Sr. Software Development Engineer (Backend Dev - C/C++)

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.

We are looking for a Senior Software Development Engineer to join our team. This is a Hybrid (Mohali) role, reporting to the Director, Software Engineering in the Engineering department. In this position, you will serve as a core software development engineer, driving key engineering initiatives and taking ownership of designing, building, and maintaining high-performance system components.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Develop and maintain software components using the C programming language

• Implement and optimize data structures for efficient problem-solving

• Work on Linux/FreeBSD-based systems, including basic configuration and scripting

• Collaborate with senior engineers to understand, debug, and resolve system and application-level issues

• Debug code using tools like GDB to identify and resolve issues in a timely manner

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You thrive in ambiguity and feel comfortable building the path forward, viewing dynamic environments as an opportunity to construct something meaningful.

• You act like an owner with a strong bias for action and integrity, seamlessly navigating between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.

• You are an energized problem-solver who actively seeks out complex challenges, knowing that tackling tough problems yields the highest impact.

• You are a high-trust collaborator who embraces ongoing, respectful candor and feedback to drive collective team success over individual achievement.

• You possess a dedicated growth mindset and continuously seek self-development and feedback to become a stronger partner and teammate.

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• Demonstrated curiosity and active exploration of AI tools, with a proven history of integrating new technologies to enhance daily workflows and augment problem-solving

• 3+ years experience in C programming and strong understanding of core principles

• Hands-on experience in data structures (arrays, linked lists, stacks, and trees) and their applications

• Familiarity with operating system concepts such as process management, threading, and memory management

• Experience with GDB or other debugging tools