Zendesk is seeking an experienced Vice President of Engineering to spearhead the development of our product excellence center in Pune and serve as the growth hub leader for the site. Based in Pune, this strategic role is instrumental in both building and scaling our center through a hybrid model: partnering with an established BOT provider while simultaneously expanding Zendesk’s direct presence in Pune. This strategic leadership role will shape technical and organizational strategy, positioning Zendesk as an employer of choice in the region, while cultivating a strong local leadership team and ensuring long-term success in this vibrant market.
As a key leader, you will play a crucial role in driving cross-functional collaboration across Product Development (Engineering, Product Management, and Design) globally, with a focus on “aligned autonomy.” Your ability to set and achieve ambitious goals, foster a culture of innovation, and be a champion for Zendesk’s values will be vital. You’ll also serve as an ambassador for Zendesk in Pune, driving our local community engagement and industry presence.
The ideal candidate has extensive experience in software development, operations, and infrastructure management in globally distributed teams. You will embed Zendesk’s culture in the Pune office, attract and develop top talent, and align teams with our global product goals. In addition to leading experienced engineering teams, you will influence technical and product decisions, contributing to the technical, product, organizational, and site-level strategy.
A successful candidate will be inquisitive and thrive across all areas of product development, from full-stack engineering to high-level strategy. As a senior leader, you will support other business functions, shaping the direction of product and technology while driving innovation across teams.
While the role is based in Pune, we are open to considering exceptional candidates from across India who are willing to work closely with our Pune operations.
About Zendesk - The intelligent heart of customer experience
At Zendesk we’re on a mission to simplify the complexity of business and make it easy for companies and customers to create connections. We do this by showing companies how to unlock the power of the interactions they have with their customers every day. That power gives businesses what they need to create customer experiences that are more connected, personalized, and rich.
Zendesk’s is on a journey to become a $3Bn company by 2027, a $1Bn Employee Services business, and recognised industry leadership as the superior, AI-powered, omnichannel service platform.
As a Leader for our Product Development Centre of Excellence in Pune:
Serve as a key subject matter expert on the product development cycle within India, providing strategic insights and guidance to enhance product delivery and innovation
Collaborate with senior leaders to meet product development goals and ensure timely, high-quality delivery of features and enhancements.
Own end-to-end delivery, from concept to release, ensuring scope, timeline, and quality standards are met.
Drive innovation by encouraging teams to explore new technologies and approaches to solving complex challenges.
Build a high-performing engineering organization by recruiting and mentoring top talent.
Engage with Zendesk’s customers and leadership teams in APAC to participate in region-level strategic development for Zendesk.
Continuously improve deliver, foster team growth, and ensure team health
Develop growth and training programs for engineers and engineering leaders in India
Communicate progress and key decisions broadly within the organization.
Lead cross-functional teams in Engineering, Product Management, and Design for key product areas
Serve as a trusted technical advisor, providing guidance on architecture, code quality, and technical strategy to ensure the scalability and reliability of our products.
Actively mentor engineering leaders to elevate technical standards and decision-making within the organization.
Step into critical situations to provide clarity and direction, ensuring the team overcomes challenges effectively and efficiently.
As a Growth Hub Leader for Pune:
Represent Zendesk to customers, partners, and the broader technology community in Pune and APAC.
Design and deliver experiences that support connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration in the Pune site, in alignment with Zendesk culture.
Serve as a trusted voice within the global leadership team, sharing key decisions and progress related to the site.
Oversee local entity management, including legal, administrative, financial, and regulatory compliance.
Serve as company representative and signatory for regulatory and legal documents.
Participate in the business recovery and continuity team, ensuring a safe working environment.
Engage in community initiatives and represent Zendesk in local industry groups.
Partner with Zendesk’s Social Impact team for community engagement aligned with global CSR priorities.
Oversee budgets related to the employee experience in the hub
Share best practices within the Zendesk Site Leader community and contribute to the global success of the site leader model.
What You'll Bring To The RoleMinimum 15+ years of experience leading a product development function, including overseeing teams with both frontend and backend technologies
Proven track record as a VP of Engineering or a similar leadership role, delivering scalable, high-quality products built for flexibility and growth.
Extensive experience leading cross-functional teams in globally distributed environments.
Ability to drive both technical and strategic product discussions across Engineering, Product Management, and Design.
Expertise in building high-impact, self-sufficient teams, with experience hiring top talent and mentoring leaders.
Strong desire to engage with the local software engineering community and represent Zendesk’s brand.
Deep understanding of large-scale SaaS architecture and product development at scale.
A strong foundation in software architecture and system design, with the ability to evaluate and influence key technical decisions across product and engineering teams.
While hands-on coding is not expected, the ability to assess technical talent, provide architecture direction, and review critical code paths when needed is essential.
Demonstrated experience working closely with Product Management to align engineering goals with business objectives, ensuring seamless delivery of customer-centric solutions.
Excellent communication and influencing skills across multiple business functions and geographies.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Experience with the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model is a plus.
Minimally a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field. Masters in Engineering/Technology is a plus
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.