Staff Software Development Engineer- Web proxy

Zscaler•San Jose, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

About Zscaler Zscaler is a pioneer and global leader in zero trust security. The world’s largest businesses, critical infrastructure organizations, and government agencies rely on Zscaler to secure users, branches, applications, data & devices, and to accelerate digital transformation initiatives. Distributed across more than 160 data centers globally, the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform combined with advanced AI combats billions of cyber threats and policy violations every day and unlocks productivity gains for modern enterprises by reducing costs and complexity. 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 champion an “AI Forward, People First” philosophy to help us accelerate and innovate, empowering our people to embrace their 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 to help shape the future of cybersecurity. Role We are looking for a Staff Software Development Engineer to join our Emerging Tech team.This role is hybrid and based in our San Jose, CA office three days a week, reporting to the VP, Software Engineering- AI Security. You will architect and build high-performance web proxy and infrastructure components. This role involves developing low-latency, high-throughput systems primarily in Go, while leveraging Rust or C where applicable. Operating deep within the network stack, you will engineer the reliable, secure, and scalable services that serve as the foundation of our AI platform. What you’ll do (Role Expectations) Design, implement, and optimize high-performance web proxy services and build and maintain low-latency, high-throughput networked systems Develop robust services using Go, with the option to utilize Rust or C where appropriate Work extensively with socket programming, HTTP/1.1 through HTTP/3, and TLS / mTLS Optimize performance related to concurrency, memory management, CPU usage, network I/O, and connection handling while ensuring system reliability, fault tolerance, and security Collaborate with AI/ML, platform, and infrastructure teams to review code, mentor engineers, and contribute to architectural decisions Who You Are (Success Profile) You thrive in ambiguity, comfortable building the path as you walk it and seeing ambiguity as raw material to build something meaningful. You act like an owner, operating with integrity and navigating seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution. You are a problem-solver who seeks out challenges because you are energized by finding solutions that deliver the biggest impact. You are customer-obsessed, building deep empathy for internal and external customers and championing their needs from start to finish. You operate with urgency, understanding that speed and quality are not mutually exclusive and maintaining a bias for action to deliver high-impact results. What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications) 5+ years of professional software engineering experience Strong proficiency in Go is preferred, though Rust or C experience is acceptable Deep understanding of network programming including sockets, TCP/UDP, and connection pooling Strong knowledge of HTTP and TLS internals with experience building high-performance, low-latency systems Solid understanding of concurrency and parallel programming with experience debugging complex production issues

Requirements

5+ years of professional software engineering experience
Strong proficiency in Go is preferred, though Rust or C experience is acceptable
Deep understanding of network programming including sockets, TCP/UDP, and connection pooling
Strong knowledge of HTTP and TLS internals with experience building high-performance, low-latency systems
Solid understanding of concurrency and parallel programming with experience debugging complex production issues

Nice To Haves

Experience building AI infrastructure, gateways, or proxies
Familiarity with gRPC, load balancing, reverse proxies, zero-copy I/O, and kernel networking optimizations
Experience with Linux internals, performance profiling tools, and exposure to distributed systems and cloud-native architectures

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and optimize high-performance web proxy services and build and maintain low-latency, high-throughput networked systems
Develop robust services using Go, with the option to utilize Rust or C where appropriate
Work extensively with socket programming, HTTP/1.1 through HTTP/3, and TLS / mTLS
Optimize performance related to concurrency, memory management, CPU usage, network I/O, and connection handling while ensuring system reliability, fault tolerance, and security
Collaborate with AI/ML, platform, and infrastructure teams to review code, mentor engineers, and contribute to architectural decisions