Applied AI Architect, People & Culture

About the role

You will architect and deliver high-impact AI agents that redefine how Zscaler manages people operations across the employee lifecycle. This role requires you to balance technical depth with empathetic design to ensure AI solutions enhance rather than replace human judgment. You will act as a strategic partner to HR stakeholders, translating complex business needs into reliable, scalable AI workflows. A core part of your mission will be establishing standards that ensure safety, transparency, and compliance in sensitive HR contexts. You will mentor and upskill internal teams, creating a lasting blueprint for AI-driven human systems. Your work will directly influence the future operating model of HR through responsible and measurable automation. You will be measured by the outcomes you enable, not just the features you build.

Key facts

What you'll do

Architect and deploy high-risk AI agents focused on compensation, recruiting, and workforce planning, utilizing platforms such as Gemini agent builder, Claude, Codex, and MCP integrations.

Own the end-to-end lifecycle of agent products, from initial discovery and prototyping through rigorous testing, governance implementation, and continuous production improvement.

Redesign core HR workflows by identifying root cause problems and rebuilding processes to leverage AI capabilities rather than automating legacy inefficiencies.

Partner directly with subject matter experts including compensation analysts, recruiters, and HR business partners to co-create solutions that are accurate, trusted, and usable.

Operate deployed agents as a product owner, monitoring performance metrics, diagnosing production issues, and driving improvements based on user feedback and adoption data.

Collaborate closely with the AI Center of Excellence and Forward Deployed Engineering teams to solve complex technical integrations and advance shared platform standards.

Define and implement guardrails, evaluation frameworks, and data handling policies to ensure responsible and ethical use of people data in all agent outputs.

Champion change management practices that drive stakeholder buy-in, reduce resistance, and ensure long-term sustainability of AI-powered HR tools.

Build internal capability by documenting patterns, creating training materials, and coaching HR teams on the maintenance and evolution of their AI tools.

Maintain a strong focus on security and privacy, ensuring all solutions align with Zscaler's compliance requirements and data protection standards.

Contribute to the broader AI strategy by sharing insights, playbooks, and learnings that can scale across the organization and improve HR effectiveness.

Requirements

You must have 6+ years of cumulative experience in HR technology, people operations, solutions architecture, or business transformation roles.

You must demonstrate hands-on experience designing, building, and launching AI agents or automations that materially changed how real work is executed and measured.

You must possess technical fluency sufficient to design agent architectures, craft precise instructions, integrate with MCPs, and evaluate system-level outputs without requiring constant engineering support.

You must have a proven track record of building with GenAI tools, including prompt design, workflow orchestration, data sourcing, and evaluation methodologies.

You must deeply understand the risks associated with handling people data and build solutions that prioritize privacy, security, and regulatory compliance.

You must be comfortable making decisions in ambiguous environments while maintaining a clear line of sight on business problems that need solving.

You must be fluent in communicating technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and fostering alignment across cross-functional teams.

You must be committed to building with empathy and responsibility, ensuring that AI tools augment human capabilities and do not undermine trust or psychological safety.

Nice to have

Experience working within a highly regulated environment or industries with strict compliance requirements.

Background in organizational psychology, change management, or industrial/organizational psychology.

Contributions to open source AI projects or public portfolios showcasing agent-based workflows.

Practical notes

This is a hybrid role based in Santa Clara, California, requiring in-office presence Tuesday through Thursday.

Compensation, bonus, and equity details are provided in accordance with company policy and individual factors.

Employment eligibility to work in the United States is required for this position without sponsorship at this time.