Senior Manager, MarTech & AI Transformation

Zendesk•Austin, TX

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a pivotal senior individual contributor, the Senior Marketing Operations Manager, Martech & AI Transformation will architect a modern, intelligent marketing ecosystem. You aren't just managing tools; you are driving the shift from traditional automation to AI-driven orchestration. Reporting to the Director of Marketing Operations, you will be the cross-functional lead responsible for Martech cohesion, AI-readiness, and the adoption of high-impact technologies. You will bridge the gap between "AI-curious" and "AI-native," piloting cutting-edge tools (GenAI, agentic workflows, predictive modeling) while ensuring our core stack remains secure, integrated, and optimized for revenue. What you’ll be doing Architect an AI-Ready Ecosystem Define and evolve an organization-level Martech architecture that prioritizes data fluidity and AI accessibility. Lead the Unified Data Layer initiative: ensure our CDP and Data Warehouse are structured to feed LLM-based applications and predictive models accurately. Build and maintain a multi-quarter roadmap that balances legacy stack debt with high-growth AI innovation. Drive AI Transformation & Rapid Prototyping Own the AI Sandbox: Design and lead structured proofs-of-concept (POCs) for GenAI use cases, such as automated content localization, autonomous SDR agents, and hyper-personalized journey mapping. Scale Intelligence: De-risk major technology bets by running pilot programs and successfully transitioning them into full-scale production workflows. Lead Vendor Innovation: Own the evaluation (RFPs, scoring, pilots) of emerging AI vendors, ensuring they meet enterprise standards for security and performance. Modernize, Audit, and Rationalize the Stack Conduct regular audits to identify redundancy and capability gaps, producing consolidation recommendations. Streamline the stack by decommissioning underperforming tools to reallocate budget toward high-impact AI and automation infrastructure. AI Governance, Measurement, and Change Management Define AI Efficiency: Establish KPIs that measure not just conversion lift, but the reduction of manual work and increased speed-to-market. Codify Governance: Develop the framework for ethical AI use, data privacy, and brand consistency across all automated and generated outputs. Enable the Team: Act as the internal evangelist for AI adoption, creating runbooks, prompt-engineering guides, and integration diagrams to upskill the broader marketing organization. Strategic Partner & Business Liaison Align marketing leaders on resources and dependencies; translate technical AI capabilities into business outcomes (e.g., MQL conversion, pipeline velocity). Facilitate working agreements with IT/CIO to ensure Martech-led AI initiatives align with broader corporate data security policies.

Requirements

8+ years of professional experience in Marketing Operations, Martech, or RevOps.
Demonstrated AI Experience: Proven track record of operationalizing AI/ML tools - moving beyond basic ChatGPT prompts to building automated, AI-driven workflows within a production environment.
Platform Expertise: Deep familiarity with the classic Martech stack (Salesforce, Marketo/HubSpot, Segment/Adobe RTCDP, GA4) and how they interface with modern AI layers.
Program Management: Experience leading stack rationalization, vendor selection, and large-scale transformation initiatives.
Governance Guru: Solid understanding of data privacy (GDPR/CCPA) and the specific security risks associated with feeding customer data into LLMs.
AI-First Systems Thinker: You look beyond simple integrations to architect cross-functional solutions that leverage machine learning and agentic workflows to simplify decision-making.
Business‑oriented marketer: Solid understanding of the full marketing funnel and how technology, processes, and data drive conversion and pipeline. You can link platform capabilities to tangible business outcomes (lead quality, conversion lift, pipeline contribution).
Technical Translator: The ability to explain complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders in a way that gains buy-in.
Bias for Action: Proven experience driving large, multi-quarter programs from a "wild idea" to a measured, scalable business reality.
Data-Obsessed: You don't just "want data"; you understand how to structure it for model training and predictive accuracy.
Strong stakeholder influence: Proven ability to align senior leaders, run workshops, and codify governance that drives adoption.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with Integration/Middleware (Workato, Zapier, Tray.io) to build automated agentic workflows.
Familiarity with Prompt Engineering, RAG architectures, or scripting (Python/SQL) for data manipulation.
Experience in a high-growth B2B SaaS environment.
Advanced certifications in Salesforce, Marketo, or specialized AI/Data Science credentials.

Responsibilities

Architect an AI-Ready Ecosystem
Define and evolve an organization-level Martech architecture that prioritizes data fluidity and AI accessibility.
Lead the Unified Data Layer initiative: ensure our CDP and Data Warehouse are structured to feed LLM-based applications and predictive models accurately.
Build and maintain a multi-quarter roadmap that balances legacy stack debt with high-growth AI innovation.
Drive AI Transformation & Rapid Prototyping
Own the AI Sandbox: Design and lead structured proofs-of-concept (POCs) for GenAI use cases, such as automated content localization, autonomous SDR agents, and hyper-personalized journey mapping.
Scale Intelligence: De-risk major technology bets by running pilot programs and successfully transitioning them into full-scale production workflows.
Lead Vendor Innovation: Own the evaluation (RFPs, scoring, pilots) of emerging AI vendors, ensuring they meet enterprise standards for security and performance.
Modernize, Audit, and Rationalize the Stack
Conduct regular audits to identify redundancy and capability gaps, producing consolidation recommendations.
Streamline the stack by decommissioning underperforming tools to reallocate budget toward high-impact AI and automation infrastructure.
AI Governance, Measurement, and Change Management
Define AI Efficiency: Establish KPIs that measure not just conversion lift, but the reduction of manual work and increased speed-to-market.
Codify Governance: Develop the framework for ethical AI use, data privacy, and brand consistency across all automated and generated outputs.
Enable the Team: Act as the internal evangelist for AI adoption, creating runbooks, prompt-engineering guides, and integration diagrams to upskill the broader marketing organization.
Strategic Partner & Business Liaison
Align marketing leaders on resources and dependencies; translate technical AI capabilities into business outcomes (e.g., MQL conversion, pipeline velocity).
Facilitate working agreements with IT/CIO to ensure Martech-led AI initiatives align with broader corporate data security policies.