Principal Software Development Engineer (C Programming)

Confirmed live in the last 24 hours

Zscaler

Compensation

$182,000 - $260,000/year

San Jose, California, USA

Hybrid

Posted March 31, 2026

Job Description

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 Principal Software Development Engineer (C Programming) to join our Engineering team. This is a hybrid role based in San Jose, CA (3 days a week in office), reporting to the Senior Director, Application Engineering - Central Authority. You will work on the control plane for the Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) product, which has redefined how security services are delivered in the cloud. You bring an understanding of security protocols and services.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

Practice technical leadership in design, development, and optimization of control path features in Cloud Infrastructure
Define and execute the technical roadmap ensuring alignment with business goals
Develop and own components of a large-scale distributed system with a focus on scalability
Use AI-powered tools for advanced problem solving and engineering efficiency
Mentor other engineers

Who You Are (Success Profile)

You thrive in ambiguity. You're comfortable building the path as you walk it and see ambiguity as the raw material to build something meaningful.
You act like an owner. Your passion for the mission fuels your bias for action, and you navigate seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.
You are customer-obsessed. You build deep empathy for the customer and anchor your decisions in solving their real-world problems.
You are driven by innovation. You have a deep curiosity for how things work and are energized by solving complex technical challenges.
You think at scale. You build solutions and processes that are built to last and support a high-growth, global organization.

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)