Sr. Staff Software Development Engineer

The job

LIVE Employer public job feed (private-sector employer) Source: the employer's public careers feed · Data: listed 2026-10-26

Job description

Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) accelerates digital transformation so customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location. Distributed across 200+ public data centers globally and thousands of private sites at the edge, the SASE-based Zero Trust Exchange is the world’s largest in-line cloud security platform.

We believe the future of work is Human + AI and are building an AI-native enterprise where human potential is amplified by machine intelligence to solve the world’s hardest security challenges. Driven by deep customer obsession, we are committed to the mission, outcome, and to each other. We bring these commitments to life through three core behaviors: ownership and collaboration, trust through outcomes and impact, and a challenge culture with ongoing feedback. Ready to make an impact at the company pioneering security transformation in the AI era? Join us at Zscaler.

Role

We are looking for a Senior Staff Software Engineer to join our team. This is a Hybrid (3 days a week in San Jose, CA) role, reporting to the Senior Director, Engineering in the IAM department. Identity has become the new security perimeter, and in this role, you will develop workflows and application integrations in collaboration with the broader IAM team, Product Management, and Business teams. You will be responsible for the design and development of enterprise-grade Identity Management Products for Zscaler, helping organizations worldwide harness speed and agility with a cloud-first strategy.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Design and develop enterprise-grade Identity Management Products for Zscaler
• Participate in the design and implementation of core product functionality and key technical initiatives
• Mentor junior engineers with software development best practices
• Help maintain our positive culture as a collaborative and supportive teammate
• Collaborate across teams to deliver projects from inception to production

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You thrive in ambiguity. You are comfortable building the path as you walk it, viewing dynamic environments as opportunities to construct meaningful solutions.
• You act like an owner. You operate with a strong sense of ownership, bringing passion for the mission, high integrity, and the capability to navigate between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.
• You are a proactive problem-solver. You run toward challenges and remain laser-focused on finding solutions that deliver high-impact outcomes.
• You build high-trust collaboration. You prioritize team success, welcome feedback, and practice clear, respectful candor to establish strong partnerships.
• You maintain a continuous growth mindset. You actively seek feedback and development opportunities to grow as a partner, teammate, and purpose-driven leader.

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• Foundational understanding of AI/ML technologies and experience leveraging, securing, or positioning AI-driven solutions to optimize outcomes within your functional domain
• 8+ years of hands-on experience in application architecture and development
• Expert-level technical knowledge of Enterprise Java, OOP, OOA, systems architecture, RESTful APIs, and related frameworks such as Hibernate and Spring
• Strong knowledge of Identity and Access Management protocols, specifically SAML, OAuth, and OpenID Connect
• Experience developing enterprise-grade Security or Networking products

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Proven ability to leverage AI technologies and workflows to drive measurable operational efficiency
• Knowledge of Docker, Kubernetes, and container infrastructure
• Experience with Java reactive programming

#LI-CM3 

#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.

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.

Explore around this job

Field: Technology Sub-niche: Software engineering All jobs at Zscaler Jobs in California Jobs in San Jose, CA San Jose city guide California state guide Santa Clara County economy

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About the role

This is a — role in the Technology field (Software engineering) at Zscaler.

We could not match this job title to one occupation in the official wage statistics, so no pay estimate is shown. Pay is not in the source listing; ask the employer for the range and compare in the 240 job niches.

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How to prepare and behave

This is editorial guidance, not information from the employer.

• Read the whole description and match your examples to its requirements; use the same words the posting uses where they are true for you.
• Research the employer before the interview: what it does, who its customers are and recent news; prepare two or three questions about the work.
• Arrive early (or log in early for a video call), dress one step above the daily dress code, and test your camera and audio beforehand.
• Answer with short stories: the situation, what you did and the result. Give numbers when you have them and never invent them.
• Be honest about gaps; say what you did to learn and how fast you can close them.
• Ask about the team, the first 90 days, how success is measured and the schedule; do not open with salary and time off.
• When pay comes up, know the market range for the occupation and your lowest acceptable offer before you answer; ask for the full package in writing.
• Send a short thank-you message within a day, mentioning one thing you discussed.
• Have code, data work or projects you can show, and be ready to think aloud: many technical interviews test how you reason, not only the answer.

Know your rights as a candidate and an employee:

• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: prohibited employment practices
• U.S. Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division
• CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor): job search help, interview tips and resumes
• USA.gov: avoiding job scams

The city

The job is in San Jose, CA. Below is what the official statistics say about living and working there.

How San Jose compares. Among the 145 largest places in California, San Jose is #3 by population, #30 for household income (#1 = highest), #110 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #48 for college degrees (#1 = most). Its county, Santa Clara County, is #1 of 58 counties for average pay ($197,043).

The place in numbers

San Jose has 990,138 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 2.5% of the population of California. It covers 178 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 5,564 people per square mile. The median age is 38.2, about the same as the state median (38.2 against 37.9).

