Director, IT Strategy & Operations

Zscaler•San Jose, CA

12h•Hybrid

About The Position

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 Director, IT Strategy & Operations to join our team. This is a Hybrid (San Jose, CA, 3 days in a week) role, reporting to the VP of IT, Corporate Applications. You will be the primary owner of our long-term IT strategy and roadmap, and the connective tissue that ensures our technology investments translate into enterprise value. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role for a leader who thrives at the intersection of finance, enterprise strategy, and governance. You aren't just keeping the lights on; you are building the world-class foundation that enables IT to support Zscaler’s rapid growth trajectory.

Requirements

8+ years of cross-functional leadership experience, ideally driving IT operations.
Hands-on ownership of multi-million dollar IT budgets at the P&L or cost center level, utilizing financial systems like Coupa, Netsuite, and Adaptive.
Experience managing a large SaaS portfolio - Vendor negotiation experience yielding measurable cost savings, and leading rationalization initiatives at a publicly traded company.
Demonstrated leadership in owning SOX controls (ITGC).
Executive presence with experience presenting to VP, SVP, and CIO stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Lean Six Sigma or Scaled Agile (SAFe) certification
M&A SaaS integration experience with a history of rationalizing acquired tech stacks
Proficiency in Snowflake or Tableau for self-serve financial reporting

Responsibilities

Architect the Multi-Year Vision: Own the long-term IT strategy, aligning our technology roadmap with Zscaler’s hyper-growth trajectory to ensure IT is always ahead of business needs.
Build the Financial Engine: Direct the multi-million dollar IT budget lifecycle. You’ll move beyond simple tracking and toward proactive financial management - ultimately ensuring every dollar is a wise investment in growth.
Drive the Executive Pulse: Own the IT operating rhythms. You will facilitate Monthly Business Reviews with the CIO, Quarterly Business Reviews with the CEO, and other executive governance forums. You will be the strategic partner to IT leadership, ensuring our impact is visible, measured, and celebrated.
Master the M&A Playbook: Lead the charge on SaaS integration planning for newly acquired companies, ensuring that new additions to the Zscaler family are integrated seamlessly and strategically.
Establish a World-Class Foundation: Elevate IT governance and SOX controls from a requirement to a gold standard. You will build the frameworks that ensure our governance is as innovative as our technology.