Principal Software Engineer (Service Platform & Orchestration) (San Jose)

About ZscalerZscaler 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.RoleWe are looking for a Principal Software Engineer (Service Platform & Orchestration) to join our team. This is a Hybrid (3 days in office) role, reporting to the VP, Engineering in the Zero Trust Exchange department. In this high-ownership position, you will engineer the management plane and reliability systems that govern ZIA’s fleet lifecycle at massive scale. This is a hands-on building role where you will lead the transformation of our infrastructure from legacy automation into a stateful, durable management plane (built on Temporal) to achieve deterministic one-touch provisioning and lifecycle operations. You will treat infrastructure as a distributed system, developing self-healing capabilities and AI-driven SRE practices for a global fleet of 100k+ instances.What you’ll do (Role Expectations)Lead the hands-on development and migration to a workflow-as-code platform (Temporal), building replay-safe, idempotent workflows that ensure deterministic operations across a global scaleMove the organization beyond scripted automation toward a robust management plane that treats the entire global fleet as a single, eventually-consistent distributed systemDesign and implement services that leverage LLMs and ML for intelligent signal correlation, automated triage, and self-correcting fleet operationsDevelop framework-level services and internal APIs that ensure all new products are delivered orchestration-ready with reliability hooks built directly into the codeBuild deep telemetry (metrics, traces, and events) into the management plane so that every fleet-wide action is fully explainable, auditable, and replayableWho 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. You adapt to what’s needed, navigating seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.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 think at scale. You connect your day-to-day work to the larger company mission and think globally. You build solutions, processes, and teams that are not just effective today but are built to last and support a high-growth, global organization.You are resilient and adaptable. You view change as an opportunity and setbacks as temporary. You maintain composure and focus in high-pressure situations, guiding yourself and your team through complexity with a steady, positive hand.What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)Foundational understanding of AI/ML technologies and experience leveraging, securing, or positioning AI-driven solutions to optimize outcomes within your functional domainBS/MS in Computer Science or a related technical field with 10+ years of experience in hyperscale systems, with a deep understanding of the unique failure modes and technical hurdles that only emerge at massive scaleMastery of backend systems languages (Go, Java, Python, or others) with a proven ability to set the bar for code quality, maintainability, and distributed system correctnessStrong experience designing and operating complex distributed systems, with a focus on solving systemic challenges in concurrency, failure handling, and performance optimizationProven track record of developing Platform APIs (REST/gRPC) with strong guarantees for idempotency, verification, and safe rollout patternsU.S. citizenship due to the nature of the customers assigned to this roleWhat Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)Proficiency with AI code-assistance tools (e.g., Cursor, Windsurf) to accelerate legacy refactoring and system developmentProficiency in PostgreSQL, or other relational stores used for high-scale, stateful management-plane servicesDirect experience building or operating systems with Temporal.io, Cadence, or similar workflow engines#LI-YC2 #LI-HybridZscaler’s salary ranges are benchmarked and are determined by role and level. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations and could be higher or lower based on a multitude of factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.The base salary range listed for this full-time position excludes commission/ bonus/ equity (if applicable) + benefits.Base Pay Range$212,000—$265,000 USDAt Zscaler, we are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve and the customers we work with. We foster an inclusive environment that values all backgrounds and perspectives, emphasizing collaboration and belonging. Join us in our mission to make doing business seamless and secure.Our Benefits program is one of the most important ways we support our employees. Zscaler proudly offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families throughout their life stages, including:Various health plansTime off plans for vacation and sick timeParental leave optionsRetirement optionsEducation reimbursementIn-office perks, and more!Learn more about Zscaler's hybrid working model and benefits here.By applying for this role, you adhere to applicable laws, regulations, and Zscaler policies, including those related to security and privacy standards and guidelines.Zscaler is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We strive to create a workplace where employees are treated with respect and have the chance to succeed. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy or related medical conditions), age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. See more information by clicking on the Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal link.Pay TransparencyZscaler complies with all applicable federal, state, and local pay transparency rules.Zscaler is committed to providing reasonable support (called accommodations or adjustments) in our recruiting processes for candidates who are differently abled, have long term conditions, mental health conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs, or who are neurodivergent or require pregnancy-related support.