Senior Manager, Community Programs

Job Description

Zendesk’s Digital CX team is building the future of how customers connect, learn, and grow with Zendesk — and our global community is at the center of that mission. With thousands of active users, our community is where customers, partners, and prospects exchange knowledge, share best practices, and shape the future of customer experience – and we're just getting started.

We’re looking for a strategic, customer-obsessed Senior Manager of Community Programs to take ownership of our most important community initiatives. This role offers the chance to shape a large-scale, global community function, work directly with senior leaders across Product, Marketing, and CX, and showcase Zendesk’s innovation in customer engagement. It’s a high-visibility, business-critical role with measurable impact on retention, growth, advocacy, and value realization.

What you’ll do

• Lead with vision. Own and scale Zendesk’s global community strategy, ensuring our programs directly contribute to company priorities around retention, adoption, advocacy, and growth.

• Build our Super User movement. Establish and operationalize a global Super User program that recognizes, nurtures, and empowers top contributors — turning expertise into advocacy and impact.

• Shape the roadmap. Define and manage the Community team’s roadmap, aligning with Digital CX and enterprise-wide goals. Share regular readouts with executive stakeholders to highlight impact and insights.

• Elevate programs. Provide oversight for community programming, including:

  • Online forums and user groups

  • Global community events and meetups

  • Product feedback and ideation channels

  • Content, recognition, and advocacy initiatives

• Lead a high-performing team. Develop and mentor a team of Community specialists and engagement managers. Create career pathways, competency models, and clear measures of success.

• Drive cross-functional collaboration. Partner with Product, Marketing, CX, and Social teams to amplify community voices, surface customer insights, and integrate community into broader company motions.

• Innovate continuously. Modernize community methodology, with a sharp eye on how AI and digital innovation are reshaping peer-to-peer engagement.

• Prove impact. Measure engagement, health, and business impact of community programs. Use insights to influence strategy and keep Zendesk at the forefront of digital-first customer experience

What you bring

• Strategic leadership: 5+ years in senior Community roles, ideally in B2B SaaS, with a track record of scaling programs globally.

• People leadership: 3+ years leading teams, including remote and distributed teams.

• Cross-functional influence: Proven ability to partner with Product, Marketing, and CX, and to communicate insights up to senior executives.

• Operational rigor: Experience building roadmaps, driving disciplined execution, and measuring outcomes through clear KPIs.

• Customer-first mindset: Passion for building meaningful digital experiences and amplifying customer voices.

• Excellent communicator: Skilled at tailoring messaging across audiences — from executives to community members.

• Adaptability: Comfort navigating multiple projects, shifting priorities, and a fast-paced, global environment.

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.

As part of our commitment to fairness and transparency, we inform all applicants that artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications for this position, in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law.

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.