Vice President, Design

Zendesk is a global leader in customer service and engagement software, renowned for its powerful yet user-friendly solutions. At Zendesk, we believe in building better customer relationships through our suite of products that are smart, flexible, and reliable. We're looking for a Senior Leader of Design to lead and expand our design horizons, contributing to the evolution of our brand and product experience.

Zendesk is looking for an innovative and passionate executive to lead their global product design organization. The Product Design Team is responsible for crafting the experiences and interfaces across Zendesk’s growing suite of products. The Design Head will lead a diverse team of 100+ people with organizations for Product Design, User Research, Design Systems, Content Design, Prototyping, and Design Operations.

You will be responsible for recruiting and managing designers, managers, and directors across our global offices in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Additionally you will work closely with the executive team to define and shape the strategy around how Zendesk can best leverage design. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive design strategy that aligns with Zendesk’s mission and business objectives.
• Lead and inspire a team of talented designers and researchers, fostering innovation, excellence, and growth.
• Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, and Marketing teams to ensure a seamless and user-centric design approach.
• Guide the design process from concept to execution, ensuring consistency and high-quality standards across all platforms.
• Stay updated with the latest design trends and technologies, integrating cutting-edge solutions into our design practices.
• Effectively manage resources, including budget and personnel, ensuring project goals are met within deadlines.
• Articulate and present design visions and strategies to internal teams and stakeholders.
• Champion a customer-centric design culture across the organization, ensuring that our products deliver exceptional user experiences.
• Oversee the integration of user research and feedback into design processes, ensuring our solutions are tailored to customer needs.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Industrial Design, Computer Science, or related field
• Background in Customer Experience (CX), Employee Experience (EX), UX Design 
• At least 15 years of professional design experience, with significant leadership experience in a tech-focused environment.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating a track record of leading design teams and delivering innovative design solutions, preferably in the software or tech industry.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to inspire and drive a team towards excellence.
• Deep understanding of user-centered design principles and a passion for creating intuitive and engaging user experiences.
• Demonstrated ability leveraging research insights to inform design solutions and product strategy.
• Experience with design software and tools (e.g. Figma, Adobe Creative Suite).
• Ability to work collaboratively across different teams and adapt to a fast-paced, evolving environment.

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.

The US annualized base salary range for this position is -. This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.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. We advocate for digital first customer experiences—and we stick with it in our workplace. Over 5,000 employees worldwide are collaborating from kitchen tables, home offices, coworking spaces, and Zendesk workspaces to make one team.

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.