Manager, Technical Architecture

Job Description

As the Manager of Technical Architecture, you will lead a global team of Technical Architects (TAs) responsible for designing and delivering high-complexity, customized solutions for Zendesk’s most strategic customers. You will be responsible for the professional growth of your team, the technical quality of their deliverables, and the overall success of Zendesk Contact Center implementations. You will balance people management with high-level technical oversight, ensuring that your team effectively translates complex business objectives into scalable cloud architectures.

Responsibilities:

People Leadership & Mentorship:

• Manage a global team of Technical Architects, providing regular coaching, performance feedback, and career development.

• Mentor the team on best practices for AWS environment deployment, contact center logic, and coding standards in Python and Node.js.

• Handle high-profile customer escalations with confidence, supporting your TAs in resolving complex technical or project-related issues.

• Resource Planning: Collaborate with leadership to assign TAs to projects based on expertise and bandwidth, ensuring the team can manage multiple concurrent engagements.

Technical Oversight & Quality Assurance:

• Govern Technical Delivery: Oversee the end-to-end technical delivery of implementation projects, ensuring global consistency in how solutions are documented and executed.

• Standardize Documentation: Review and approve Technical Design Documents (TDD) and Custom App Specifications produced by the team to ensure they meet Zendesk’s high standards for scalability and efficiency.

• Architectural Guidance: Serve as the final point of escalation for complex design decisions involving Amazon Connect, Lex, Lambda, DynamoDB, and other AWS services.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Internal Partnering: Work closely with Engagement Managers, Services Consultants, and Solution Architects to serve as the lead technical voice within the Professional Services organization.

• Product Advocacy: Identify product limitations discovered during implementations and collaborate with the Product and Engineering teams to recommend enhancements based on global market demands.

• Pre-Sales Support: Assist the sales organization by reviewing technical solutions and estimates for prospective customers to ensure they are viable and accurately scoped.

Operational Excellence:

• Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to automate deployments and improve solution efficiency across the TA organization.

• Knowledge Transfer: Lead global training sessions and handovers to ensure technical product expertise is maintained across the entire Zendesk product suite.

• Executive Communication: Articulate complex technical strategies and roadmaps to diverse audiences, including executive-level decision-makers.

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience.

• Experience: * Minimum of 6+ years in consulting services or programming, with at least 2+ years in a formal leadership or management role.

3+ years of hands-on experience building, migrating, and deploying complex cloud-based solutions.

• Technical Proficiency: * Expert knowledge of AWS environments and contact center integrations.

Strong hands-on programming skills (Python, Node.js, or Java) and comfort with AWS Lambda.

In-depth familiarity with RESTful APIs and SaaS application support.

• Skills: * Proven ability to manage a team handling competing priorities across multiple global projects.

Exceptional communication and analytical problem-solving abilities.

A passion for building contact center solutions and a willingness to "get your hands dirty" alongside your team when necessary.

#LI-SM12

The US annualized OTE (On Target Earnings) range for this position is $210,000.00-$316,000.00 with a pay mix of 80/20 (base/commission). 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.

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.