Staff AI Security Engineer (Go/Rust/Python)

Zscaler, Inc.; San Jose, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 152,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time off plans for vacation and sick

Parental leave options

Retirement options

In-office perks

Job summary

Zscaler is seeking a Staff Software Engineer - AI Security in San Jose, CA, a hybrid role reporting to the Director of Software Engineering. You will lead architectural direction for AI security, drive multi‑team initiatives, and deliver secure, scalable backend systems while staying hands‑on to code, prototype, and review designs.

You will collaborate across engineering, security, and product teams to manage risks, define standards, and raise the engineering bar as you tackle complex challenges

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software‑engineering experience, including technical leadership across complex production systems.
• Strong proficiency in Go, Rust, and Python, with deep expertise in systems engineering, security engineering, and backend platforms.
• Demonstrated experience architecting and evolving platforms that span multiple teams or product areas.
• Proven ability to remain hands‑on through coding, prototyping, design review, and complex debugging.
• Deep understanding of concurrency, networking, storage, APIs, data systems, and cloud infrastructure on AWS, GCP, or Azure.

Responsibilities

• Define technical direction and architecture for major areas of the product.
• Lead high-impact initiatives that span multiple teams and system boundaries.
• Turn ambiguous product and security challenges into clear, executable engineering strategies.
• Establish standards for secure, reliable, scalable, and maintainable systems.
• Identify systemic risks, architectural gaps, and investments needed for long-term growth.

Skills

Go

Rust

Python

Software architecture

Concurrency

Job description

Zscaler is seeking a Staff Software Engineer - AI Security in San Jose, CA, a hybrid role reporting to the Director of Software Engineering. You will lead architectural direction for AI security, drive multi‑team initiatives, and deliver secure, scalable backend systems while staying hands‑on to code, prototype, and review designs.

You will collaborate across engineering, security, and product teams to manage risks, define standards, and raise the engineering bar as you tackle complex challenges