Director, AI Strategy (Engineering Operations)

Zscaler•San Jose, CA

28d•Hybrid

About The Position

Zscaler accelerates digital transformation so our customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. Our cloud native Zero Trust Exchange platform protects thousands of 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 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 make a positive difference on a global scale, we invite you to bring your talents to Zscaler and help shape the future of cybersecurity. Our Engineering team built the world’s largest cloud security platform from the ground up, and we keep building. With more than 100 patents and big plans for enhancing services and increasing our global footprint, the team has made us and our multitenant architecture today's cloud security leader, with more than 15 million users in 185 countries. Bring your vision and passion to our team of cloud architects, software engineers, security experts, and more who are enabling organizations worldwide to harness speed and agility with a cloud-first strategy. We’re looking for an experienced Director, AI Strategy to join our Engineering Operations team. This role is hybrid and based in our San Jose, CA or Bellevue, WA office three days a week. Reporting to the Director of Engineering Operations, you will lead the AI strategy, platforms, and programs that enable and accelerate AI adoption and measurable impact across the entire R&D organization. In your role you will be responsible for

Requirements

10+ years of experience in software engineering, AI/ML infrastructure, platform engineering, or engineering productivity
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, or related technical field
Expertise in AI architecture, MCP server patterns, agent orchestration, retrieval systems, and LLM-enabled workflow design
Hands-on experience with GitLab/GitLab Duo, Gemini Code Assist, Windsurf, Cursor, or comparable AI-enhanced development tooling
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional engineering programs and shipping scalable, measurable AI capabilities

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree, MBA, or advanced certifications in AI/ML/MLOps
Background in management or technology consulting, driving engineering or AI transformation programs
Experience leading org-wide enablement, VOC programs, and change management for engineering tools or workflow adoption

Responsibilities

Owning the centralized AI strategy, roadmap, and governance for R&D, managing use case identification, technology stacks, vendor evaluations, build-vs-buy decisions, and the evolution of the AI operating model
Leading a team of AI/ML developers, analysts, and program managers to deliver scalable AI solutions that improve engineering velocity, quality, and productivity
Architecting and operating the core AI platform layer, including MCP servers, agent frameworks, retrieval pipelines, model access patterns, telemetry, and impact measurement
Running cross-functional AI programs—managing intake, prioritization, business-case development, and delivery—while partnering with DevSecOps, SDLC, Architecture, and Product to embed AI into engineering workflows
Driving real, measurable AI adoption across engineering teams by leading Voice-of-the-Customer programs and change-management initiatives