Principal Customer Architect

Zendesk, Inc.; California; Hybride; USD 210 000 - 320 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Hybrid work model

Diversity & inclusion programs

Résumé du poste

Zendesk, Inc. seeks a Principal Customer Architect to guide enterprise customers in turning proof of value into ongoing adoption of Zendesk’s AI Resolution Platform.

You will shape adoption strategies, coordinate across teams, and help customers achieve measurable business outcomes. You will lead technical discovery, create structured playbooks, and drive pilots to production adoption, aligning customer goals with Zendesk solutions and best practices.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in complex customer-facing technical transformation, architecture, or advisory roles.
• Experience guiding enterprise AI adoption and platform adoption programs.
• Ability to translate business goals into actionable technical plans for large customers.

Responsabilités

• Lead technical adoption roadmaps for strategic customers with clear milestones and outcomes.
• Build account technology plans covering architecture, Zendesk usage, debt, and adoption opportunities.
• Diagnose barriers across configuration, data, integrations, processes, and stakeholder alignment; convert findings into actions.
• Guide customers through AI and platform adoption using playbooks, configs, and enablement.
• Lead technical discovery, demos, and sandbox configurations to demonstrate outcomes.
• Scope productized pilots and proofs of concept with ROI logic and production path.
• Coordinate AI experts, professional services, and architects around shared outcomes.
• Share technical evidence to support adoption, value realization, and expansion readiness.

Connaissances

Technical adoption strategy

AI-enabled platform experience

Stakeholder management

Enterprise SaaS architecture

Discovery & playbooks

Description du poste

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 that ambition by building products rooted in AI, automation, and intelligent customer experiences, because behind every interaction lies an opportunity to make a human connection. We’re looking for a Principal Customer Architect to help enterprise customers turn early proof of value into lasting adoption of Zendesk’s AI Resolution Platform. You’ll shape technical adoption strategies, guide customers through AI-enabled change, and help them realize measurable business outcomes. You’ll bring together customer goals, technical possibilities, and the right Zendesk specialists to make progress practical and sustainable.

What you’ll be doing

Lead technical adoption roadmaps for strategic customers, translating business priorities and technical health into clear milestones and measurable outcomes. Build account technology plans covering architecture, Zendesk usage, technical debt, customer priorities, and adoption opportunities. Diagnose barriers across configuration, data, integrations, processes, operating models, and stakeholder alignment; turn findings into prioritized actions. Guide customers through AI and platform adoption with repeatable playbooks, standard configurations, and practical enablement. Lead technical discovery, whiteboarding, relevant product demonstrations, and standard sandbox configurations to make proposed outcomes tangible. Scope productized pilots and proofs of concept with clear success criteria, ROI logic, and a path to production adoption. Coordinate AI Experts, Professional Services, FDEs, Architects, and other specialists around a shared customer outcome. Share technical evidence that supports adoption, value realization, and expansion readiness, while tracking progress through approved systems.

What you bring to the role

Strong technical judgment across SaaS configuration, integrations, APIs, data flows, and AI automation. The ability to lead structured discovery and explain complex technical ideas in clear business language, from practitioners to executives. Experience using adoption plans, maturity assessments, playbooks, and stakeholder alignment to make customer change stick. Good solution-scoping judgment: you know when a standard approach is right and when to bring in deeper technical or delivery expertise. Comfort with light demos and standard configuration that help customers understand what’s possible without over-customizing. A proactive, calm approach to ambiguous customer challenges, with the ability to build trust and lead through influence. An AI-literate approach to your work: you can use approved AI tools responsibly, consider data, security, oversight, and measurement, and adapt as AI changes customer workflows.

Basic qualifications

Typically 12+ years of experience in complex customer-facing technical transformation, architecture, AI automation, advisory, or a related field—or an equivalent record of impact. Level is based on demonstrated scope, judgment, and impact, not tenure alone. Experience owning technical adoption or transformation outcomes with enterprise customers. Demonstrated ability to lead technical discovery, assess integrations or data flows, and recommend practical solutions. A track record of influencing senior stakeholders and coordinating cross-functional teams through complex change.

Preferred qualifications

Experience with customer service, CX platforms, AI agents, workflow automation, or service operations. Experience designing productized pilots, technical adoption programs, or repeatable customer playbooks. Familiarity with regulated environments, complex architectures, or advanced AI automation. Experience turning customer adoption patterns into scalable methods, while bringing structured feedback to Product and Engineering. The US annualized OTE (On Target Earnings) range for this position is $210,000 - $320,000 with a base/commission pay mix. 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.

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. 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 [e-mail] with your specific accommodation request. Zendesk is on a mission to simplify the complexity of business and make it easy for companies and customers to create connections. Our customer experience software unlocks the power of billions of interactions, enabling businesses

What’s it like to work here?

Our offices reflect the global cities we call home, and have spaces for collaboration, quiet, and events. With our hybrid approach, you’ll experience flexibility and connection, collaboration, and learning with your team.