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# Principal Software Development Engineer

- **Company:** Zscaler, Inc.
- **Location:** Santa Clara, CA, United States
- **Salary:** $185,500 - $265,000
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence, Automation of Tests, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Computer Engineering, Software Debugging, Linux, Distributed Systems, Domain Name System (DNS), Microsoft Exchange Server, Hypertext Transfer Protocols (HTTP), Interoperability, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Python (Programming Language), Network Security, Networking Basics, Routing, Packet Analyzer, Zero Trust Network Access, Software Engineering, System Testing, TCP/IP, Wide Area Networks, Diagnostic Tools, Enterprise Software Applications, Computer Network Operations, Performance Testing, Pytest, Integration Tests, Information Technology, SDET, Microservices
- **Published:** November 13, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.careerbuilder.com/job-details/principal-software-development-engineer-santa-clara-ca--11dc8555-2fc3-4dde-a153-999e000d7dec

## About the Role

Software Development, Software Engineering, Security Infrastructure, Cloud Computing, Network Operations Center, Microsoft Exchange Server, Power Amplifier, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Interoperability, Cross-Functional, * You are a natural problem-solver who is energized by finding creative solutions to complex challenges, understanding that tackling difficult technical issues delivers the greatest customer impact.

 * You are deeply customer-obsessed, anchoring your engineering decisions in real-world customer deployments and building empathy to champion their needs from start to finish.
 * You operate with a strong sense of urgency and a bias for action, delivering high-quality, impactful results rapidly in a fast-paced environment.
 * You are a data-driven thinker who uses evidence, metrics, and analytics to uncover the truth and guide informed decision-making.
 * You are resilient, highly adaptable, and maintain absolute composure under pressure, guiding yourself and your peers through complex scenarios with a positive approach., * Demonstrated curiosity and active exploration of AI tools, with a proven history of integrating new technologies to enhance daily workflows and augment problem-solving
 * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
 * 12+ years of experience in QA, system test, solution test, integration test, or SDET roles for enterprise software or cloud-delivered platforms
 * Strong understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS, routing, proxy behavior, VPN/tunneling, and traffic flows
 * CCNP or equivalent knowledge and experience in the networking domain.
 * Experience building Python-based frameworks (preferably PyTest) for API, protocol, and system tests to drive reliability and coverage across microservices.
 * Proven experience debugging complex customer or system issues using logs, traces, packet captures, and other troubleshooting tools in Linux-based or distributed environments;

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

 * Proven ability to leverage AI technologies and workflows to drive measurable operational efficiency
 * Experience with Zero Trust, SSE, SASE, network security, branch networking, SD-WAN, or secure access technologies
 * Experience validating customer deployments and interoperability across cloud platforms, identity providers, endpoint clients, and enterprise network environments
 * Experience with CI/CD pipelines, scale/performance testing, and building automated test frameworks for distributed systems

#LI-CM3

#LI-Hybrid

## Description

We are looking for a Principal Software Development Engineer to join our team. This is an hybrid role in Santa Clara, CA, reporting to the Director of Software Development Engineering in the Zero Trust Branch department. This role is responsible for validating end-to-end Zero Trust Branch solutions for customer deployments, with a strong focus on quality, interoperability, scalability, and field readiness. The engineer will build customer-like test environments, reproduce real-world issues, automate solution validation, and work cross-functionally with development, product, and field teams to improve release confidence and customer success.

What you'll do (Role Expectations)

 * Design and execute end-to-end test plans for Zero Trust Branch customer solutions across branch, cloud, endpoint, and security components
 * Build and maintain realistic lab environments that mirror customer deployments to validate integrations, feature behavior, and upgrade scenarios
 * Develop and expand automation for functional, regression, interoperability, and scale testing to improve release quality and efficiency
 * Reproduce, isolate, and troubleshoot customer-reported issues; partner with engineering to drive root cause analysis and defect resolution
 * Collaborate with development, product management, support, and solution architecture teams to ensure solutions are customer-ready, supportable, and operationally sound