Staff Detection Engineer

Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) accelerates digital transformation so customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location. Distributed across 200+ public data centers globally and thousands of private sites at the edge, the SASE-based Zero Trust Exchange is the world’s largest in-line cloud security platform.

We believe the future of work is Human + AI and are building an AI-native enterprise where human potential is amplified by machine intelligence to solve the world’s hardest security challenges. Driven by deep customer obsession, we are committed to the mission, outcome, and to each other. We bring these commitments to life through three core behaviors: ownership and collaboration, trust through outcomes and impact, and a challenge culture with ongoing feedback. Ready to make an impact at the company pioneering security transformation in the AI era? Join us at Zscaler.

Role  

We are looking for a Staff Detection Engineer to join our team. This is a Hybrid role in Pune, reporting to the Senior Manager, Threat Researcher in the Threat Hunting department. You will own a coverage area and be accountable for its technical direction, overall efficacy, and high-standard content development. You will decide what gets built next, set the bar for detection content, and personally handle the most complex design decisions and detector implementations.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Take complete accountability for your domain's health, backlog prioritization, and performance - serving as the ultimate point of contact for its overall efficacy
• Personally tackle the hardest detection challenges to establish design patterns, coding standards, and implementation blueprints for the rest of the team
• Define clear criteria for validated, tuned, and maintainable content, using design/code reviews and root-cause analyses to continuously eliminate false positives and missed threats
• Identify and actively drive the core numbers that define area health, including detection fidelity, ATT&CK coverage, false-positive/negative rates, and regression prevention
• Systematically translate input from threat intelligence, proactive threat hunting, and SOC analyst feedback into concrete roadmap priorities and continuous engine improvements

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)

• Foundational understanding of AI/ML technologies and experience leveraging, securing, or positioning AI-driven solutions to optimize outcomes within your functional domain
• Deep detection experience in at least one of Endpoint (MDR), Cloud/SaaS, Identity, Email, or SIEM, and the judgment to own that area
• A track record of owning technical work end-to-end and being answerable for its quality without much oversight
• A strong grasp of how attackers operate, and fluent use of ATT&CK to decide where coverage should go
• Detector-as-code, version control, code review, and controlled deployment as the way you already work (Git, CI/CD)

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience leveraging AI-driven automation, LLMs, or machine learning models to accelerate detection engineering and threat analysis workflows
• Programming/scripting (Python, Go, Ruby, etc.) to build detection tooling and automation beyond rule content
• Reverse engineering or deeper malware analysis, where it's relevant to your domain (valued, not required)

#LI-RM6 #LI-Hybrid

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 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.