Senior Solutions Architect — AI & Automation Leader

Zendesk; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 206,000 - 308,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Zendesk seeks a Senior Solutions Architect to lead strategic scoping conversations, bridging Sales and Services across North America. You will own technical relationships, guide solution design, and drive AI-enabled workflows, automation, and integrations to improve customer experiences and business outcomes.

The role requires strong enterprise software expertise, executive communication, and hands-on AI experience to shape scalable, differentiated customer solutions.

Qualifications

• Experience selling, scoping, or supporting Mid-Market and Enterprise software solutions.
• Strong background in pre-sales, solutions architecture, consulting, implementation, technical strategy, or customer-facing technical roles.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, persuasion, presentation, and writing skills.
• Proven ability to communicate technical value to C-level executives, directors, business stakeholders, and technical teams.
• Experience scoping, managing, and executing customer pilots, Proofs of Concept, technical workshops, and solution demos.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to translate business needs into practical technical solutions.
• Advanced solution scoping capabilities using existing product capabilities while influencing future product development.
• Previous consulting experience implementing enterprise-class software solutions.
• Knowledge of customer service software, ITSM, CRM, data warehousing, BI, integrations, APIs, and CX platforms.
• 2+ years in managing, mentoring, or leading a presales or similar technical team.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; graduate degree a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery and solution scoping conversations with Corporate, Mid-Market, and Enterprise customers.
• Partner with Sales to define technical strategies that support AMER pipeline growth and services revenue targets.
• Own the technical relationship with prospects and customers during the sales cycle, from discovery through closure.
• Design scalable customer experience, support, ITSM, automation, data, and AI-enabled solutions aligned with customer requirements.
• Identify opportunities to incorporate AI, automation, agents, workflows, and knowledge-based systems into customer solutions.
• Support Solutions Architects in customer meetings, technical workshops, executive presentations, and strategic opportunities.
• Drive best practices within the AMER Solutions Architecture team and apply global standards to regional execution.
• Create a regular business rhythm with AMER Sales to ensure service propositions are included in proposals.
• Define and execute regional partnership strategy with technology, implementation, and AI ecosystem partners.
• Align scopes with methodology, delivery standards, feasibility, and customer success outcomes.
• Lead, mentor, attract, and retain high-performing presales and solutions talent.
• Create services sales strategies aligned with Sales.
• Provide weekly reporting on AMER pipeline, deal progression, risks, and opportunities.
• Translate business requirements into technical solutions, architecture recommendations, and implementation plans.
• Support customer pilots, PoCs, demos, and AI-enabled workflow demonstrations.
• Stay current on emerging AI technologies and integration architectures.

Skills

Solution architecture

Pre-sales

Executive communication

Enterprise software

AI technologies

Mentoring

Customer-facing

Business storytelling

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Zendesk

CRM

ITSM

Job description

Zendesk seeks a Senior Solutions Architect to lead strategic scoping conversations, bridging Sales and Services across North America. You will own technical relationships, guide solution design, and drive AI-enabled workflows, automation, and integrations to improve customer experiences and business outcomes.

The role requires strong enterprise software expertise, executive communication, and hands-on AI experience to shape scalable, differentiated customer solutions.