Housing

The median gross rent is $2,669 a month (rent plus utilities), 31% above the state median ($2,669 against $2,036). Over a year that is 21.9% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $1,233,200, which is 8.4 times the median household income ($146,427); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 55.8% of households own their home, about the same as the state average (55.8% against 55.9%).

Work and pay

The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area has 1,134,970 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $84,050 a year, 65% above the national median ($84,050 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are computer and mathematical (149,970 jobs, median $186,320); management (115,110 jobs, median $210,750); business and financial operations (94,210 jobs, median $125,240). The area is most specialised in computer and mathematical (3.9 times) and architecture and engineering (2.5 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($210,750) and legal ($195,190). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Santa Clara County was 4.2%. 67.6% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Santa Clara County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.

Getting around

Among workers, 62.9% drive alone, 2.4% use public transit, 1.8% walk, 20.3% work from home. 15.3% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 21% below the state average (15.3% against 19.4%).

People and education

47.3% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 28% above the state share (47.3% against 37.1%). 42.0% of residents were born outside the United States, 56% above the state share (42.0% against 27.0%). The poverty rate is 8.1%, 32% below the state rate (8.1% against 12.0%).

Climate

The warmest month is Aug, averaging 68°F (19.8°C), and the coolest is Jan at 47°F (8.3°C). About 510 mm (20 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (114 mm) and Jul the driest (0 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.

Nearby cities to compare

Closest cities in this guide: Campbell (8 miles, similar rent); Los Gatos (9 miles, rent 22% higher); Santa Clara (10 miles, rent 13% higher); Milpitas (10 miles, rent 17% higher). Rent differences are against San Jose; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.

Full guide to San Jose →California guideAll jobs in San Jose

Official links for San Jose

• Census Bureau data profile for San Jose
• Official website of Santa Clara County: santaclaracounty.gov
• Official state website: ca.gov
• BLS Economy at a Glance: California

These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.

Where to live

CITY Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Places within 50 miles (straight line) of San Jose, CA that have a guide, with what living there costs. No pay estimate is shown because the title did not match one occupation.

Career paths

We could not match this title to one occupation, so here are the other sub-niches in Technology, where your skills may carry over:

Cybersecurity (713) Data, analytics and AI (3366) Cloud, IT and infrastructure (1040) Product management (836)

Distances

CITY Calculation (straight line) Source: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (coordinates) · Data: 2024

How far San Jose, CA is from the 20 largest US cities, in straight-line miles (not driving distance). Click a column to sort.

Nearby cities with open jobs (within 120 miles)

The employer

Zscaler is the employer in this listing. See all its open jobs here →

We do not hold headcount or revenue for this employer. Check its careers site and, if it is listed on a stock exchange, its public filings (SEC EDGAR search).

What it is like to work at a company (culture, schedules, benefits) is not in the source data, so we do not describe it. Read the description and ask the questions under "How to prepare".

Other open jobs at Zscaler

Similar jobs

Same sub-niche: Software engineering

More jobs in San Jose, CA

All Software engineering jobs → · All Technology sub-niches →

FAQ

What is the Sr. Staff Software Development Engineer job at Zscaler?

A private-sector role in technology (software engineering) listed 14 days ago. The full description is on this page and on the employer's page.

Where is this job?

San Jose, CA.

How do I apply?

Use the "View this job and apply on the employer's page" button. AtiveSite does not receive applications.

How much does it pay?

The listing does not publish pay, and we could not match the title to one official occupation.

What is the cost of living there?

Median rent in San Jose is $2,669 a month and median household income $146,427 (ACS 2020–2024).

How old is this listing?

It was posted on 2026-10-26 (14 days ago). Jobs older than 90 days are not shown.

Are there similar jobs?

Yes: browse software engineering jobs in California.

Sources and terms

• Job data: Zscaler careers page public feed (listing dated 2026-10-26). The job disappears from this site when it disappears from the source.
• Wages and projections: BLS OEWS (May 2025) and Employment Projections 2025–35.
• City and county figures: Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024, BEA, BLS QCEW and LAUS, NASA POWER climatology; distances from Census Gazetteer coordinates.

AtiveSite is not affiliated with or endorsed by the employer or any government agency, and does not process applications. Verify every detail with the employer before acting.

Sources

• BLS OEWS (wages and employment by occupation, May 2025)
• BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
• BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
• BLS JOLTS
• BLS State and Metro Area Employment
• Census Bureau American Community Survey (via Census Reporter)
• BEA GDP by state and Regional Price Parities
• IRS 2026 tax adjustments
• U.S. Department of Labor, minimum wage by state
• Tax Foundation state income tax rates 2026
• USAJOBS
• USCIS
• U.S. Department of State, visas
• NASA POWER climatology
• GeoNames / Census Gazetteer (coordinates)