Senior Director, Services Consulting, AI

Zendesk•Madison, WI

5d•$270,000 - $406,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Customer experience is transforming through AI-driven innovation. At Zendesk, we don’t just embrace this change — we lead it. Our Professional Services organization is building the capabilities, operating model, and executive partnerships required to help customers realize measurable value from AI at scale. As the Senior Director, you will set the global direction for AI Services Consulting and lead leaders and senior consultants who shape strategy, elevate delivery quality, and accelerate customer outcomes. You will own the global strategy and operating model for AI Services Consulting, building a high-performing organization that consistently delivers fast, measurable customer outcomes on Zendesk AI. You will establish the portfolio strategy, standards, governance, and operating rhythm for AI engagements; ensure the organization is staffed and developed for the work ahead; and create the mechanisms that make delivery predictable, scalable, and commercially sound. You will serve as a senior partner to Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, and executive customers, translating market and delivery insight into customer roadmaps, product priorities, and scalable growth. You will be accountable for continuous improvement in methodology, enablement, quality, and talent so we increase adoption, customer satisfaction, retention, expansion, and margin at scale. Overarching Objective For The Role: Set the global direction and scale a high-performing AI Services Consulting organization: Build the organization, leadership bench, role architecture, capacity model, and career paths required to deliver at global scale. Own enterprise delivery performance and value realization: Establish the outcomes, quality standards, operating metrics, and executive escalation mechanisms that ensure AI engagements deliver measurable business impact, time to value, and sustainable margin. Shape a repeatable global AI go-to-customer motion: align Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, and Services on customer roadmaps, packaging, handoffs, expansion paths, and investment priorities using customer and delivery insight. How You’ll Make an Impact Strategic Responsibilities Set the global AI Services Consulting strategy and operating model: Define the service portfolio, engagement principles, delivery methodology, standards, governance, and investment roadmap that make AI consulting repeatable, differentiated, and scalable across segments and geographies. Own portfolio capacity, prioritization, and commercial performance: Forecast demand, shape capacity and coverage, balance utilization with customer outcomes, and make informed tradeoffs across staffing, scope, investment, and margin. Create executive accountability for outcomes: Establish the performance system, success measures, and review cadence that connect AI delivery to customer value, retention, expansion, quality, and financial performance. Lead senior cross-functional alignment and executive customer engagement: Partner with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, Finance, and regional leaders to resolve systemic barriers, align investment decisions, and create shared accountability for customer and business outcomes. Build the leadership bench and AI consulting capability: Develop directors, senior managers, and consultants through clear expectations, coaching, succession planning, knowledge systems, and product readiness; create durable feedback loops from the field to improve product, tooling, and enablement.

Requirements

12+ years in Professional Services, Consulting, Technical Account Management, Solutions Consulting, or a related enterprise SaaS function; significant experience leading AI-related services, transformation, or product adoption.
8+ years of people leadership experience, including leading through leaders and building globally distributed, customer-facing organizations.
Senior-level experience in go-to-customer and operating-model leadership within enterprise technology or SaaS, spanning Professional Services/Consulting, Customer Success, Technical Account Management, Solutions Engineering, or related functions.
Demonstrated experience using customer, adoption, delivery, and financial analytics to shape portfolio decisions, anticipate risk, and improve retention, expansion, customer value, and margin.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree or relevant executive, AI, consulting, or program leadership credentials preferred.
Demonstrated product and market expertise: ability to translate generative AI capabilities, integrations, technical requirements, and responsible-use considerations into differentiated services and business outcomes.
Proven executive influence with Product and Engineering; experience turning customer and field insight into product strategy, prioritization, and investment decisions.
Track record of building or scaling operating mechanisms and predictive insights that improve adoption, delivery performance, customer health, commercial outcomes, and organizational productivity.
Exceptional executive communication and change leadership; ability to distill complex AI concepts into clear decisions, align senior stakeholders, and mobilize global teams.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or relevant executive, AI, consulting, or program leadership credentials preferred.

Responsibilities

Set the global AI Services Consulting strategy and operating model: Define the service portfolio, engagement principles, delivery methodology, standards, governance, and investment roadmap that make AI consulting repeatable, differentiated, and scalable across segments and geographies.
Own portfolio capacity, prioritization, and commercial performance: Forecast demand, shape capacity and coverage, balance utilization with customer outcomes, and make informed tradeoffs across staffing, scope, investment, and margin.
Create executive accountability for outcomes: Establish the performance system, success measures, and review cadence that connect AI delivery to customer value, retention, expansion, quality, and financial performance.
Lead senior cross-functional alignment and executive customer engagement: Partner with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, Finance, and regional leaders to resolve systemic barriers, align investment decisions, and create shared accountability for customer and business outcomes.
Build the leadership bench and AI consulting capability: Develop directors, senior managers, and consultants through clear expectations, coaching, succession planning, knowledge systems, and product readiness; create durable feedback loops from the field to improve product, tooling, and enablement.