Senior Manager, Engineering (API Platform)

About the role

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.

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.

Role

We are looking for a Sr. Engineering Manager, API Platform to join our team. This is a hybrid role going into the San Jose, CA office 3 days a week. You’ll be reporting to the VPE for the API Platform team. You will play a pivotal role in delivering scalable, secure, and high-performing platforms and developer tooling to empower our engineering teams. Your focus will be on enhancing our platform’s efficiency, scalability, and developer experience while managing senior technical talent.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Lead the vision and roadmap for the API Platform and developer tooling, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, technical scalability, and industry best practices
• Oversee the standardization, design, and governance of APIs, improving developer experiences and productivity across engineering teams and products
• Manage and coach a team of Senior Staff Engineers and highly skilled technical contributors, fostering a culture of collaboration and professional growth
• Ensure the delivery of microservices, SDKs, and developer tooling optimized for reliability, availability, and ease of integration across Java, Go, and JavaScript
• Work closely with Product Management and Security to build scalable and secure solutions that meet unique business objectives

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)

• 8+ years of experience as an engineering leader, including 3+ years managing technical teams for developer tooling, API platforms, or cloud-based systems across multi-language ecosystems including Java, Go, and JavaScript
• 10+ years of overall software engineering experience, including hands-on proficiency in designing APIs and SDKs for containerized environments like Kubernetes and Docker
• Deep understanding of distributed systems concepts such as caching, queues, and pub/sub architectures with cloud service experience in AWS, GCP, or Azure
• Advanced understanding of API-first design principles and standards including OpenAPI/Swagger, REST, JSON, and Authn/z
• U.S. citizenship due to the nature of the customers assigned to this role

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Proven experience in the Cloud Security and Networking domain.
• Experience driving engineering practices for workflow automation and developer productivity using open-source or proprietary tools
• Proactive advocate of modern engineering practices such as DevSecOps, CI/CD, and Infrastructure-as-Code across large engineering organizations

Pay, Benefits & Schedule

Base Pay Range: $182,000 - $260,000 USD
Benefits: Various health plans, time off plans for vacation and sick time, parental leave options, retirement options, education reimbursement, in-office perks, and more!

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.