Senior Director, Technology Alliances

Zendesk is seeking a visionary and high-impact Senior Director, Strategic AI & Hyperscaler Partnerships to lead our global partner strategy and secure Zendesk’s position at the absolute forefront of Generative AI, LLM, and Agentic AI innovation. This role sits at the critical intersection of product, engineering, CTO, and corporate strategy, serving as the executive anchor for Zendesk's relationship with the rapidly evolving AI & Hyperscaler ecosystem.

About the Role

You will work hand-in-hand with the Director, AI Partnerships (your direct report) to co-define Zendesk's overarching AI partner strategy in close collaboration with product and engineering leaders. Your focus will be on gaining top-down buy-in and ongoing engagement from both Zendesk and partner leadership for joint partnership goals, while providing mentorship, guidance, and strategic air cover to your team and cross-functional partners to drive operational execution of product and commercial programs.

Success in this role is defined by achieving key milestones with our tier-1 AI partners (such as OpenAI and Anthropic):

• Direct CEO Access: Securing and maintaining a cadence of direct, strategic access to the partner’s CEO at least twice a year.
• C-Suite Foundation: Establishing and nurturing deep, trusted relationships with at least two other C-level executives per priority partner.
• Multi-Threaded Ecosystem Depth: Building a web of broad, resilient relationships across the partner’s organization—spanning technical/product leadership and Go-To-Market (GTM) teams.
• MFN Technical Access: Guaranteeing Zendesk is on the Most Favored Nation (MFN) list for immediate technology and alpha/beta model access.
• MFN GTM Commercialization: Securing MFN status for GTM collaboration, embedding Zendesk into the partner’s sales motion.
• Technical Talent Influx: Negotiating dedicated access to the partner’s top-tier technical talent and research scientists to support Zendesk’s internal teams.
• High-Impact Co-Marketing: Executing major joint product releases, keynote appearances, and high-visibility marketing campaigns.

Responsibilities

• Executive Relationship Management & Strategic Alliances
  • Build, nurture, and own executive-level relationships with the C-suite and senior leadership teams at Zendesk and across our most critical strategic partners.
  • Serve as the primary executive contact for Zendesk’s highest-priority AI relationships, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Bedrock, and pioneering AI platforms like Baseten and Eleven Labs.
  • Formulate and accelerate deep, emerging partnerships with Microsoft and Google, focusing on advanced enterprise AI integrations, model usage optimization, co-innovation, and joint marketing.
  • Secure top-down alignment and commitment from both Zendesk and partner leadership regarding joint multi-year product, technical, and commercial roadmaps.
• Strategic Leadership & Team Enablement
  • Work closely with the Director, AI Partnerships, alongside the CTO, Product, and Engineering leaders, to define and iterate on Zendesk's global AI partnerships strategy.
  • Set the high-level direction and build senior leadership bridges required for effective execution, clearing corporate and technical roadblocks.
  • Act as a direct manager, coach, and advocate for the Director, AI Partnerships, ensuring they have the support needed to drive operational execution.
  • Provide overarching guidance to the broader team managing programmatic engagements with ISVs, developers, and hyperscalers (such as Amazon Bedrock).
• Product & Market Alignment
  • Partner closely with internal engineering and product leadership to align partner capabilities with Zendesk’s core software and agentic product integration plans.
  • Advise Zendesk’s executive leadership team on macro shifts in the AI ecosystem, commercial frameworks, and disruptive technologies that could impact business strategy.

Requirements

• Experience & Expertise
  • Proven AI Track Record: Deep experience building alliances or products alongside GenAI platform vendors, hyperscalers, and the broader Agentic AI ecosystem.
  • Hybrid Profile: A blend of seasoned technology alliances expertise and technical/product acumen. Comfortable negotiating enterprise commercial terms and discussing LLM performance variables.
  • Leadership Tenacity: 15+ years of relevant experience, with a proven track record of managing high-performing partnership teams and navigating complex, multi-million-dollar C-suite negotiations.
  • Ecosystem Network: Existing networks within OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and other leading AI foundations are advantageous.
• Education & Location
  • A business degree or MBA is highly preferred.
  • An engineering or technical bachelor’s degree is advantageous but not required.
  • Location: San Francisco or the Bay Area to maintain proximity to major GenAI platform and hyperscaler headquarters.

Pay

The US annualized base salary range for this position is $298,000–$446,000. This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. The offer for the successful candidate will be based on job-related capabilities, applicable experience, and work location.

Schedule

Hybrid: This role requires attending the local office for part of the week, with the specific in-office schedule determined by the hiring manager. The hybrid experience is designed to balance onsite collaboration and remote flexibility.