Sr. Software Engineer; C​/C++ & Networking

Sr. Staff Software Engineer (C/C++ & Networking)

San Jose, California, USA

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.

We are looking for a Sr. Staff Software Development Engineer to join our Zero Trust Exchange department. This is a hybrid role based in San Jose (3 days per week in-office), reporting to Sr. Manager, Software Development Engineering.

The Zscaler Client Connector (ZCC) team plans to modularize existing code into individual and separate libraries so that they can be better integrated into cross-platform releases, well unit tested and shared with other teams within the company. We are looking for engineers with C/C++ skillset who can work on this ambitious project.

• Modularize existing and new ZCC code into separate libraries
• Write well maintained and unit-testable code
• Use state-of-the-art technologies for better scalability and memory safety

• 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. You adapt to what’s needed, navigating seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands‑on execution.
• 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 operate with urgency. You understand that in a high‑growth environment, speed and quality are not mutually exclusive. You have a relentless focus on execution and a bias for action, delivering high‑impact results quickly to win for the customer and the team.
• You are a pragmatic builder. You are obsessed with creating, iterating, and shipping. You aren’t afraid to roll up your sleeves and build the first version yourself, balancing the drive for technical excellence with the need to deliver value to users quickly.
• You champion simplicity. You are skilled at distilling complex problems, user needs, and technical concepts into clear, simple, and actionable plans. You are a precise communicator who brings clarity and focus to every interaction.

• Extensive professional experience with C/C++ development
• Strong foundational knowledge of networking protocols and systems
• Proven experience developing for Windows plus one or more additional platform
• Practical experience with VPN technologies and architectures

• Hands‑on experience with the Rust programming language
• Deep network-level experience building highly scalable systems

Base Pay Range

$154,000 - $220,000 USD

• Time off plans for vacation and sick time
• Parental leave options
• Retirement options
• In‑office perks, and more!

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