Job Description

Manager Strategic Sourcing, Software and Engineering

Location : Madison, WI (Hybrid)

The Global Strategic Sourcing team helps maximize value and minimize risk through Zendesk’s vendor relationships and ensures the organization has the goods and services needed for success.

As Manager of Strategic Sourcing, you will play a key role during the sourcing strategy and execution across software and engineering categories. You’ll use your innovative thinking, analytical and negotiating skills to oversee and lead highly complex negotiations, contract review, and usage forecasting to achieve top-line growth and maximize value to the company.

This role encompasses all aspects of the sourcing’s responsibilities including category assessment, vendor due diligence, RFx, contract negotiations and vendor management.

Key Responsibilities:

• Guide and influence business through key strategic projects to ensure best outcomes aligned to Zendesk growth.

• Develop and maintain accurate forecasts for usage, licenses, and capacity for key commitment-based contracts, including AWS, Google, MongoDB, Snowflake, and others.

• Collaborate with Engineering, IT, and business units to gather data, validate forecasts, and ensure alignment with company needs and future growth.

• Identify trends and potential risks to inform contract negotiations and prevent over-commitment or unnecessary costs.

• Focus on critical vendor management, integration and vendor strategy aligned to business partner vision.

• Support contract renewals that require precise forecasting of usage, licenses and capacity.

• Capability and expertise to drive accurate forecasts, optimize contracted volumes and prevent costly overages.

• Develop executive level presentations, analysis and forecast reporting for internal partner communications/updates

• Influence and advise senior leadership on procurement strategy.

• Specific project tasks may include market research & analysis, data collection/management, cost modeling, RFx strategy development, RFx creation and management, supplier communications, negotiations, contracting, and supplier performance management

• Lead and act as escalation for contract negotiations partnering with Legal, Security, IT and the respective business partners

• Assist in decision-making and provide informed purchase guidance to business partners

• Support the execution of spend management projects that accomplish key objectives. These objectives may include savings, process improvement/efficiency, supplier consolidation & management, risk reduction & management, improved transparency & control of expenditures

• Perform total cost of ownership evaluations, perform supply-market research and conduct pricing audits and impact analysis for the pursuit of continuous cost improvements

Personal qualities:

• Strong software and engineering strategic negotiation skills

• Proven team player and ability to build and maintain business partnerships

• Executive level communication and presentation skills

• Highly motivated towards achieving cost savings and operational improvement goals

• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in the functional areas of Technology, product and engineering.

• Proven success leading projects that impact multiple functional areas

• Flexibility and influence in working in a high growth, high volume environment

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.

The US annualized base salary range for this position is $106,000.00-$158,000.00. 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.

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. We advocate for digital first customer experiences—and we stick with it in our workplace. Over 5,000 employees worldwide are collaborating from kitchen tables, home offices, coworking spaces, and Zendesk workspaces to make one team.

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.