Applied AI Architect, People & Culture

About this role

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.

We are looking for an Applied AI Architect, People and Culture to join our team. This is a Santa Clara based hybrid role (in office Tuesday-Thursday), reporting to the AI Transformation Director in the Global HR department. HR is being transformed around Human + AI optimization, and you will be the driving force behind this transformation. Part builder, part co-builder, and part teacher, you will spearhead our transition to an AI-native HR function by encoding the judgment of our best practitioners into safe, governed agents that seamlessly integrate with human ingenuity to unlock unprecedented outcomes.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Design, deploy, and continuously improve the most impactful and high-risk agents using Gemini agent builder, Claude, Codex, and MCP integrations, owning the full maturity path from initial prototype to a hardened, governed product

• Pair deeply with subject matter experts—from compensation analysts to recruiters—to build domain-specific agents, transferring your technical craft so they can independently maintain and evolve their own tools

• Redesign workflows from the inside out to ensure we solve fundamental process issues rather than simply automating a broken system

• Operate what you ship as a true product owner by monitoring adoption, diagnosing failures, and guiding stakeholders to turn skeptics into sponsors

• Partner closely with the AI Center of Excellence and Forward Deployed Engineering team to solve the hardest technical integration challenges on shared rails, as well as co-create mature governance standards

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You are a “Figure-it-out” person who navigates ambiguity with ease and addresses fundamental process issues rather than bolting AI onto the current state

• You are technically fluent and a proven builder with a portfolio of shipped, adopted GenAI agents, hands-on with skills, MCPs, data, automations, prompt design, and evals

• You are a force multiplier who teaches as you work, measuring your success by the new capabilities you leave behind in others

• You are a champion of adoption and change management who brings stakeholders along and ensures deployments stick in real-world applications

• You are deeply aware of the risks associated with people data, building with care while defining the long-term playbook for an AI-native HR function

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• 6+ years across HR technology, people operations, solutions, or business transformation roles

• Demonstrated hands-on experience building AI agents, automations, or tools that changed how real work gets done

• Technical fluency sufficient to design agents architecture and instructions, work with MCPs and governance systems, and evaluate outputs at the system level without needing engineering handholding.

• Track record of taking solutions from problem identification through real adoption while simultaneously upskilling others through training, enablement, or sustained co-working

• Highly autonomous, self-directed, and comfortable operating as a senior individual contributor in a domain being invented in real time

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Sit at the rare intersection of engineering depth and HR practice, ensuring we avoid both technically correct agents that the field ignores and HR prototypes that do not scale

• Possess a deep understanding of how to balance cutting-edge agent building with the practical realities, risks, and sensitivities of HR operations

• Drawn to early-stage, high-impact opportunities and eager to be a primary author of the playbook for AI-native HR

#LI-Hybrid #LI-RL2 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 $117,250 — $167,500 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

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