Zendesk is seeking a transformative leader to take on the role of Senior Director, Site Lead for our CIO population in Pune, India.

This organization oversees Information Technology, Enterprise Data & Analytics, Enterprise Architecture, Program & Portfolio Management along with a variety of key Operations functions. Collectively these teams have a mission to accelerate Zendesk by making every customer interaction streamlined and enabling every employee to work with ease.

You will be instrumental in shaping the future of our CIO organization in Pune, ensuring that it supports Zendesk’s ambitious growth plans while embodying our core values of transparency, empathy, and innovation.

We are looking for a candidate who possesses a strong blend of technical expertise and people leadership skills. You should have a proven track record of successfully scaling teams in a fast-paced environment, ideally within a technology-driven company. Your ability to attract, develop, and retain top talent will be critical to our success. You should also be an advocate for diversity and inclusion, fostering an environment where all employees feel valued and empowered.

What You'll Be Doing

1. Team Building and Leadership: 

Lead the recruitment, development, and retention of a diverse and talented workforce in Pune. 

Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and innovation, ensuring that the team is engaged and aligned with Zendesk’s mission and values.

Establish clear performance metrics and provide regular feedback, coaching, and mentorship to help team members grow in their careers.

Over time, directly manage one or more shared services and/or operations teams based in Pune.  Manage these teams to high service levels and with transparent measurement.

2. Strategic Planning and Execution:

Collaborate with senior leadership to define the strategic direction of the organization, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives.

Develop and implement IT initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, improve service delivery, and support Zendesk's growth trajectory.

Drive the adoption of best practices in IT service management, ensuring that our technology solutions are scalable, reliable, and secure.

3. Culture and Employee Engagement:

Champion Zendesk's values and promote a positive work environment that encourages open communication, collaboration, and employee well-being.

Organize team-building activities, training programs, and recognition initiatives that enhance employee engagement and morale.

Act as a cultural ambassador for the Pune site, ensuring that the local team feels connected to Zendesk’s global mission and culture.

4. Stakeholder Collaboration:

Build strong relationships with cross-functional teams, including product, engineering, and customer support, to ensure that IT initiatives align with broader company goals.

Engage with external partners and vendors to leverage industry best practices and ensure our IT capabilities meet the evolving needs of the business.

Assist in managing relationship with local external partners and vendors to ensure strong performance, engagement, and SLA performance.

Represent the Pune site in global discussions, advocating for the needs and priorities of the local team.

5. Change Management and Innovation:

Lead change management efforts to ensure smooth transitions during technology upgrades, process changes, or organizational restructuring.

Encourage a culture of innovation, where team members are empowered to propose and implement new ideas that enhance our IT services and capabilities.

Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies, identifying opportunities to leverage them to improve Zendesk's technology operations.

What You Bring to the Role

To be successful in this role, you should possess:

Experience: 

10+ years of experience in technology operations leadership roles, with a proven track record of managing and scaling teams in a technology-driven environment.

Demonstrated experience working with third party partners and vendors, including for labor.

Solid experience managing engineering or IT analyst teams.

Experience managing through various aspects of solution development, including scrum/agile, testing, and deployment methodologies.

Experience in a global organization, preferably within the SaaS or technology sector.

Technical Expertise:

Deep understanding of IT service management, cloud technologies, cybersecurity, integration technologies, automation technologies, and data analytics.

Familiarity with IT governance frameworks and compliance standards.

Leadership Skills:

Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate teams.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

Cultural Fit:

A strong alignment with Zendesk’s values of empathy, transparency, and integrity.

A commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Education:

A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field; an MBA or advanced degree is a plus.

If you are a dynamic leader with a passion for technology and a commitment to building high-performing teams, we would love to hear from you. Join us at Zendesk and help us shape the future of our CIO organization in Pune!

Please note that Zendesk can only hire candidates who are physically located and plan to work from Karnataka or Maharashtra. Please refer to the location posted on the requisition for where this role is based.

Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.

The intelligent heart of customer experience

Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.

Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.

Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.