Senior Staff Software Engineer (C / Networking / Dataplane)

Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) accelerates digital transformation so customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™️ platform protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location. Distributed across 160+ public exchanges globally and thousands of private exchanges at the edge, the SASE-based Zero Trust Exchange is the world’s largest in-line cloud security platform.

We believe the future of work is Human + AI and are building an AI-native enterprise where human potential is amplified by machine intelligence to solve the world’s hardest security challenges. Driven by deep customer obsession, we are committed to the mission, outcome, and to each other. We bring these commitments to life through three core behaviors: ownership and collaboration, trust through outcomes and impact, and a challenge culture with ongoing feedback. Ready to make an impact at the company pioneering security transformation in the AI era? Join us at Zscaler.

Role

We are looking for a Senior Staff Software Engineer (C / Networking / Dataplane) to join our Engineering Team. This is a Hybrid (San Jose, CA 3 days a week in office) role, reporting to the Senior Director, Software Development Engineering. The Senior Staff Software Engineer (C / Networking / Dataplane) will design and implement high-performance data path features for load balancing and L7 protocols, directly enhancing the scalability and security of global networking infrastructure. By leveraging deep C programming expertise and autonomous ownership, they will drive complex architectural projects from initial concept to large-scale deployment.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Design and implement Datapath features related to Load Balancer, Firewall rules and L7 Protocol implementations

• Apply deep knowledge of C programming, data structures, and algorithms to build high-performance systems

• Independently drive moderately complex projects from conception to deployment with full ownership

• Utilize expert knowledge of networking protocols and services including DNS, HTTP, TCP/IP, and SSL/TLS

• Leverage Unix or Linux operating systems knowledge to optimize networking and security applications

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• 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 are customer-obsessed. You build deep empathy for the customer—both internal and external—and anchor your decisions in s