Senior Manager, Sales Development - Asia

Ultimate.ai; Singapore; Hybrid; SGD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Zendesk seeks a Commercial Leader to steer our regional growth engine for Asia and India, shaping the inbound and outbound roadmap, and partnering with Sales, Marketing, and Operations to turn interest into high-value bookings.

You will coach and grow SDRs/BDRs into B2B SaaS AEs, define a scalable playbook for AI-powered customer experience, and align teams around a single strategy with data-driven decision making.

Qualifications

• Proven track record leading outbound or business development teams in B2B SaaS/tech.
• Ability to translate regional goals into tactical playbooks and cadences.
• Strong stakeholder management across Sales, Marketing, and Ops.
• Passion for talent development and creating a culture of ownership and safety.
• Interest in how AI transforms customer operations; not required to be an engineer.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute inbound/outbound new business roadmap for Asia and India.
• Drive pipeline quality and velocity from qualification to milestones with AEs.
• Lead AI-native motions by turning product launches into regional playbooks.
• Unify GTM system with Marketing, Partnerships and Sales Operations.
• Hire and mentor SDRs/BDRs into future AEs and build core discovery skills.

Skills

Commercial Leadership

Strategic & Operational Agility

Cross-Functional Influence

Coaching Mindset

Curiosity for AI

Job description

Job Description

Zendesk & The Opportunity
AI is reshaping customer experience, and Zendesk is leading the shift toward autonomous, agentic CX. We’re building a world where AI handles high-volume needs seamlessly, freeing humans to focus on complex, high-value decisions. To power our next wave of growth across two of our most dynamic markets Asia and India, we are looking for an ambitious commercial leader to build and steer our business engine. This isn't just about managing daily activity or tracking activity metrics. You will own the regional pipeline strategy alongside Business Development Leadership deciding where we play, which field plays we run, and how we turn emerging interest in AI into high-value bookings.

What You’ll Impact

• Shape the Regional Growth Strategy: Design and execute the inbound and outbound new business roadmap across Asia and India. Go beyond basic firmographics by prioritizing accounts based on AI readiness, service volume, and commercial value.
• Drive Pipeline Quality & Velocity: Champion deal progression from initial lead qualification to key commercial milestones. Partner closely with Account Executives to articulate the business case, map buying groups, and keep momentum high.
• Pioneer an AI‑Native Motion: Turn innovative product launches into winning regional playbooks. Coach your team to lead with value helping customers quantify automation potential and see the clear ROI of agentic CX.
• Unify the Go-To-Market System: Align Marketing, Partner Alliances, and Sales Operations around a single strategy. Use real-time data and field feedback to continuously optimize our strategy.
• The xDR-to-AE Talent Engine: Hire, mentor, and develop SDRs and BDRs into Zendesk’s next generation of AEs. Build core competencies in discovery, commercial judgment, and executive communication through our AE Accelerator Programme (which holds a 100% promotion success rate).

What You Bring

• Commercial Leadership: A track record of leading and scaling high-performing outbound or business development teams within B2B SaaS or technology.
• Strategic & Operational Agility: The ability to convert high-level regional goals into tactical playbooks, operating cadences, and measurable revenue outcomes.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Exceptional stakeholder management skills, able to align senior Sales, Marketing, and Operations leaders around a shared plan.
• Coaching Mindset: A passion for developing talent, raising capability in executive communication, and building a culture of ownership and psychological safety.
• Curiosity for AI: A genuine interest in how AI transforms customer operations. You don't need to be a technical engineer, but you must be excited to learn and articulate the commercial value of AI.

Why Zendesk?

• Unrivaled Autonomy: Full agency to shape how we win across Asia and India during a pivotal market shift.
• Career Growth: Direct line-of-sight to broader GTM executive leadership.

At Zendesk, we believe great teams are built on diverse perspectives. If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every bullet point above, we still encourage you to apply. You might just be the right candidate for this or other roles across our growing organization.

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 remote 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.

Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law.