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# Sr. Software Development Engineer (Controlplane)

- **Company:** Zscaler, Inc.
- **Location:** San Jose, CA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $115,500.0 - $165,000.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Software as a Service, Code Review, Distributed Systems, Fault Tolerance, Python (Programming Language), Reliability Engineering, Zero Trust Network Access, Software Engineering, Backend, Containerization, Api Design, Programming Languages, Microservices
- **Published:** August 28, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.sanjosejobsite.com/job.asp?id=3367837184&tx=VT6661TTV&pt=1&aff=0B19D771-A501-4A5E-8338-2A822B784D54&utm_source=Job%20Feed&utm_medium=textkernel&utm_campaign=DE&utm_term=0B19D771-A501-4A5E-8338-2A822B784D54

## About the Role

* Demonstrated curiosity and active exploration of AI tools, with a proven history of integrating new technologies to enhance daily workflows and augment problem-solving
 * 3+ years of software engineering experience, including significant experience designing and building large-scale distributed systems and backend platform services
 * Deep expertise in system design, microservices architecture, API design, data modeling, and operating highly available, fault-tolerant services in production environments
 * Strong proficiency in one or more modern programming languages such as Java, Go, or Python, with a track record of delivering production-grade software
 * Experience leading complex technical initiatives across multiple teams, driving architectural decisions, and influencing engineering direction beyond immediate team boundaries
 * Strong understanding of cloud-native technologies, observability, reliability engineering, and secure software development practices

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

 * Experience applying AI-forward engineering practices, such as developer copilots, intelligent automation, AI-assisted incident analysis, or ML/LLM-powered platform capabilities, to improve engineering productivity or product outcomes
 * Experience building control plane, policy, identity, security, or other mission-critical platform systems in a SaaS or cybersecurity environment
 * Experience mentoring senior engineers and serving as a recognized technical leader for architecture, operational excellence, and engineering standards across an organization

#LI-KM9 #LI-Hybrid

## Description

We are looking for a Sr. Software Development Engineer (Controlplane) to join our team. This is a hybrid (in office 3 days a week in San Jose, CA) role, reporting to the Manager, Software Engineering in the Zero Trust Exchange department. In this role, you will lead the design and development of highly scalable, resilient, and secure control plane platform services that power the Zero Trust Exchange. You will drive architecture, influence technical strategy across teams, and deliver platform capabilities that improve reliability, operability, and developer velocity. The ideal candidate pairs deep distributed systems expertise with strong cross-functional leadership and a pragmatic, execution-focused mindset.

What you'll do (Role Expectations)

 * Lead the architecture, design, and delivery of large-scale control plane and platform services with a strong focus on scalability, availability, security, and operational excellence
 * Drive complex cross-team technical initiatives, align stakeholders on architecture and execution plans, and ensure high-quality delivery against business and engineering priorities
 * Identify and resolve system bottlenecks, reliability risks, and architectural gaps across distributed systems, improving performance, observability, and long-term maintainability
 * Set a high technical bar through design reviews, code reviews, engineering best practices, and hands-on mentorship of senior engineers across the organization
 * Evaluate and apply emerging technologies, including AI-assisted engineering workflows where appropriate, to improve developer productivity, system intelligence, and product delivery outcomes

Who You Are (Success Profile)

 * You act like an owner with a passion for the mission, operating with integrity and navigating seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.
 * You are a dedicated problem-solver who is energized by complex technical challenges and focused on delivering high-impact outcomes.
 * You are a high-trust collaborator who embraces a challenge culture with candid feedback, respect, and shared ambition for team success.
 * You embody a true growth mindset, continuously developing your skills, seeking feedback, and bringing purpose to your work.
 * You champion simplicity by distilling complex problems and technical concepts into clear, actionable plans and precise communication.


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