Sr. Staff Software Engineer

The Sr. Staff Software Engineer at Zscaler focuses on developing and managing shared infrastructure automation, particularly for U.S. federal and regulated cloud environments. Responsibilities include improving CI/CD system security, automating change management processes, defining DevOps best practices, and automating the build-out of new Zscaler clouds. This role also involves participating in the on-call rotation to support a highly available engineering platform and ensuring compliance with federal guidelines.

Candidates applying for the Sr. Staff Software Engineer position at Zscaler should have a Bachelor’s degree in Science, Engineering, IT, or a related field. The role requires at least 5 years of commercial services development experience and similar experience in public cloud environments like AWS or Azure. Proficiency with Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform or Ansible, as well as expertise in designing large-scale distributed systems, is also essential.

While the minimum qualifications include extensive experience in public cloud and development, candidates who have experience with High/Moderate FedRamp authorization levels, as well as continuous monitoring and vulnerability management, will stand out in the selection process. Familiarity with multiple cloud providers and both relational and non-relational databases for microservices would also be advantageous.

The Sr. Staff Software Engineer role at Zscaler is fully remote, which allows team members the flexibility to work from any location. This aligns with Zscaler's mission to support innovation and collaboration, regardless of geographical constraints, leading to a dynamic work environment where expertise is valued.

Zscaler prides itself on fostering an inclusive and supportive culture that drives innovation and productivity. The company actively encourages diversity across all levels of the organization, ensuring every individual feels valued and empowered to contribute to the team’s success. Initiatives and benefits programs are in place to support the diverse needs of employees, creating a workplace where everyone belongs.

When answering this question, discuss your specific experiences with Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform or Ansible, explaining the projects you managed or contributed to. Highlight how these tools streamlined processes and ensured consistency in infrastructure deployment at your previous roles, showcasing your technical proficiency.

In your response, emphasize the importance of integrating security into every stage of the CI/CD pipeline. Share any strategies you've implemented, such as automated security testing, vulnerability assessments, or secure coding practices that you've adhered to in previous roles, demonstrating your commitment to maintaining a secure development environment.

Discuss your experience with establishing and enforcing best practices within a team, such as conducting regular code reviews, implementing automated testing, or using collaboration tools to foster communication. Provide specific examples of how these practices improved team performance and outcomes.

Prepare a narrative about a particular project where you faced significant challenges, such as compliance issues or integration hurdles. Explain your problem-solving process, the tools and methodologies you used, and the eventual positive outcome, illustrating your resilience and ingenuity.

Share specifics from your experience working across various cloud environments such as AWS and Azure. Discuss the benefits of leveraging multiple cloud providers to optimize performance, prevent vendor lock-in, and enhance security, while also highlighting any tools or practices that facilitated successful multi-cloud management.

Demonstrate your proactive approach to professional development by mentioning conferences, online courses, industry blogs, or forums you follow to stay current in the field. Sharing specific resources or personal experiences can illustrate how you apply new knowledge to your work.

Emphasize the critical role that detailed documentation plays in ensuring successful deployment and maintenance. Discuss your approach to documentation at past roles, and how it improved efficiency, troubleshooting, and team training.

Outline a systematic approach you take when troubleshooting, such as identifying components to isolate variables, using monitoring tools, and collaborating with team members. Providing an example where this process led to a successful resolution will enhance your credibility.

Discuss specific improvements you've made in CI/CD pipelines, such as automating tests, reducing deployment times, or increasing delivery frequency. Use metrics or outcomes to quantify the impact of the improvements to show your results-oriented mindset.

Talk about your strategies for managing on-call duties, such as maintaining detailed documentation, creating effective escalation processes, or using automated alerts. Emphasizing your systematic approach to ensure system reliability will demonstrate your commitment to operational excellence.