Director, Software Development Engineering - Datapath, SWG, Proxies

Zscaler•San Jose, CA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

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. We are looking for a Director, Engineering to join our team. This is a hybrid role based in San Jose, CA (3 days a week), reporting to the Senior Director of Engineering within the Engineering department. You will lead key initiatives for our flagship Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) platform, driving a culture of execution and quality. You’ll be the go-to leader for balancing service stability with high-impact feature innovation on a global scale.

Requirements

BS/MS in Computer Science or a related engineering/technical field
15+ years of progressive experience in technical engineering roles, including significant experience in a senior leadership capacity
Deep domain expertise in Secure Web Gateway (SWG), L4-L7 Proxy technologies, distributed systems, and authentication/authorization mechanisms
Proven experience operating high-performance, large-scale network security platforms within an Agile/CI/CD development lifecycle
Exceptional executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences

Nice To Haves

Strong Go-To-Market (GTM) and business analysis skills
Direct experience leading and managing geographically distributed engineering teams
A track record of identifying and addressing process or architectural gaps to drive continuous improvement

Responsibilities

Leading and scaling engineering teams, driving a culture of execution and quality while balancing service stability with feature innovation
Serving as a strong mentor and coach to develop engineering talent and nurture technical excellence within the organization
Collaborating closely with product management to define, prioritize, and deliver on the strategic ZIA product roadmap
Partnering with customer-facing organizations, including support and customer success, to improve service delivery and drive better outcomes
Evangelizing the ZIA product vision and strategy internally and externally, representing Zscaler engineering at all levels