Senior Director, Sales Engineering - Majors

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. About the Role As the Senior Systems Engineering Director (Senior SED) for Majors, you will lead the pre-sales engineering organization across our highest-revenue majors accounts. You are a second-line leader responsible for managing first-line Systems Engineering Directors (SEDs), Principal Architects, and senior Individual Contributors. Partnering directly with Area Vice Presidents (AVPs) of Sales, you will own technical go-to-market execution, capacity planning, and technical win rates across the region. You will move the team beyond reactive technical demonstrations and open-ended POCs into a disciplined engineering motion: validating deals against clear C-level business metrics, generating technical pipeline, and scaling practical AI workflows across the field. Key Responsibilities 1. Regional GTM Strategy & Capacity Governance - Partner with Regional Sales VPs on quarterly territory reviews, account tiering, and technical coverage planning. - Balance and govern SE team capacity across accounts, setting clear criteria to allocate engineering resources where win probability and deal value are highest. - Manage second-line operational metrics: technical win rates, POV cycle times, and resource utilization across the region. 2. Proof-of-Value (POV) Governance & Deal Execution - Enforce clear entry and exit criteria for all customer evaluations, requiring documented executive business goals and CISO/CIO alignment before committing technical resources. - Hold SE Directors and Managers accountable for operational rigor: tracking 30-day technical validation milestones, maintaining shared customer war rooms, and preventing scope creep. - Act as executive technical sponsor on flagship deals, partnering with account teams during late-stage negotiations and high-stakes executive playbacks. 3. SE Pipeline Generation (SE PG) & Account Expansion - Drive a culture of technical pipeline generation, leading teams to proactively uncover new expansion opportunities through architectural reviews, zero trust maturity workshops, and executive threat briefings. - Partner with Customer Success and Professional Services to identify expansion paths within existing Major accounts and protect renewal health. 4. People Leadership & Workforce Development - Hire, develop, and retain high-performing SE Directors, SE Managers, Principal Architects, and Senior SEs. - Drive structured performance management, succession planning, and leadership development across your management layer. - Foster a high-accountability, collaborative engineering culture aligned with our core values: Communicate. Collaborate. Continuously Improve. 5. Cross-Functional Product Feedback Loop - Run regular field retrospectives to synthesize product gaps, competitive threats, and integration bottlenecks encountered during POVs. - Deliver structured, data-backed telemetry to Product Management and Engineering leadership to prioritize roadmap decisions that directly unblock revenue. 6. Field AI Tooling & Operational Modernization - Drive adoption of modern AI tooling across your organization—equipping SEs to use LLMs and automation for faster RFP responses, lab automation, discovery synthesis, and solution modeling. Success Profile - Operational Rigor: You build systems, cadences, and standards so that technical execution is consistent across all teams rather than dependent on individual heroics. - Executive Presence: You speak fluently with CISOs, CIOs, and Enterprise Architects, translating technical capabilities into business risk reduction and ROI. - Collaborative Leadership: You forge tight partnerships with Sales, Product Engineering, Channels, and Post-Sales services to drive seamless customer lifecycle management. - Decisiveness: You know when to qualify out of bad deals and pull resources from stalled evaluations to protect team focus and deal velocity. Qualifications Minimum Qualifications - 12+ years of technical pre-sales engineering experience in enterprise software, cybersecurity, cloud architecture, or networking infrastructure. - 5+ years in a formal leadership capacity, with demonstrated experience managing managers (second-line leadership) or leading large, distributed field engineering organizations ($100M+ ARR scope). - Demonstrated curiosity and active exploration of AI tools, with a proven history of integrating new technologies to enhance daily workflows and augment problem-solving - Proven track record partnering with Senior Sales Leadership (RVPs/AVPs) on quota attainment, capacity forecasting, and complex MEDDPICC-governed sales motions. - Deep knowledge of Zero Trust principles, SASE/SSE architectures, cloud security, and enterprise networking. Preferred Qualifications - Prior experience establishing or overhauling POV governance frameworks, reducing evaluation cycle times, and improving technical win rates. - Demonstrate strong AI fluency by leveraging coding assistants, LLMs, and Generative AI tools to accelerate troubleshooting, solution design, automation, and customer problem-solving, while applying sound technical judgment to validate outputs. - Direct experience engaging with Fortune 500 / Global 2000 C-level security and IT executives. - Track record of incorporating modern AI-assisted engineering tools and automation into pre-sales workflows. - Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or equivalent enterprise experience. 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 $215,250-$307,500 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. 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.