Senior Manager, Software Development Engineering - Control Plane

About Zscaler

Zscaler accelerates digital transformation to ensure our customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. As an AI-forward enterprise, we are constantly pushing the envelope, leveraging the world’s largest security data lake to power our cloud-native Zero Trust Exchange platform. This innovation protects our customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location.

Here, impact in your role matters more than title and trust is built on results. We say, impact over activity. We seek innovators who actively use AI to amplify their impact and who thrive in an environment where we leverage intelligent systems to stay ahead of evolving threats. We believe in transparency and value constructive, honest debate—we’re focused on getting to the best ideas, faster. We build high-performing teams that can make an impact quickly and with high quality. To do this, we are building a culture of execution centered on customer obsession, collaboration, ownership, and accountability.

We value high-impact, high-accountability with a sense of urgency where you’re enabled to do your best work and embrace your potential. If you’re driven by purpose, thrive on solving complex challenges, and want to be part of the team that’s helping to secure the AI age, we invite you to bring your talents to Zscaler and help shape the future of cybersecurity.

Role 

We are looking for a Senior Engineering Manager to join our Engineering team. This is a hybrid role based in Bangalore (3 days a week in office), reporting to the Vice President of Software Development. You will work on the control plane for the Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) and ZDX products, as well as the Zscaler Virtual Service edge product. In this role, you will lead the technical execution and strategic direction to ensure high availability and scalability for these critical security offerings.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Lead and mentor a high-performing team with a focus on end-to-end ownership, encompassing design, AI-driven development, qualification, and deployment
• Oversee the design of autonomous, independently deployable services using modern frameworks to ensure a scalable and modular control plane
• Manage CI/CD pipelines, container orchestration via Kubernetes and Docker, and Infrastructure-as-Code to streamline delivery and operations
• Ensure high availability and system stability by implementing resilience patterns, monitoring service health, and resolving complex performance bottlenecks
• Partner with architects and product managers to define service boundaries, enforce API standards, and align technical execution with business goals

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You thrive in ambiguity. You're comfortable building the path as you walk it. You thrive in a dynamic environment, seeing ambiguity not as a hindrance, but as the raw material to build something meaningful.
• You act like an owner. Your passion for the mission fuels your bias for action. You operate with integrity because you genuinely care about the outcome. True ownership involves leveraging dynamic range: the ability to navigate seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.
• You are a problem-solver. You love running towards the challenges because you are laser-focused on finding the solution, knowing that solving the hard problems delivers the biggest impact.
• You are a high-trust collaborator. You are ambitious for the team, not just yourself. You embrace our challenge culture by giving and receiving ongoing feedback—knowing that candor delivered with clarity and respect is the truest form of teamwork and the fastest way to earn trust.
• You are a learner. You have a true growth mindset and are obsessed with your own development, actively seeking feedback to become a better partner and a stronger teammate. You love what you do and you do it with purpose.

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field with 10+ years of software experience, including at least 2 years in a leadership or management role
• Hands-on expertise in microservices architecture, RESTful APIs, and asynchronous messaging frameworks such as Kafka or RabbitMQ
• Advanced proficiency with containerization and orchestration using Docker and Kubernetes, including experience with public cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP
• Strong proficiency in both SQL and NoSQL database technologies to support complex distributed data needs
• Deep understanding of distributed system design patterns and modern security protocols such as OAuth 2.0 and JWT

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Knowledge of PostgreSQL and hands-on experience with design patterns for building scalable control planes including state management and RBAC
• Experience with gRPC, Protobuf, or similar serialization and RPC frameworks
• Strong fundamentals in high-performance computing, distributed systems, event-based programming, and memory optimization

#LI-Hybrid #LI-AN4

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:

• Various health plans
• Time off plans for vacation and sick time
• Parental leave options
• Retirement options
• Education reimbursement
• In-office perks, and more!

Learn more about Zscaler’s Future of Work strategy, 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.

Pay Transparency

Zscaler complies with all applicable federal, state, and local pay transparency rules.

Zscaler is committed to providing reasonable support (called accommodations or adjustments) in our recruiting processes for candidates who are differently abled, have long term conditions, mental health conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs, or who are neurodivergent or require pregnancy-related support.