Staff Threat Researcher

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 Threat Researcher to join our team. This is a Hybrid role, reporting to the Senior Manager in the Threat Hunting department. You will analyze emerging threats, adversarial behaviors, and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to understand attacker methodologies and improve detection capabilities across our global ecosystem. This role requires conducting proactive and retroactive threat hunting using Zscaler telemetry while working flexible schedules, including weekend night shifts, to meet global operational demands. What you’ll do (Role Expectations) Analyze emerging threats, adversarial behaviors, and TTPs to understand attacker methodologies and improve detection capabilities Conduct proactive and retroactive threat hunting using Zscaler telemetry and behavioral-based methodologies Research, analyze, validate, and clearly document all threat hunting findings Independently hunt and respond to customers while managing flexible operational schedules and on-call support Identify and translate adversary behavior into actionable hunt hypotheses and detection logic 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 Hands-on experience in threat hunting, incident response, security operations, malware analysis, or network defense Practical experience using SIEM tools such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or ElasticSearch Deep familiarity with the MITRE ATT&CK framework and modern Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) Proven ability to analyze adversary behavior and malware campaigns to translate findings into detection logic, supported by a Bachelor’s or graduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent security experience What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications) Experience leveraging AI/ML models, large language models (LLMs), or natural language processing (NLP) to automate threat intelligence synthesis, accelerate hunt hypothesis generation, or streamline the analysis of large-scale telemetry datasets Significant experience as a Senior Threat Hunter leading complex investigat