Zhang spent most of his career in the hydroelectric industry, going through a series of engineering and administrative jobs. In June 1995 he took up a job in flood prevention in his home province. In April 1997 he was assigned to work in the provincial department of water works. In April 2000 he was promoted to deputy director. In March 2003, he took on his first full-time political job as deputy party chief of Yiyang. In December 2006, he became provincial director of water works. In March 2008 he became Mayor of Loudi. In June 2011, he became party chief of Yongzhou. In January 2013, he became Vice Governor of Hunan.
