Job Description
Join us at Zendesk, where we’re on a mission to power exceptional service for every person on the planet. We’re accelerating our ambition by building intelligent, AI-driven solutions that connect people and businesses in more meaningful ways.
We’re seeking an accomplished and dynamic Director of Strategic Enterprise Sales with a growth mindset and a passion for innovation to lead our Bay Area focused team. In this pivotal role, you’ll drive revenue and strategic expansion across our most complex Enterprise accounts. Shaping Zendesk’s next chapter and empowering customers to transform their CX and EX through cutting-edge AI and automation.
As a strategic sales leader, you’ll inspire a high-performing team, build trusted C-suite relationships, and accelerate growth through data-driven, AI-enabled sales strategies. Leveraging your deep connections within the Bay Area technology landscape and expertise in Enterprise SaaS and AI solutions. You’ll strengthen partnerships with some of the region’s most forward-thinking companies. If you thrive in fast-paced environments and are driven by the opportunity to help customers unlock the power of AI-driven CX innovation, we want to hear from you.
What You’ll Be Doing:
- Hire, coach, and lead a high-performing Bay Area based Strategic Enterprise Sales team, empowering and motivating them to consistently exceed revenue goals.vating and empowering them to consistently meet and exceed quota.
- Drive growth by developing and executing go-to-market strategies that expand our footprint within complex Enterprise accounts, leveraging AI-driven, solution-based selling and targeted upsell and cross-sell initiatives.opportunities, AI-focused solution selling, and upsell/cross-sell strategies.
- Guide and mentor your team through large, multi-product Enterprise sales cycles, fostering precision in complex deal navigation, executive engagement, and layered decision-making processes.
- Conduct quarterly territory and account plan reviews, providing actionable insights and strategic direction to drive customer expansion, retention, and AI-led solution adoption.
- Lead weekly forecast and pipeline reviews, providing mentorship and strategic deal coaching to ensure accuracy, accountability, and consIstent execution against goals.
- Review top account plans quarterly, offering strategic recommendations that accelerate customer outcomes and revenue growth through AI-enabled CX and EX transformation.
- Establish and enforce operational rigor in the sales process. Driving accountability to KPIs, forecasting discipline, and data-informed decision-making.
- Maintain deep expertise in Zendesk’s AI, automation, and analytics capabilities, ensuring your team remains fluent in our technology value proposition and the evolving competitive landscape.
- Deliver compelling QBR presentations and executive briefings, aligning customer strategies with Zendesk’s roadmap for AI innovation and scalable customer experience transformation.
- Engage frequently with C-level executives and technology leaders across the Bay Area, building trusted partnerships that position Zendesk as a strategic enabler of intelligent CX.
We hope you’ll decide to build a career as a Zendesk sales leader for the long term. We use the following leadership criteria, applied to key sales activities to assess, reward and promote sales leadership.
Innovate:** **Build a sales organization that embraces creativity and leverages emerging AI and automation technologies to adapt quickly to new customer and market dynamics.
Collaborate: Partner across Zendesk and the Bay Area technology ecosystem to identify shared priorities, exchange insights, and enhance our ability to deliver differentiated, AI-driven customer experiences.
Operate:** **Know your business, your customers, your tools, and your data. Fill the funnel, qualify with precision, and convert efficiently. Minimizing obstacles between your customers and their success.
Navigate: Stay ahead of industry shifts, AI advancements, and emerging Enterprise customer needs. Coach your team to balance near-term execution with long-term strategic positioning.
Inspire: Use your expertise and vision to energize your team and customers. Help shape the future of AI-powered CX and EX through influence and example.
Champion: Build authentic relationships with customers, proactively identifying opportunities to drive innovation and business impact. Foster a culture at Zendesk that connects emotionally and strategically with customer outcomes.
What You Bring to the Role:
- BA/BS degree or equivalent experience required.
- 10+ years of software sales experience, including 5+ years leading Strategic Sales teams, preferably within the SaaS or AI technology industry.
- Proven track record of exceeding revenue targets and quota achievement; President’s Club recognition is a plus.
- Expertise in managing complex, multi-stakeholder Enterprise sales cycles, including multi-month, AI-enabled, value-driven processes with proof-of-concept stages.
- Deep understanding of value selling frameworks (MEDDPICC preferred) and experience running executive-level deal reviews.
- Strong forecasting and pipeline management discipline, with a data-informed approach to sales execution.
- Skilled negotiator with experience driving high-value ARR opportunities and multi-product expansion.
- Exceptional presentation, storytelling, and listening skills, with the ability to articulate Zendesk’s AI and automation value proposition to senior executives.
- Strategic relationship-builder with a proven ability to influence C-suite leaders across the Bay Area technology landscape.
- Demonstrated success in attracting, developing, and retaining top Account Executives in competitive, high-growth markets.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with strong collaboration skills and a drive for continuous improvement.
- Proficiency with sales tools such as Salesforce, Outreach, Clari, and AI-powered enablement platforms.
- Willingness to travel across the Bay Area and select West Coast territories for customer and team engagements.
- An entrepreneurial spirit, strong collaboration skills, and a drive for continuous professional growth.
- Familiarity with key Sales tools such as Salesforce, Outreach, Clari, and AI-driven enablement technologies.
- Customer-facing travel required within the Bay Area and select West Coast territories.
LI-LM5
The US annualized OTE (On Target Earnings) range for this position is $442,000.00-$662,000.00 with a pay mix of 50/50 (base/commission). This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.
Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.
The intelligent heart of customer experience
Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.
Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.
As part of our commitment to fairness and transparency, we inform all applicants that artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications for this position, in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law.
Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.
Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.