Finance Strategy Partner for Product & Growth

Zendesk, Inc.; Madison (WI); Hybrid; USD 146,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Zendesk, Inc. is seeking a Senior Finance Manager to influence decisions through high-precision forecasting and complex financial modeling.

You will partner with Product & Engineering leaders to scale the Product Roadmap and deliver timely reporting on key metrics in a hybrid environment. The role requires 10+ years in finance-focused roles, strong modeling and communication skills, and the ability to influence senior leadership.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of technology, banking, private equity, corporate finance, economics or consulting experience in a fast-paced industry.
• Advanced skills in building scalable financial models (via Excel or Google suite), with ability to understand and translate how their inputs/outputs determine business outcomes.
• Strong analytical aptitude, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills with commitment to achieving quality results - able to understand strategic impact on the wider business and yet operate at a detailed tactical level, digging into the "why" behind the numbers to uncover emerging trends and hidden risks.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and the ability to establish collaborative relationships and influence senior leadership as the role leads to becoming a trusted finance business partner to senior leadership.
• Highly-motivated self-starter comfortable with ambiguity and change. Experience working with tight deadlines and successfully managing multiple priorities simultaneously with minimal direct supervision, having the ability to translate a vague strategic goal into a structured, scalable financial model.
• Positive attitude with an analytical mindset and desire to learn new things quickly. Team player eager to further develop and grow with us.
• Demonstrate intellectual curiosity and problem-solving skills, with a strong work ethic, reliability, and attention to detail - "get it done" attitude, challenging the status quo.
• Proficiency in using, managing, and building-out planning tools & applications.
• Experience with financial planning systems (Adaptive, Hyperion).

Responsibilities

• Lead partner to Product Development leadership, providing accurate financial and non-financial information and analyses for business decisions.
• Financial modeling for Product launches including opportunity sizing (TAM, SAM, SOM) ARR target alignment, COGS inputs, and operating expenses across key stakeholders.
• Perform analyses and synthesize data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations to drive value engineering opportunities and business results.
• Deliver reporting on financial and operational metrics against strategic goals; monitor KPI reporting and identify trends, opportunities, risks, and ROI drivers.
• Establish processes and drive improvements with cross-functional teams to optimize financial systems, improve forecast accuracy, create tools, and improve operating processes.
• Own budgeting and reporting processes; work with Controller’s group to ensure accuracy during period-end close.

Skills

Financial modeling

Analytical thinking

Communication

Influence senior leadership

Forecasting

Budgeting

Cross-functional partnering

Problem solving

Strategic thinking

Attention to detail

Tools

Planning tools

Adaptive

Hyperion

Job description

Zendesk, Inc. is seeking a Senior Finance Manager to influence decisions through high-precision forecasting and complex financial modeling.

You will partner with Product & Engineering leaders to scale the Product Roadmap and deliver timely reporting on key metrics in a hybrid environment. The role requires 10+ years in finance-focused roles, strong modeling and communication skills, and the ability to influence senior leadership.