Senior Director, Proactive Tech Support & AI Strategy

Zendesk, Inc.; Madison, Austin (WI, TX); Hybrid; USD 174,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Zendesk, Inc. is seeking a Senior Director of Technical Support in a hybrid role based in Madison, WI (also Austin, TX). The candidate will lead a global technical support organization, evolve human agents to proactive, AI-aligned workflows, and partner with AI teams to scale service delivery while maintaining high-quality outcomes.

The role requires 15+ years in leadership within SaaS, strong executive communications, and a track record of transformational change across regions and time zones.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in technical or customer support leadership.
• Experience scaling global SaaS support organizations.
• Proven track record of translating strategy into operating plans and measurable outcomes.
• Strong understanding of support operations, capacity planning, and performance metrics.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategy and operating model for Technical support.
• Lead and develop a multi-layered organization through managers and directors.
• Own service performance across customer segments and channels with AI-enabled tools.
• Define measures of Technical support value and health (CX, SLAs, capacity).
• Partner with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, and Finance.
• Establish scalable global capacity planning, forecasting, staffing, and escalation models.
• Guide design and evolution of Technical support offerings and workflows.
• Communicate performance, risks, and opportunities to executive leaders.

Skills

Leadership

Technical leadership

SaaS industry experience

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

AI integration

Workforce management

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience

Job description

Zendesk, Inc. is seeking a Senior Director of Technical Support in a hybrid role based in Madison, WI (also Austin, TX). The candidate will lead a global technical support organization, evolve human agents to proactive, AI-aligned workflows, and partner with AI teams to scale service delivery while maintaining high-quality outcomes.

The role requires 15+ years in leadership within SaaS, strong executive communications, and a track record of transformational change across regions and time zones.