Senior Sales Engineer

Zendesk, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 226,000 - 338,000; Full time

Job summary

Zendesk, Inc. is hiring a Senior Sales Engineer to bridge enterprise software strategy with hands-on architecture and advanced AI automation.

You will own the technical strategy for global customer engagements, advising C-suite and engineering leadership. You will design agentic AI workflows, lead architectural discovery, and translate requirements into scalable demos, POCs, and accelerators that enable regional teams to deploy Zendesk solutions at scale.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a highly quantitative field is required.
• Master’s or professional certifications are advantageous.
• 5+ years in technical presales, solution engineering, or architect roles in enterprise SaaS.

Responsibilities

• Architect agentic AI-driven workflows and design scalable demos.
• Lead technical architecture discovery and AI readiness assessments.
• Translate requirements into proofs-of-concept and pilots.
• Develop reusable accelerators and API components for deployment at scale.
• Own the technical sales lifecycle from qualification to execution.
• Architect secure, scalable topologies using Zendesk APIs and cloud platforms.

Skills

Python

Node.js

JavaScript

REST/SOAP APIs

Cloud architectures

AI/ML fundamentals

Technical presales

Enterprise SaaS

Systems integration

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS, Analytics, Econ or related

Master’s degree or certifications (advantage)

Tools

LLMs / prompt engineering

Middleware frameworks

Job description

Job Description At Zendesk, we’re revolutionizing what’s possible in Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Services (ES). Our rapid innovation and Agentic AI leadership have earned the trust of thousands of forward-thinking businesses. We are seeking a Senior Sales Engineer (SE) to sit at the intersection of enterprise software strategy, hands‑on systems architecture, and advanced AI automation. This is not a traditional generalist presales role. This is a role built for highly technical builders who are deeply curious about how autonomous agents, security, analytics, and deep integrations fundamentally transform how enterprise work gets done. You will own the technical strategy for our global customer engagements, acting as a strategic advisor to both the C‑suite and engineering leadership.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Architect Agentic AI & Integration Workflows: Design, build, and operationalize advanced, agentic AI-driven customer workflows leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs), deep prompt engineering, and modern automation frameworks.
• Lead Technical Architecture Discovery: Conduct rigorous, deep‑dive technical discovery and AI readiness assessments.
• Translate complex system requirements into scalable demonstrations, pilots and proofs-of-concept (POCs) that demonstrate clear business value.
• Build Scalable Accelerators: Proactively develop production‑ready, reusable technical accelerators, middleware templates, and open‑source‑aligned API components that allow regional teams and Systems Integrators (SIs) to deploy Zendesk solutions at scale.
• Own the Technical Sales Lifecycle: Serve as the absolute technical authority from qualification through execution.
• Architect secure, scalable topologies leveraging Zendesk APIs, webhook frameworks, and leading cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Bridge Product & Field Strategy: Partner directly with Product Management and Engineering to provide real‑world, technical feedback from the field, identifying product gaps and shaping the future roadmap of Zendesk's core AI and platform ecosystem.

What You Bring (Required Qualifications):

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Business Analytics, Economics, Statistics, or a related highly quantitative technical discipline is required.
• A Master’s degree or professional technical certifications are a distinct advantage.
• Experience: 5+ years of hands‑on experience in technical presales, solution engineering, or a system architect/developer role within enterprise SaaS or complex software environments.
• Technical Fluency: Deep expertise with modern web and scripting technologies (e.g., Python, Node.js, JavaScript), REST/SOAP APIs, middleware frameworks, and cloud ecosystem architectures.
• AI/ML Expertise: Strong foundational knowledge of AI technologies, including Large Language Models (LLMs), prompt engineering, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), and autonomous agent deployment.
• Domain Knowledge: Solid understanding of enterprise infrastructure, contact center tech stacks (CCaaS, telephony, workforce management), or modern IT Service Management (ITSM) systems.
• Travel Commitment: Ability and willingness to travel between 30% and 50% annually to lead critical, high‑touch on‑site customer architecture sessions and strategic regional briefings.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven track record of designing reusable implementation guides, integration playbooks, or localization toolkits for global delivery partners and systems integrators.
• Experience flattening complex technical narratives into high‑impact presentations tailored for executive, economic buyers and C‑level stakeholders.

Who You Are:

• Customer obsessed: The customer comes first, and you believe that through and through. We are here to delight the customer with the ability to give them what they need in CX before they even know.
• A Builder First: You have a passion for code, deep system configurations, and getting your hands dirty building the future of software.
• Strategically Minded: You naturally tie advanced technical mechanisms directly to strategic business metrics, ROI, and organizational transformation.
• Resilient & Collaborative: You thrive in high‑stakes environments, working cross‑functionally across complex international teams to drive a unified go‑to‑market strategy.

The US annualized OTE (On Target Earnings) range for this position is $226,000.00-$338,000.00 with a pay mix of 80/20 (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.

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 to build rich, meaningful relationships with their customers.

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.