Staff Software Development Engineer in Test, PKI Santa Clara, California, United States

Netskope; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 116,000 - 236,000; Full time

Job summary

Netskope in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Staff Software Development Engineer in Test focused on PKI. You will own test strategies for certificate lifecycles, TLS/mTLS, and cryptographic workflows while collaborating with PMs and Architects.

You’ll build scalable automation using Python, PyTest, and Selenium; mentor peers; contribute to CI/CD pipelines; and participate in on-call rotation to resolve real customer issues.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software engineering with 5+ years in SDET for cloud apps.
• Expert Python skills with scalable frameworks.
• Experience testing REST APIs, microservices, and distributed systems.
• Background with security products like SWG, CFW, or Zero Trust.
• Deep understanding of networking (TCP/IP, DNS, Load Balancing, HTTPS).
• Knowledge of OAuth 2.0, SAML, JWT.
• Understanding PKI, SSL/TLS, and mTLS, Digital Signatures and Encryption.
• Track record validating highly available distributed systems.
• SQL and NoSQL (PostgreSQL, MongoDB).
• Ability to see big picture and influence product quality.
• AI-assisted engineering for code generation and debugging.

Responsibilities

• Serve as resident PKI testing expert, ensuring secure, scalable services.
• Collaborate with PMs and Architects to shape requirements and designs.
• Design test strategies for certificate lifecycles, APIs, and cloud infra.
• Build and maintain automation frameworks with Python, PyTest, Selenium.
• Automate REST APIs, enrollment workflows, OCSP, and CRL processes.
• Validate TLS/mTLS, digital signatures, and encryption protocols.
• Own feature quality from code to production monitoring.
• Create automated suites for performance, resiliency, and chaos testing.
• Collaborate with SREs, Security Engineers, and Support teams.
• Participate in on-call rotations to resolve customer issues.
• Improve CI/CD pipelines and engineering best practices.
• Mentor engineers and influence QE tech direction.

Skills

Python

PyTest

Robot

Selenium

Playwright

REST APIs

microservices

distributed systems

PKI

TLS/mTLS

OAuth 2.0

SAML

JWT

AI tools for coding

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Master's degree preferred

Tools

PyTest

Robot Framework

Selenium

Playwright

GitHub Actions

Jenkins

Drone

Terraform

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Staff Software Development Engineer in Test, PKI

Join the Future of Security at Netskope

Netskope (NASDAQ: NTSK) is a leader in modern security and networking for the cloud and AI era. We secure and accelerate cloud, data, and AI in real time, everywhere. Thousands of customers, including more than 30 of the Fortune 100, trust the Netskope One platform, its Zero Trust Engine, and the powerful NewEdge network to gain full visibility and control without performance trade-offs.

At Netskope, our technology is driven by our greatest strength: our people. We believe that belonging powers innovation, and success is both personal and organizational. We embrace differences in gender, ethnicity, beliefs, ability, and identity, creating an environment where every voice is heard and respected. We empower our employees to bring their authentic selves to work, grow their careers through continuous education and mentorship, and lead with transparency and curiosity. Join a team where you belong, where you are encouraged to be an entrepreneur, and where together, we continue to redefine the landscape of security.

• You'll become a resident expert on Netskope's PKI platform, ensuring our services are as secure and reliable as they are scalable.
• You'll dive into the heart of the product lifecycle, partnering with PMs and Architects to shape requirements and review designs from the ground up.
• You'll design smart test strategies that cover everything from certificate lifecycles to APIs and distributed cloud infrastructure.
• You'll build and maintain powerful automation frameworks using tools like Python, PyTest, and Selenium.
• You'll automate the tricky stuff: REST APIs, enrollment workflows, and essential services like OCSP and CRL.
• You'll put our security to the test, validating TLS/mTLS, digital signatures, and encryption protocols to keep our users safe.
• You'll own the quality of your features from the first line of code through to monitoring them in production.
• You'll create automated suites that test performance, resiliency, and even chaos to make sure we stay up and running.
• You'll team up with SREs, Security Engineers, and Support teams to make the whole platform better.
• You'll join our on-call rotation to solve real customer problems and turn those lessons into better automation.
• You'll constantly look for ways to improve our CI/CD pipelines and engineering best practices.
• You'll mentor other engineers and help lead the technical direction of our Quality Engineering group.

What you bring to the table

• At least 8 years in software engineering, with 5+ years focused on SDET roles for cloud apps.
• Expert-level Python skills and a knack for building scalable frameworks.
• Real-world experience with PyTest, Robot, Selenium, or Playwright.
• A background in testing REST APIs, microservices, and distributed systems.
• Experience with heavy-duty security products like SWG, CFW, or Zero Trust platforms.
• A deep understanding of networking basics: TCP/IP, DNS, Load Balancing, and HTTPS.
• Familiarity with identity protocols like OAuth 2.0, SAML, and JWT.
• An understanding of PKI, SSL/TLS and Mutual TLS (mTLS), Digital Signatures and Encryption
• A track record of validating highly available and secure distributed systems.
• Experience working with SQL and NoSQL databases like PostgreSQL or MongoDB.
• The ability to look at the "big picture" and make quality decisions that impact the entire product.
• AI-Assisted Engineering: Proven practical adoption of AI tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini) for code generation, debugging, root cause analysis, and increasing delivery velocity.

Bonus points if you have

• Experience with Venafi, HashiCorp Vault, or other enterprise PKI solutions.
• Worked with HSMs and managed cryptographic keys.
• Experience in AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud environments.
• Skills with Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm.
• Hands‑on experience with GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or Drone.
• Used Terraform or Ansible to manage infrastructure.
• Experience with observability tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or Datadog.
• Linux mastery and shell scripting skills.
• Knowledge of service meshes like Istio or Linkerd.

Education

• A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent discipline is required, Master's degree strongly preferred.

#LI-SK3

Compensation:

At Netskope, salary is one component of our competitive total rewards package. The salary range for this position is as listed below. This is a national range. For purposes of complying with applicable laws, the range applies to candidates in California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Washington, and other states.

The successful candidate’s starting pay will also be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, location, and market conditions.

For all sales roles, the posted salary range is the On Target Earnings (OTE) range for the role, which is the sum of base salary and target commission amount at 100% goal achievement.

In addition to salary, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus plan (for non-sales roles) and a stock award program. Candidates may also be eligible for a comprehensive health plan and other benefits that can be reviewed at Netskope Benefits site .

Salary Range

$116,000 - $235,500 USD

Netskope is committed to implementing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. Netskope does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on religion, race, color, sex, marital or veteran statutes, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), or any other characteristic protected by the laws or regulations of any jurisdiction in which we operate.

Netskope respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us, please refer to Netskope's Privacy Policy for more details.

As set forth in Netskope’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.