Senior Manager, Product Design

Zendesk • San Francisco, CA

121d • $185,000 - $277,000

About The Position

Zendesk builds beautifully simple software that improves customer and employee experiences. It's what we're known for—and we intend to stay ahead by out-innovating ourselves. Our product design team thrives on rapid prototyping, bold experimentation, and an obsession with understanding our customers. We're looking for a Senior Manager, Product Design to lead the design vision for Product-Led Growth (PLG) at Zendesk—a business-critical initiative shaping how customers discover, try, and buy our products. This is a high-visibility role at the center of fast-moving, high-stakes work. You'll lead a talented team working at startup speed inside a scaled business. That means making quick, confident calls in ambiguous situations, keeping quality high without slowing down, and creating clarity for your team when the path isn't obvious. You'll collaborate closely with the Online Business cross-functional leadership team—strong, deeply engaged stakeholders with ambitious expectations for design. Success in this role means building trust with senior partners, balancing stakeholder needs with what's right for customers and the design team, and influencing strategy through design. You'll also regularly present to executives, turning complex problems into compelling narratives that drive alignment and action. This role requires a leader who can inspire, coach, and hold a team to a high performance bar—helping designers not only do the best work of their careers, but do it fast, and in the right direction. You'll report to the Senior Director, Product Design in the US.

Requirements

• Portfolio or case studies that demonstrate your leadership in product design—showing how you've set vision, empowered teams, and delivered measurable business results at speed
• Proven ability to navigate strong, opinionated stakeholders while keeping the team aligned to strategy
• Executive presence and exceptional storytelling skills for influencing at the highest levels
• A track record of performance management—coaching for growth and addressing issues quickly
• Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to create clarity and momentum in uncertain situations
• Experience in PLG, funnel optimization, or monetization is strongly preferred

Responsibilities

• Own the design strategy for the online customer journey—conversion, monetization, self-serve setup, and beyond
• Drive speed, agility, and focus in a high-ambiguity, high-expectation environment
• Build strong, trust-based relationships with cross-functional leadership to align on priorities and strategy
• Grow, coach, and hold designers accountable to performance standards that match business needs
• Present confidently to senior executives, telling stories that create alignment and inspire action
• Create space for critique, iteration, and experimentation while keeping delivery on track
• Define and evolve processes that keep a fast-moving team delivering at a high bar
• Recruit, hire, and onboard top design talent

Benefits

• Base salary range of $185,000.00-$277,000.00
• Bonus, benefits, or related incentives
• Hybrid work experience designed at the team level for connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services