Sr Director, Commercial Strategy

Zendesk • IL

87d • $206,000 - $308,000

About The Position

We are seeking a strategic and hands-on Senior Director, Commercial Strategy & Special Projects to design, operationalize, and scale the next generation of Zendesk’s revenue models and go-to-market plays. You will lead high-impact initiatives across pricing and packaging, monetization, deal discounting, competitive offers, and lifecycle analysis. You will report to a senior executive leader, lead a team of pricing professionals and collaborate closely with Product, Sales, Finance, Product Marketing, RevOps, Legal, and Customer Success—as well as directly with Zendesk customers and partners. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in SaaS pricing models, a strong analytical background, and a proven track record of driving significant business impact through strategic pricing initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related quantitative field; MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in pricing strategy, with at least 5 years in a leadership role within a SaaS company.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with proficiency in financial modeling and data analysis tools.
• Deep fluency in pricing research methods (WTP, conjoint, elasticity, AB testing).
• Proven ability to translate complex data into actionable pricing strategies and business insights.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop a high-performing team.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Proven success leading pricing for multi-product portfolios at scale.
• Experience leading cross-functional executive initiatives and influencing at the C-suite level.

Nice To Haves

• Experience monetizing AI and automation features in SaaS.
• Knowledge of customer service, contact center, and employee service software.
• Experience in usage or consumption-based pricing models is a huge plus.
• Experience in large-scale pricing programs or revenue model transitions.

Responsibilities

• Define multi-year pricing, packaging, and monetization strategies covering our AI, Customer Experience and Employee Service Suite portfolios, and enterprise add-ons.
• Lead monetization for new capabilities, developing attractive pricing, value metrics, usage thresholds, and hybrid usage/commit structures.
• Evolve packaging frameworks across customer segments, geographies, and partnerships.
• Conduct willingness-to-pay and elasticity research, run pricing pilots, and optimize based on robust data and market insights.
• Chair an executive-level Pricing Committee to ensure cross-functional alignment on pricing decisions.
• Collaborate closely with product management and marketing to drive monetization agenda.
• Lead company-wide transitions to new revenue models, including migration planning for the installed base.
• Partner cross-functionally to drive alignment across CPQ, billing, SKU taxonomy, entitlements, and data/analytics.
• Develop policies for grandfathering, renewals, and revenue protection during transitions.
• Design and launch competitive programs focused on winning market share from key competitors.
• Structure compelling promotions and pricing frameworks with clear financial and strategic benefit.
• Drive initiatives to reduce discounting and strengthen pricing discipline across global sales and partner motions.
• Own CLTV, CAC payback, attach/expansion, and monetization analytics frameworks and reporting dashboards.
• Monitor ARR/NRR, attach rates, and deal cycle metrics to drive ongoing performance optimization via pricing.

Benefits

• The US annualized base salary range for this position is $206,000.00-$308,000.00.
• This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree