Senior Manager, Enterprise Data Platform

Zscaler; United States; Remote; USD 196,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Zscaler, a leading cloud security company, seeks a Senior Manager, Enterprise Data Platform to lead the architecture, strategy, and evolution of our modern data platform. This is a remote role (within the US) reporting to the Senior Director, IT Data Strategy, and will guide a central data team toward AI-ready analytics across the organization.

You will balance hands-on coding with strategic governance, empower federated BI units, embed AI into pipelines, and implement robust observability and

Qualifications

• AI Readiness strategy: drive technical strategies to make BI AI-ready.
• 5+ years leading data engineering, platform engineering, or analytics teams.
• Snowflake & dbt expertise for analytics engineering.
• Experience designing ETL pipelines and RAG architectures on cloud platforms.
• Self-service data platform and Data Mesh experience.
• Strong Python/SQL skills with CI/CD and testing.

Responsibilities

• Define long-term roadmap, architecture, and governance for the Enterprise Data Platform.
• Enable self-service and mesh architectures with standard data contracts.
• Embed AI into data pipelines and analytics, including RAG concepts.
• Implement AI-powered platform operations, observability, and cost attribution.
• Lead hands-on delivery while staying current with data technologies.

Skills

AI Readiness Strategy

Proven Leadership

Snowflake & dbt Expertise

Enterprise AI Infrastructure

Self-Service & Mesh

Modern ETL & Engineering Foundations

Tools

Snowflake

dbt

Matillion DPC

Streamlit

Python

SQL

Job description

Remote - USA

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 200+ public data centers globally and thousands of private sites 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 Manager, Enterprise Data Platform to join our team. This is a remote (within the US) role, reporting to the Senior Director, Enterprise Data Platform in the IT Data Strategy department. In this role, you will be a key technical and strategic leader responsible for driving the architecture, strategy, and continuous evolution of our modern enterprise data platform.

You will lead the central data team, balancing its evolution into a highly effective, self-service platform team while actively supporting critical, high-impact, organization-wide data initiatives. A core focus of this role is preparing both the central data team and federated business intelligence units (such as Sales, Marketing, and other internal business functions) to become AI-ready, implementing strategies to embed AI directly into daily data analytics. This is a critical leadership position requiring a passionate innovator who is equally comfortable defining high-level strategy, establishing platform governance, and rolling up their sleeves to tackle complex, hands‑on technical challenges.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Drive Platform Strategy, Architecture, & Evolution: Define the long-term technical roadmap, architecture, and strategy for the Enterprise Data Platform (utilizing Snowflake, dbt, Matillion DPC, and Streamlit). Balance the evolution toward modern platform operating models (medallion and mesh architectures) while actively supporting critical, high-impact, organization-wide business initiatives
• Enable Self-Service & Mesh Architectures: Empower decentralized business functions (such as Sales, Marketing, and Finance) to be entirely self-sufficient. Establish the fundamental analytics layers (Raw, Transform, Analytics) and deliver standard data contracts, allowing federated BI teams to easily build and run their own custom data models
• Embed AI into Data, Pipelines, & Analytics: Advance both the central and federated teams to become truly AI-ready. Design and implement strategies to embed AI directly into enterprise analytics, including building complex data pipelines (ETL), custom data apps, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG / Graph RAG) architectures directly on the data platform
• Architect AI-Driven Platform Operations & Governance: Implement frameworks for robust platform governance, data observability, and transparent cost attribution to optimize compute resources and Snowflake token consumption. You will be directly responsible for building and embedding automated AI systems (AIOps) to streamline platform operations—leveraging AI/LLMs for token cost optimization, automated metadata cataloging, and auto-triage of daily pipeline alerts
• Lead with Continuous Innovation & Hands-On Execution: Lead from the front as a hands‑on manager who can jump into the codebase to tackle complex projects, prototype advanced workflows, or troubleshoot critical pipelines when required. Constantly research and evaluate the latest market trends and modern data technologies to keep our platform ecosystem at the cutting edge

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• Act as an owner with a strong bias for action, navigating seamlessly between defining high-level strategy and executing hands‑on technical tasks.
• Approach complex data challenges as a natural problem-solver, energized by finding elegant solutions that deliver maximum business impact.
• Lead with deep integrity and accountability, building trust across the organization through transparent actions and high standards.
• Think at scale by connecting daily engineering initiatives to the global company mission and designing robust, future-proof data solutions.
• Foster high-trust collaboration by championing team success, participating in a healthy feedback culture, and driving cross-functional alignment.

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• AI Readiness Strategy: Demonstrated experience driving technical strategies to transition traditional data structures and business intelligence teams into AI-ready units
• Proven Leadership: 5+ years of experience leading, mentoring, and growing high-performing data engineering, platform engineering, or analytics engineering teams
• Snowflake & dbt Expertise: Deep architectural and operational knowledge of Snowflake and dbt (analytics engineering, modeling standards, testing)
• Enterprise AI Infrastructure & Data Prep: Hands-on knowledge of designing data pipelines (ETL), analytics, and building/serving Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures—including Graph RAG—on cloud data platforms
• Self-Service & Mesh Experience: Practical experience implementing or operating within a self-service data platform environment and a Data Mesh architectural framework (Raw, Transform, Analytics)
• Modern ETL & Engineering Foundations: Strong hands‑on experience with cloud-native ETL/ELT tools (preferably Matillion Data Productivity Cloud or similar) and strong software engineering skills in Python and SQL (CI/CD, Git, automated testing)

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Extreme Technical Depth: The ability to jump into the codebase, write complex code/models, and confidently lead the implementation of complex, highly technical data projects
• Advanced AI & Applications in Snowflake: Experience leveraging Snowflake’s advanced AI capabilities (e.g., Cortex, Snowpark) and building custom data applications using Streamlit

#LI-DY1 #LI-remote

#LI-DY1 #LI-remote

Zscaler’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

$196,000 - $245,000 USD

At 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:

• Time off plans for vacation and sick time
• Parental leave options
• Retirement options
• In-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.