8+ years of HR Business Partner or People Partner experience in a tech or SaaS environment.
3+ years supporting senior leaders, particularly in Product, Engineering, or Design.
Strong business acumen linking talent decisions to business outcomes.
Expertise in organizational design, talent management, and performance cycles.
Sound judgment in sensitive employee relations and leadership matters.
Ability to leverage qualitative and quantitative insights for decision-making.
Collaborative and empathetic approach to building trust with stakeholders.
Comfortable using AI tools responsibly in HR practices.
Responsibilities
Partner with senior leaders to develop people strategies aligned with business goals.
Coach leaders on organizational design, workforce planning, and team effectiveness.
Analyze people data and employee feedback to identify trends and recommend actions.
Lead talent conversations on performance management and succession planning.
Collaborate with various HR functions to deliver scalable people solutions.
Foster inclusive team cultures that prioritize feedback and accountability.
Guide leaders through change with effective communication and stakeholder management.
Enhance People Partner practices within the Product Development team.
Benefits
Comprehensive health and wellness programs.
Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance.
Opportunities for professional development and career growth.
Inclusive company culture promoting diversity and belonging.
Access to AI tools to enhance work efficiency and insights.
Full Job Description
Job Description
We're looking for a strategic, hands-on Sr. HR Business Partner to support our Product Development organization. In this role, you'll partner with leaders to build healthy, high-performing teams and translate business priorities into practical people plans that help Zendesk build great products, move with focus, and grow sustainably.
What you'll be doing
Partner with senior Product Development leaders to shape people strategies that support business goals, organizational health, and long-term growth.
Coach leaders through organizational design, workforce planning, talent planning, team effectiveness, and change across a distributed product organization.
Use people data, business context, and employee feedback to identify trends, diagnose root causes, and recommend clear, practical actions.
Lead complex talent conversations, including performance management, succession planning, employee relations, and development planning, with sound judgment and care.
Collaborate with Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, People Operations, Learning & Development, Employee Relations, and Legal to deliver consistent, scalable people solutions.
Help leaders create inclusive, accountable team cultures where people understand priorities, receive meaningful feedback, and can do their best work.
Guide leaders through change with thoughtful communication, strong stakeholder management, and a focus on employee experience.
Improve People Partner practices and operating rhythms for the Product Development People Team.
What you bring to the role
8+ years of progressive HR Business Partner or People Partner experience, including 3+ years supporting senior leaders in a fast-paced technology or SaaS environment.
Experience supporting Product, Engineering, Design, Data, or other technical organizations, with an understanding of the operating rhythms and talent needs of product development teams.
Strong business acumen and a track record of connecting organization and talent decisions to business outcomes.
Demonstrated experience leading organizational design, workforce planning, talent reviews, performance cycles, and change initiatives.
Sound judgment in navigating sensitive employee relations, performance, and leadership matters; you know when to coach, when to challenge, and when to bring in the right partners.
Confidence using qualitative and quantitative people insights to influence decisions, tell a clear story, and measure impact.
A collaborative, direct, and empathetic approach that builds trust with leaders, employees, and cross-functional partners.
Comfort working in an AI-enabled workplace, using approved AI tools thoughtfully to improve efficiency and insight while applying human judgment and protecting confidential information.
Basic Qualifications
8+ years of HR Business Partner, People Partner, or equivalent strategic HR experience.
3+ years partnering directly with director- and VP-level leaders in a technology, SaaS, or similarly fast-moving environment.
Experience supporting organizations of 300+ employees through growth, organizational change, or transformation.
Demonstrated expertise in organizational design, talent management, performance management, employee relations, and workforce planning.
Ability to use AI-enabled tools responsibly to improve the speed and quality of work, validate outputs, understand limitations, and follow approved privacy and data-security practices.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supporting Product Development organizations, including Engineering, Product Management, Product Design, Data, or AI-focused teams.
Experience in a global, distributed company and working across multiple employment jurisdictions.
Experience leading enterprise-wide people programs or scaling people practices during periods of significant organizational change.
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Psychology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
The US annualized base salary range for this position is $157,000.00-$235,000.00. 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.
About Zendesk
Zendesk is a customer service software company headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol ZEN and is a constituent of the Russell 2000 Index. The company provides a cloud-based customer support platform which allows quicker and easier interaction between businesses and customers. Zendesk has over 4,000 employees and serves 150,000 customers in 160 countries. The company was founded in 2007 by Mikkel Svane, Morten Primdahl, and Alexander Aghassipour.
