Threat Research Engineer

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 Detection Engineer to join our team. This is a Hybrid (Pune, India) role, reporting to the Senior Manager in the Threat Hunting department. You will combine threat research and engineering expertise to build the next generation of detections across AWS and cloud infrastructures. By leveraging big data platforms like Hadoop and Athena, you will design scalable hunting logic and automated pipelines to defend our global footprint and enhance threat visibility. What you’ll do (Role Expectations) * Combine threat research and engineering expertise to develop advanced detections and hunting logic using Python and AWS infrastructure * Design, scale, and maintain engineering projects, including GitLab pipelines and repeatable deployment steps to improve hunting efficiency * Develop YAML-based detections and SIGMA-like rule technologies while migrating existing hunting detections to next-generation systems * Utilize data platforms like Hadoop, Athena, and data lakes to monitor and test new intelligence sources for enhanced threat visibility * Independently write detections and playbooks while supporting operational demands, including weekend night shifts and on-call rotations 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 * Proven experience in detection engineering, threat hunting, security operations, or malware analysis * Hands-on experience developing and implementing detection rules in SIEM tools such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or ElasticSearch * Deep familiarity with the MITRE ATT&CK framework and experience translating TTPs into actionable detection logic * Bachelor’s or graduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent security industry experience, combined with the ability to work flexible schedules, including weekend night shifts, to meet global operational demands 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 detection rule generation, or build predictive anomaly detection models within big data systems * Significant experience as a Senior Detection Engineer leading complex detection strategies and mentoring junior team members * Expertise in validating detection logic, performing root cause analysis of failures, and delivering platform improvement recommendations, paired with advanced scripting and automation skills in Python for developing and managing complex detection infrastructure #LI-Hybrid #LI-PM5 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.

SUMMARY OF THE ROLE: As a Security Research Engineer at Maze, you'll be at the forefront of defining what constitutes real security risk in the age of AI-powered vulnerability detection. This is a unique opportunity to join our growing security research team at a well-funded startup building at the intersection of generative AI and cybersecurity, where your security expertise directly shapes how our AI models understand and prioritize cloud security threats. You'll spend the majority of your time as the expert human-in-the-loop, analyzing cloud vulnerability findings from our AI systems, conducting deep research to validate and contextualize threats, and creating the authoritative labels that train our models to distinguish critical risks from noise. Working alongside other security researchers, you'll help scale our labeling operations while providing critical input into product development decisions based on real-world threat patterns you discover. This role is perfect for a security researcher who wants to pioneer the future of AI-assisted threat detection, loves diving deep into cloud security vulnerabilities, and wants to see their security insights amplified through cutting-edge technology while contributing to a growing team. YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR JOURNEY: * Scale Expert Data Labeling Operations: Lead high-volume vulnerability labeling and validation work as the authoritative voice on threat severity, reviewing and categorizing cloud security findings from our AI models to create the high-quality training data that powers our platform * Drive Product Development Through Research Insights: Translate patterns and insights from your labeling and research work into actionable product improvements, working directly with engineering and product teams to enhance detection capabilities and user experience * Collaborate with Security Research Team: Work closely with fellow Security Research Engineers to maintain consistency in labeling standards, share research findings, and collectively improve our vulnerability assessment methodologies * Deep Vulnerability Research: Conduct comprehensive research into cloud vulnerabilities affecting EC2 images, Docker containers, and cloud infrastructure, investigating true/false positives, analyzing business impact, and building proof-of-concepts to validate threat scenarios * Enhance AI Model Accuracy: Provide expert feedback through our labeling tools that improves our AI models' understanding of vulnerability context, helping them learn to prioritize threats like a seasoned security researcher * Technical Investigation and Analysis: Create detailed technical writeups about exploitation techniques, attack vectors, and remediation strategies for cloud vulnerabilities, turning complex security research into actionable intelligence * Leverage External Security Intelligence: Integrate insights from CVE databases, security advisory feeds, and threat intelligence sources to enrich vulnerability findings with broader context and emerging threat patterns * Contribute to Thought Leadership: Support our external presence through technical blog posts, security videos/podcasts, and occasional conference presentations, sharing insights from your research WHAT YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL: * Security Research Expertise: 5+ years of hands-on security experience with proven vulnerability research background, comfortable investigating complex security issues and building proof-of-concepts to validate findings * Cloud Security Mastery: Deep knowledge of AWS security, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, container security, and cloud-native attack vectors, with hands-on experience securing cloud environments at scale * Technical Investigation Skills: Strong coding and scripting abilities (Python, Go, or similar) for automating research tasks, building validation tools, and creating proof-of-concept exploits * Analytical Excellence: Proven ability to analyze complex security data, distinguish between critical threats and false positives, and communicate technical findings to both technical and business audiences * Product Mindset: Experience translating security insights into product requirements, with ability to identify patterns across vulnerabilities that inform strategic product decisions * External Intelligence Integration: Experience working with vulnerability databases, security advisory feeds, and threat intelligence sources to contextualize and prioritize security findings * Collaborative Mindset: Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively with security research peers, AI/ML teams, and product stakeholders, translating security domain knowledge into actionable improvements * High-Volume Execution: Comfort with systematic labeling work while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail, balancing speed with quality in fast-paced environments * Nice to haves: * Experience with AI/ML security or working with AI-generated security findings * Background at security tooling companies or building security products * Expertise in specific vulnerability research methodologies and frameworks * Open source contributions to security tools or research projects * Previous content creation experience in security (blogs, talks, research papers) * Industry certifications (CISSP, OSCP, AWS Security, etc.) WHY JOIN US: * Ambitious Challenge: We're using generative AI (LLMs and agents) to solve some of the most pressing challenges in cloud security today. You'll be defining how AI understands and prioritizes vulnerabilities, working at the cutting edge of AI-powered threat detection. * Expert Team: We are a team of hands-on leaders with experience in Big Tech and Scale-ups. Our team has been part of the leadership teams behind multiple acquisitions and an IPO. * Growing Security Research Function: Join a collaborative security research team where you'll work alongside other experts, share insights, and collectively shape how our AI platform understands security threats at scale. * Impactful Work: Your security research and labeling work will directly improve how thousands of organizations understand and respond to cloud security threats, scaling expert security knowledge through AI to protect the entire ecosystem. * Product Influence: Your day-to-day research insights will directly influence product strategy and development, giving you a voice in building the next generation of AI-powered security tools. * Pioneer AI-Native Security: Help establish the gold standard for AI-assisted vulnerability research, defining how human security expertise enhances machine learning models in the cybersecurity domain.