Director, Software Development Engineering - Datapath, SWG, Proxies

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, 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.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• 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

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You thrive in ambiguity. You're comfortable building the path as you walk it. You thrive in a dynamic environment, seeing ambiguity not as a hindrance, but as the raw material to build something meaningful.

• You act like an owner. Your passion for the mission fuels your bias for action. You operate with integrity because you genuinely care about the outcome. True ownership involves leveraging dynamic range: the ability to navigate seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.

• You are a problem-solver. You love running towards the challenges because you are laser-focused on finding the solution, knowing that solving the hard problems delivers the biggest impact.

• You are a high-trust collaborator. You are ambitious for the team, not just yourself. You embrace our challenge culture by giving and receiving ongoing feedback—knowing that candor delivered with clarity and respect is the truest form of teamwork and the fastest way to earn trust.

• You are a learner. You have a true growth mindset and are obsessed with your own development, actively seeking feedback to become a better partner and a stronger teammate. You love what you do and you do it with purpose.

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• 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

What Will Make You Stand