CPT Staff Software Engineer Jobs
Staff Software Engineer roles sit at the top of the individual-contributor track, leading technical design across distributed systems, mentoring junior engineers, and owning architecture decisions. CPT authorization for this level requires your DSO to confirm the work is an integral part of your degree program, so your offer letter's job description must map directly to your curriculum.
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Get Access To All JobsAbout 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 Staff Software Development Engineer - DevSecOps to join our team in a hybrid capacity in San Jose, CA, reporting to the Director, Software Development Engineering. Our Engineering team built the world’s largest cloud security platform from the ground up, and we keep building. You will support internal product teams in managing CI/CD pipelines, strengthening security practices, and maintaining shared engineering systems to enable organizations worldwide to harness speed and agility with a cloud-first strategy.
What You’ll Do (Role Expectations)
- Build and manage CI/CD systems to deploy critical applications across hybrid cloud environments including AWS, GCP, and proprietary clouds
- Support internal product teams with CI/CD pipelines, automations, and tools like GitLab, GitHub, Jenkins, ArgoCD, and security scanning solutions
- Secure code, applications, and infrastructure using security scanning tools such as SonarQube, Snyk, Coverity, and CheckMarx
- Administer and optimize critical DevSecOps applications while monitoring build metrics with tools like Grafana, Prometheus, and CloudWatch
- Communicate progress to stakeholders through Jira, technical documentation, and clear status updates
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)
- 5+ years of professional experience including hands-on experience managing cloud environments such as AWS, GCP, or private clouds
- Proficiency in application development or automation using OOP languages like C/C++, Java, Python, or Go, plus exposure to container orchestration and automation tools
- Familiarity with application security testing methodologies and experience using tools like SonarQube, Snyk, Coverity, or CheckMarx
- Experience designing and managing GitOps-based pipelines using GitLab, GitHub, and CI/CD automation tools like Jenkins or GitHub Actions
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)
- Experience with AI and ML tools in day to day DevSecOps activities
- Experience writing and developing yaml based CI/CD Pipelines and knowledge of build tools like makefiles, gradle, npm, or maven
- Experience with Networking, Load Balancers, Firewalls, and Web Security
Zscaler’s salary ranges are benchmarked and are determined by role and level. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations and could be higher or lower based on a multitude of factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. The base salary range listed for this full-time position excludes commission/ bonus/ equity (if applicable) + benefits.
Base Pay Range
$129,500—$185,000 USD
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.
Benefits
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.
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.
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 Staff Software Development Engineer - DevSecOps to join our team in a hybrid capacity in San Jose, CA, reporting to the Director, Software Development Engineering. Our Engineering team built the world’s largest cloud security platform from the ground up, and we keep building. You will support internal product teams in managing CI/CD pipelines, strengthening security practices, and maintaining shared engineering systems to enable organizations worldwide to harness speed and agility with a cloud-first strategy.
What You’ll Do (Role Expectations)
- Build and manage CI/CD systems to deploy critical applications across hybrid cloud environments including AWS, GCP, and proprietary clouds
- Support internal product teams with CI/CD pipelines, automations, and tools like GitLab, GitHub, Jenkins, ArgoCD, and security scanning solutions
- Secure code, applications, and infrastructure using security scanning tools such as SonarQube, Snyk, Coverity, and CheckMarx
- Administer and optimize critical DevSecOps applications while monitoring build metrics with tools like Grafana, Prometheus, and CloudWatch
- Communicate progress to stakeholders through Jira, technical documentation, and clear status updates
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)
- 5+ years of professional experience including hands-on experience managing cloud environments such as AWS, GCP, or private clouds
- Proficiency in application development or automation using OOP languages like C/C++, Java, Python, or Go, plus exposure to container orchestration and automation tools
- Familiarity with application security testing methodologies and experience using tools like SonarQube, Snyk, Coverity, or CheckMarx
- Experience designing and managing GitOps-based pipelines using GitLab, GitHub, and CI/CD automation tools like Jenkins or GitHub Actions
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)
- Experience with AI and ML tools in day to day DevSecOps activities
- Experience writing and developing yaml based CI/CD Pipelines and knowledge of build tools like makefiles, gradle, npm, or maven
- Experience with Networking, Load Balancers, Firewalls, and Web Security
Zscaler’s salary ranges are benchmarked and are determined by role and level. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations and could be higher or lower based on a multitude of factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. The base salary range listed for this full-time position excludes commission/ bonus/ equity (if applicable) + benefits.
Base Pay Range
$129,500—$185,000 USD
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.
Benefits
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.
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.
See all CPT Staff Software Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new CPT Staff Software Engineer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsStaff Software Engineer CPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Staff Software Engineer role qualify for CPT authorization?
It can, but your school's DSO makes the determination based on whether the work is an integral part of your curriculum, not on the job title alone. Staff Engineer roles that involve distributed systems design, cloud infrastructure, or technical leadership in areas covered by your courses have a strong case. Roles where the work is purely operational with no academic connection are harder to authorize. Bring your offer letter and course catalog to your DSO meeting.
How do I find Staff Software Engineer employers who regularly hire F-1 students on CPT?
Migrate Mate lets you filter for employers with work-authorization filing history, so you're not guessing which companies are set up to hire international students. For Staff-level roles specifically, look for employers who have filed Labor Condition Applications for senior or principal engineering titles, since that signals familiarity with the documentation steps that often follow CPT.
Can I do part-time CPT at the Staff Engineer level while finishing my degree?
Part-time CPT is authorized at under 20 hours per week while you're enrolled and doesn't count against your 12-month full-time CPT limit. For a Staff Engineer role, part-time authorization is harder to justify because the scope of the work typically requires continuous deep involvement. Your employer will need to confirm the reduced schedule still meets the project's technical requirements, and your DSO will need to verify the academic connection holds at that engagement level.
What happens to my CPT authorization if my employer changes my job scope mid-internship?
CPT is authorized for a specific employer and role as described on your I-20. If the scope changes significantly, such as moving from distributed systems work to a product management function, your original authorization may no longer cover the new duties. You'd need to return to your DSO with an updated offer letter and request a new CPT authorization. Don't let a scope change go undocumented, since unauthorized work is a status violation.
How does full-time CPT at the Staff Engineer level affect my OPT eligibility?
Twelve months or more of full-time CPT eliminates your OPT eligibility entirely, so the timing of a Staff Engineer engagement matters. Part-time CPT has no effect on OPT. If you're planning to use OPT or the STEM OPT extension after graduation, count your full-time CPT months carefully before accepting a long-term placement. Your DSO can show you the running total on your I-20 authorization history.