Senior Director, Technology Alliances

Zendesk•San Francisco, CA

6d•$298,000 - $446,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Zendesk is seeking a visionary and high-impact Senior Director, Strategic AI & Hyperscaler Partnerships to lead our global partner strategy and secure Zendesk’s position at the absolute forefront of Generative AI, LLM, and Agentic AI innovation. Sitting at the critical intersection of product, engineering, CTO and corporate strategy, you will be the executive anchor for Zendesk's relationship with the rapidly evolving AI & Hyperscaler ecosystem. You will work hand-in-hand with the Director, AI Partnerships (your direct report) to co-define Zendesk's overarching AI partner strategy in close collaboration with product and engineering leaders. You will set the macro direction and build the high-level executive relationships necessary to open up deeper commercial and product partnership opportunities and enable flawless execution. Your focus will be on gaining top-down buy-in and ongoing engagement from both Zendesk and partner leadership for joint partnership goals, while providing mentorship, guidance, and strategic air cover to your direct as well as cross functional teams to drive operational execution of product and commercial programs with their partner counterparts. You will be a strategic advisor to Zendesk’s executive leadership team on macro shifts in the AI ecosystem, commercial frameworks, and disruptive technologies that could impact business strategy.

Requirements

Demonstrable, deep experience building alliances or products alongside GenAI platform vendors, hyperscalers, and the broader Agentic AI ecosystem.
A blend of seasoned technology alliances expertise and technical/product acumen. As well as negotiating enterprise commercial terms you should be comfortable discussing LLM performance variables.
15+ years of relevant experience, with a proven track record of managing high-performing partnership teams and navigating complex, multi-million-dollar C-suite negotiations.
Deep, existing networks within OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and other leading AI foundations would be an advantage.

Nice To Haves

A business degree or an MBA is highly preferred.
An engineering or technical bachelor’s degree would be an advantage but is not a requirement.

Responsibilities

Build, nurture, and own executive-level relationships with the C-suite and senior leadership teams at Zendesk and across our most critical strategic partners.
Serve as the primary executive contact for Zendesk’s highest-priority AI relationships, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Bedrock and pioneering AI platforms like Baseten and Eleven Labs.
Formulate the strategy for and accelerate deep, emerging partnerships with Microsoft and Google, specifically focusing on advanced enterprise AI integrations, model usage optimization, co-innovation and joint marketing.
Secure top-down alignment and commitment from both Zendesk and partner leadership regarding joint multi-year product, technical, and commercial roadmaps.
Work closely with the Director, AI Partnerships, alongside the CTO, Product, and Engineering leaders, to define and continuously iterate on Zendesk's global AI partnerships strategy.
Set the high-level direction and build the senior leadership bridges required for effective execution, purposely clearing corporate and technical roadblocks to allow the Director, AI Partnerships to lead day-to-day AI programs.
Act as a direct manager, coach, and advocate for the Director, AI Partnerships, ensuring they have the support and professional development needed to successfully drive operational execution with partner counterparts.
Provide overarching guidance to the broader team as they manage programmatic engagements with ISVs, developers, and hyperscalers (such as Amazon Bedrock).
Partner closely with internal engineering and product leadership to align partner capabilities directly with Zendesk’s core software and agentic product integration plans.
Educate and advise Zendesk’s executive leadership team on macro shifts in the AI ecosystem, commercial frameworks, and disruptive technologies that could impact business strategy.