Principal Threat Researcher

Role

We are looking for a Principal Threat Researcher to join our team. This is a remote role, reporting to the Manager Threat Research in the Threat Research Team. As our Principal Threat Researcher, you will serve as the definitive subject matter expert on adversary behavior across Endpoint and Cloud environments. You will dissect, replicate, and outmaneuver sophisticated cyber attack techniques to understand exactly how they operate and how to defeat them. By translating complex threat research into concrete, scalable detection recommendations, you will act as the innovation driver for our defensive capabilities. In this pivotal role, your insights won't just live in a whitepaper—they will directly prioritize our engineering efforts, shape product strategy, influence vendor telemetry, and ensure robust, industry-leading protection for our entire customer base.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Scope and continuously refine research initiatives, applying an adversarial mindset to analyze emerging attack techniques, customer impact, and detection data sources across at least one operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux) and major Cloud/SaaS providers like AWS, Microsoft 365, and Okta
• Dive deep into the technical components and detection optics underlying specific threats to fully comprehend how adversaries control and manipulate variations of a given technique
• Leverage your endpoint and cloud expertise to engineer automated attack code, write test code to validate threat coverage, and develop proofs of concept for new detections.
• Collaborate across Zscaler to develop new detection methodologies and engineering recommendations, working closely with detection engineers, intelligence analysts, and threat hunters to prioritize and refine deliverables
• Document and present your research findings and operational deliverables in an accessible, actionable manner to internal and external audiences, while serving as a technical mentor for more junior team members and colleagues pursuing research

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You thrive in ambiguity, comfortably building the path forward in dynamic environments and leveraging uncertainty as raw material to create meaningful security solutions.
• You act like an owner, bringing passion for the mission and seamlessly navigating between high-level threat strategy and hands-on technical execution.
• You are an energized problem-solver who actively seeks out complex security challenges, knowing that tackling tough technical problems yields the greatest impact.
• You are a high-trust collaborator who thrives in a challenge culture, using transparent feedback and clarity to elevate team performance and build mutual trust.
• You are a continuous learner with a growth mindset who actively seeks feedback, develops new expertise, and approaches work with genuine 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
• 12+ years of experience conducting security research with actionable outcomes
• Extensive security expertise in at least one operating system alongside experience working with commercial Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) platforms
• Security experience in at least one cloud service provider (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure), Cloud architectures, and Cloud-based detection platforms
• Software development experience in at least one scripting language (e.g., PowerShell, Python) and one compiled/assembled language (e.g., C, C++, Rust, Go)
• Experience managing code with version control systems like git/GitHub

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Proven ability to leverage AI technologies and workflows to drive measurable operational efficiency
• An established record of public community engagement, such as conference talks, technical blog posts, or webinars
• Prior experience developing relationships with security vendors to drive product enhancements or building attack technique automation frameworks