Sales Operations Director
ZendeskJob Description
Director, Global Sales Development Strategy and Operations
Are you a commercially-savvy operator who thrives on driving strategic outcomes in complex, global environments? Do you excel at blending analytical rigour with high-trust business partnering—moving seamlessly between strategic advisor, right-hand operator, and execution lead? If you want to influence how a global SaaS organisation drives pipeline, productivity, and growth—this is that role.
At Zendesk, Sales Development is the lifeblood of our new business engine. It’s our first line of engagement with future customers and a critical contributor to pipeline and revenue in our hyper-growth strategy. As we scale globally, we are investing in how we operate, measure, and optimise the top-of-funnel motion.
As Director, Global Sales Strategy & Operations, you’ll be a core strategic partner to the Global VP of Sales Development, operating at the centre of a global growth engine. You’ll drive planning, performance insights, AI-powered innovation, and execution across regions. This is a high-trust, high-impact individual contributor role operating within a heavily matrixed organisation, with influence spanning Sales, Marketing, RevOps, Finance, Enablement, and Systems.
What You’ll Own:
Strategic Partnering: Act as a trusted advisor and operator for the Global VP of Sales Development—shaping global strategy, planning, and helping them drive the operating rhythm.
Global Planning & Execution: Lead key operational rhythms across regions, working with the local teams — including headcount planning, coverage design, capacity modelling, funnel analysis, and quota alignment for Sales Development.
AI-Driven Workflow Design: Integrate and scale AI tools and GTM workflows—from lead scoring and routing to productivity signals and conversational intelligence.
Performance Analytics: Working in close collaboration with the global Go-to-Market Sales Insights team, own the development of end-to-end analytics and dashboards using Tableau and Snowflake, delivering insight on Sales development activity, pipeline generation, conversion metrics, performance trends, and funnel velocity.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner across GTM Operations, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Enablement, and Revenue Operations to align Sales Development strategy with broader corporate goals—ensuring the function is equipped with the right structure, insights, and systems to operate at scale and deliver impact.
Advocate for New Business Growth: Position Sales Development as a strategic growth lever across the business, ensuring it gets the visibility and investment it deserves as a key driver of pipeline and revenue.
What You Bring:
More than 7 years of experience in Sales or Marketing Operations, GTM Strategy, Business Partnering or similar roles within high-growth SaaS environments.
A demonstrable passion for driving operational efficiency.
Extensive experience partnering with senior sales leadership, ideally at a global or multi-regional scale.
Deep understanding of the Sales Development function and top-of-funnel operations in a SaaS or subscription business.
Proven ability to operate as a senior IC in a heavily matrixed environment, leading cross-functional collaboration and managing senior stakeholder relationships.
High proficiency in Tableau and Snowflake for analytics and reporting; strong spreadsheet modelling capability.
Experience integrating AI tools and automation into GTM workflows (e.g. lead scoring, predictive analytics, outreach automation, forecasting models).
Knowledge and experience of global markets is imperative—you understand the operational and cultural dynamics of working across EMEA, Americas, and APAC.
Excellent communication and influencing skills; able to navigate across regions, teams, and seniority levels with clarity and credibility.
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.
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, please click here.
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 peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.