Staff Engineer (Java/C# | Microservices | AWS)

To succeed in the Staff Engineer position at Zscaler, candidates should have a minimum of 6 years of experience in Java or C# coding within a highly distributed, enterprise-scale environment. Familiarity with cloud services, particularly AWS or Azure, is essential, as is the ability to manage on-call responsibilities and write root cause analyses. Additionally, relevant experience in CI/CD systems, Kubernetes, and building reliable data tiers will significantly enhance a candidate's profile.

As a Staff Engineer at Zscaler, you'll be responsible for collaborating closely with Principal Engineers on architectural changes and product designs that have a significant impact on our systems. You will build and operate high-scale systems, oversee the software development lifecycle, and ensure that technical solutions align with user and product needs. This role is vital in shaping the future of our cloud-based security solutions.

At Zscaler, our team culture is fast-paced and collaborative. We prioritize innovation, diversity, and personal growth. You’ll find that our inclusive environment is home to some of the most brilliant minds in the industry, which fosters creativity and supports everyone’s unique contributions. We encourage our team members to thrive and make meaningful contributions to our mission of securing businesses in the cloud.

Candidates applying for the Staff Engineer position at Zscaler should possess at least a Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in computer science or have equivalent experience. In addition to technical skills in Java or C#, prior experience in developing cloud infrastructure on AWS or Azure and mentoring others will set you apart as a strong candidate in our hiring process.

Yes, Zscaler offers a comprehensive benefits program for its employees, including various health plans, vacation and sick time policies, parental leave options, and education reimbursement. Our aim is to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support them throughout various life stages. We also have in-office perks that enhance the work experience.

When answering this question, it's essential to highlight your hands-on experience with both Java and C# within microservices. Share specific projects where you built or maintained services, detailing any frameworks or design patterns you employed, such as Spring Boot for Java or ASP.NET for C#. Emphasize your understanding of service communication, data management, and how you addressed challenges like scaling and performance optimization.

In your response, describe a structured approach to implementing architectural changes, emphasizing collaboration with stakeholders and thorough analysis of user needs. Discuss the importance of prototyping, gathering feedback, and continuous iteration. Give examples of specific architectural techniques or patterns you used to ensure smooth transitions.

When discussing your on-call experience, focus on the strategies you employ to handle incidents efficiently. Mention your methods for prioritizing alerts, documenting incidents, and conducting root cause analyses. It’s also great to mention how you communicate with your team during critical situations and ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities.

In your response, highlight your experience with various testing methodologies, like unit testing, integration testing, and continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD). Discuss how incorporating automated tests and monitoring tools can help maintain product quality and reduce bugs. Mention any relevant tools you have experience with, illustrating your commitment to product excellence.

When addressing this question, share specific mentoring experiences and how you utilize them to help junior engineers grow. Discuss your approach to providing constructive feedback, conducting code reviews, and encouraging open communication. Mention any frameworks or tools you use to facilitate knowledge sharing and learning.

This is an opportunity to showcase your problem-solving skills. Describe a specific technical issue you encountered, the steps you took to analyze and resolve it, and the impact your solution had on the project or organization. Emphasize your thought process and the technologies you utilized during the resolution.

In response to this question, share specific examples of projects where you implemented AWS or Azure services. Discuss how you leveraged cloud-native capabilities for scalability, security, or cost-effectiveness. Mention any AWS-specific or Azure-specific services (like Lambda, EC2, or Azure Functions) that you have used, along with the outcomes they enabled.

Discuss your experience with CI/CD tools, highlighting the ones you've used (like Jenkins, GitLab CI, Travis CI, etc.). Explain why you prefer certain tools based on their features such as ease of integration, pipeline support, and community backing. Include any specific experiences where you led the implementation of CI/CD and the impact it had on team productivity.

In your answer, mention techniques you use to manage dependencies to avoid bottlenecks, such as employing service discovery tools, utilizing API gateways, or implementing event-driven architectures. Emphasize the value of clear documentation and versioning strategies to ensure smooth service interactions.

Discuss common logging and monitoring frameworks you utilize, such as ELK Stack, Prometheus, or Grafana. Explain how these tools help you gain insights into application performance and user behavior. Provide examples where effective monitoring and logging strategies contributed to proactive issue identification and resolution.