Chief of Staff – People Strategy

Job Description

Chief of Staff, People Team | Zendesk

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at Zendesk, located in the USA with a hybrid work model. Zendesk builds products rooted in AI, automation, and intelligent customer experiences to power exceptional service and make human connections. This role is crucial for bringing clarity to the People team’s strategy, portfolio, operating rhythm, and communications, ensuring they deliver meaningful outcomes for employees and the business.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Hybrid – USA
• Pay: $185000–$277000 yearly
• Team: Partners with the Chief People Officer and People Leadership Team
• Mission: Bring clarity to the People team’s strategy, portfolio, operating rhythm, and communications to deliver meaningful outcomes.
• Tech Stack: AI-enabled tools, planning tools, portfolio management tools, analytics tools

What You’ll Actually Do
• Strategy: Partner closely with the CPO to shape and execute the People team’s strategic priorities, annual plans, and operating cadence.
• Portfolio Management: Lead portfolio management across People initiatives, clarifying outcomes, dependencies, and risks while keeping work moving.
• Financial Planning: Own the People team planning process and budget rhythm in partnership with Finance and functional leaders.
• Executive Communications: Drive preparation for Board and executive-level discussions, developing clear narratives and materials for People-related topics.
• Special Projects: Lead high-priority, confidential, and often ambiguous special projects for the CPO from diagnosis through execution and results.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Executive level with 10+ years of experience in business strategy, business operations, People/HR operations, consulting, program management, or a related strategic role.
• Experience: 4+ years partnering directly with C-suite or senior executive leaders in a Chief of Staff, strategy, operations, or equivalent capacity, including leading enterprise planning, portfolio management, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Skills: A strategic operator’s mindset, strong executive communication skills, sound judgment and discretion with sensitive information, a practical and data-informed approach to prioritization, and the ability to influence senior leaders without formal authority.
• Bonus: Experience supporting a Chief People Officer or CHRO in a global technology or SaaS company, particularly one with 3,000+ employees in multiple regions undergoing growth or transformation.