Job Description
About 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 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.
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