Principal Customer Architect

Zendesk•US - California - Fully Flexible, TX

3d•$210,000 - $320,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Zendesk is seeking a Principal Customer Architect to help enterprise customers turn early proof of value into lasting adoption of Zendesk’s AI Resolution Platform. The role shapes technical adoption strategies, guides customers through AI-enabled change, and helps them achieve measurable business outcomes by bringing together customer goals, technical possibilities, and Zendesk specialists. The position leads technical adoption roadmaps and account technology plans, identifies and prioritizes adoption barriers, and guides customers using repeatable playbooks, standard configurations, and practical enablement. It also leads technical discovery, whiteboarding, demonstrations, and sandbox configurations; scopes pilots and proofs of concept; coordinates specialists; and tracks evidence of adoption, value realization, and expansion readiness. The role calls for strong technical judgment across SaaS configuration, integrations, APIs, data flows, and AI automation; the ability to explain technical concepts to audiences ranging from practitioners to executives; and a proactive, calm approach to ambiguous customer challenges. The position is hybrid, with employees coming together in person at a Zendesk office while retaining flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. The US annualized OTE range is $210,000–$320,000, with a base/commission pay mix. The position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives.

Requirements

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.
Strong technical judgment across SaaS configuration, integrations, APIs, data flows, and AI automation.
Ability to lead structured discovery and explain complex technical ideas in clear business language to practitioners and executives.
Experience using adoption plans, maturity assessments, playbooks, and stakeholder alignment to make customer change stick.
Sound solution-scoping judgment, including knowing when a standard approach is appropriate and when to involve deeper technical or delivery expertise.
Comfort with light demonstrations and standard configuration to help customers understand possibilities without over-customizing.
A proactive, calm approach to ambiguous customer challenges, with the ability to build trust and lead through influence.
Ability to use approved AI tools responsibly, consider data, security, oversight, and measurement, and adapt as AI changes customer workflows.

Nice To Haves

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 and bringing structured feedback to Product and Engineering.

Responsibilities

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, and turn findings into prioritized actions.
Guide customers through AI and platform adoption using 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.