Senior Manager, Product Strategy

Job Description

Job Summary:

The Sr. Manager of Operations will serve as the operational backbone for the Product-Led Growth (PLG) and Online Self-Service Business Unit, overseeing annual planning, budget management, operational cadences (e.g., MBRs, QBRs), and cross-functional governance. This leader will ensure seamless execution of operational strategies across Performance Marketing, Website Optimization, Digital Sales, eCommerce, and Scaled Programs.

In this role, you will lead an operations team, drive accountability across planning cycles, and ensure alignment between strategic priorities and day-to-day execution. The ideal candidate has a deep background in business operations, thrives in complex environments, and excels at building scalable frameworks to drive efficiency and clarity across cross-functional teams.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Governance:

• Lead annual planning and quarterly business planning (QBRs) processes, partnering with cross-functional stakeholders to set objectives, define priorities, and allocate resources effectively.

• Own the budget management process, tracking spend, optimizing investments, and ensuring alignment with strategic goals.

• Drive and facilitate Monthly Business Reviews (MBRs), Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), and Executive/Board level presentations, delivering clear structured updates on performance, risks, and opportunities.

• Build and maintain governance structures to track strategic initiatives, dependencies, and milestones across teams.

• Partner with Finance and Leadership to ensure transparency and alignment on resource allocation, budget utilization, and investment priorities.

Operational Excellence:

• Design and implement scalable operational frameworks to improve workflows, optimize resource allocation, and ensure alignment across teams.

• Lead the creation and management of operational dashboards to monitor critical business metrics, track team performance, and identify bottlenecks.

• Establish and maintain standardized process documentation and playbooks for recurring operational tasks and key workflows.

• Proactively identify gaps in operational processes and develop solutions to drive efficiency and better outcomes.

• Collaborate with IT and Data teams to ensure systems and tools are optimized for operational needs.

Program Management & Execution:

• Oversee key cross-functional initiatives, ensuring they are executed on time, within scope, and aligned with business objectives.

• Drive project prioritization and resource planning across key programs, balancing long-term goals with short-term priorities.

• Create and maintain operational roadmaps to ensure clarity and alignment across teams on priorities, dependencies, and timelines.

• Act as the central point of contact for operational updates, escalations, and decision-making across critical programs.

Leadership & Team Management:

• Lead and mentor an Operations team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Set clear goals and expectations for team members, ensuring alignment with business objectives.

• Provide coaching, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to enable team members to thrive.

• Champion a culture of operational excellence across the broader Online Business team.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Serve as a key liaison between Marketing, Product, Sales, Finance, and IT teams to ensure seamless execution of operational priorities.

• Partner with Sr. Manager of Analytics to integrate data-driven insights into operational strategies and planning processes.

• Ensure alignment across teams through clear communication, regular check-ins, and structured operational cadences.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in Operations, Program Management, or Business Strategy, with a strong focus on annual planning, budget management, and business reviews (MBRs, QBRs) in a SaaS or Product-Led Growth (PLG) environment.

• Experience with marketing funnel reporting and key industry metrics, such as website sessions, MQLs, pipeline, conversion rates, and bookings

• 3+ years of experience managing and developing teams, with a track record of building high-performing operations teams.

• Proven expertise in business planning cycles, including annual and quarterly planning, resource allocation, and budget oversight.

• Experience in building and running operational governance frameworks (e.g., QBRs, MBRs).

• Proficiency with Salesforce, Tableau, JIRA, Asana, or similar operational tools.

• Strong experience in program management and cross-functional coordination across large, complex organizations.

• Exceptional organizational, communication, and leadership skills, with a talent for driving alignment across diverse stakeholders.

• High degree of comfort with financial modeling, budget tracking, and operational forecasting.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or a related field (MBA is a plus).

Why Zendesk:

• A dynamic, inclusive workplace where your contributions make a difference.

• Opportunities to drive high-impact initiatives across a global organization.

• A supportive culture focused on career growth, collaboration, and operational excellence.

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.