zscaler service remains reliable, scales efficiently, and offers a delightful experience to our customers.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Lead the design and delivery of full-stack features spanning React-based UI, Spring Boot microservices, REST APIs, event-driven Kafka services, and cloud-native infrastructure on AWS and Kubernetes
• Architect flexible, reusable UI components and establish patterns that scale across the platform
• Set technical direction in collaboration with backend engineers, UX designers, and product managers to ensure end-to-end solution quality and user experience
• Own logging, observability, and infrastructure concerns at a platform level, not just feature level
• Mentor engineers, conduct code reviews, and drive engineering standards across the team

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You thrive in ambiguity and are comfortable building the path as you walk it, viewing dynamic environments as raw material to construct something meaningful.
• You act like an owner with a strong bias for action, navigating seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.
• You are an energized problem-solver who seeks out complex technical challenges to deliver high-impact solutions.
• You operate with urgency and a relentless focus on execution, delivering high-quality, impactful results quickly for the team and customer.
• You are driven by innovation, deeply curious about how technology works, and constantly seeking scalable, secure ways to accelerate transformation.

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
• 6+ years building enterprise-grade solutions, with a strong emphasis on spec-driven development workflows using AI coding assistants like Claude or Gemini
• Proficiency in Java with hands-on experience in Spring Boot, as well as strong JavaScript/TypeScript skills building single-page applications with ReactJS and state management libraries like Recoil
• Experience designing and consuming REST APIs in a microservices architecture, alongside experience with event-streaming platforms like Kafka
• Experience with HTML5, CSS3, and modern CSS frameworks like Tailwind CSS
• Familiarity with containerized deployments on Kubernetes and core AWS services

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience with PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, security or networking products, or visualization tools like D3.js or Next.js
• Unit testing experience with React Testing Library, Jest, Mocha, or Chai
• Familiarity with JavaScript build tooling such as Webpack or Vite

#LI-YC2 #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

$157,500 — $225,000 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 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.