Director, Sales Operations (Planning) in Austin, Texas at Zendesk

Location: Remote, Texas, United States of America

Requisition ID: R32802

Position_Type: Full time

Job DescriptionAbout the Role:

We are seeking a Director of Sales Operations, Planning to lead two critical pillars of our go-to-market organization: Territory Planning Operations and Quota Strategy & Operations. This individual will be instrumental in operationalizing GTM strategy, optimizing performance, and driving alignment across Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and Finance.

The primary focus of this role is to serve as the planning bridge between Field Sales Operations and Worldwide Sales Planning teams — ensuring planning decisions are executed accurately, escalations are resolved efficiently, and field needs are represented in worldwide processes.

You’ll partner with senior leaders to design and execute scalable, data-driven operating models while ensuring excellence in territory and quota planning, execution, and governance. This role requires both a strategic mindset and strong executional horsepower.

Key Responsibilities:

Territory Planning Operations

As a leader in Territory Planning, you will drive operational rhythm, performance optimization, and cross-functional alignment across the GTM org.

• Co-lead annual GTM planning, including headcount strategy, capacity modeling, segmentation, territory design, and budget alignment.

• Lead large-scale strategic initiatives, such as:

  • Territory realignment

  • Market expansion

  • GTM process redesign

• Partner with Sales Directors, Business Operations Leaders, and worldwide teams to drive planning accuracy and operational excellence

• Drive alignment across Sales, Marketing, CS, Product, and Finance to ensure cohesive execution.

• Act as a program owner for key cross-functional initiatives with clear milestones, owners, and outcomes.

• Own the documentation and communication of standard operating procedures across teams.

• Identify and eliminate operational bottlenecks; proactively propose scalable solutions

• Own territory management and sales hierarchy changes

• Deliver sales planning insights through operational metrics, reporting, and data quality management to support the rapid growth strategy

Quota Strategy & Operations

• Establish a global quota allocation strategy and drive alignment with regional operations

• Partner with Sales Operations to design quota structures that reflect territory potential, historical performance, and growth expectations

• Ensure quota methodologies are consistent, transparent, and defensible to field leadership

• Partner with Sales Operations and Leadership teams to capture feedback

• Synthesize planning outputs into executive-ready communications for CCRO and senior leadership reviews

• Maintain documentation of planning assumptions, model inputs, and decision rationale to support auditability and year-over-year learning

• Continuously improve planning tools, templates, and processes to reduce cycle time and increase output quality

• Serve as subject-matter expert on territory planning, dispute resolution, and change management.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a thought partner and trusted advisor to GTM leaders.

• Lead a small team or project-based workstreams

• Create a culture of accountability, data-driven decision making, and operational excellence.

Qualifications:

• 8–12+ years of experience in Sales/GTM Operations, Business Operations, Sales Strategy, or Revenue Operations.

• Deep expertise in Territory Modeling and Quota Setting Methodologies.

• Demonstrated experience owning or co-leading an annual GTM planning cycle including target-setting, segmentation, and coverage design

• Exceptional analytical skills; comfortable working with financial models, BI tools, and large datasets.

• Strong financial acumen; comfortable modeling revenue scenarios and partnering with Finance on planning processes

• Experience working across Sales Operations, HR, and Compensation functions on quota design, role definition, and incentive alignment

• Exceptional ability to synthesize complex inputs into clear, executive-level recommendations and narratives

• Proven track record driving cross-functional alignment and managing competing stakeholder priorities in a global, matrixed organization

• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to influence across levels and functions.

• Familiarity with sales motion models (enterprise, PLG, channel) is a plus.

• Tools experience preferred: Gemini/Claude/GenAI, Salesforce, Xactly, Tableau, Clari, Excel/Google Sheets.

What You’ll Bring:

• A strategic mindset with the ability to zoom in and out between tactical execution and long-term vision.

• Strong operational intuition — you know what good looks like and how to build it.

• Confidence in leading through ambiguity and scaling operations in high-growth or evolving environments.

• A collaborative, low-ego approach to problem solving.

The US annualized base salary range for this position is $174,000.00-$262,000.00. 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.

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.