AI Success Strategist – Customer AI Success

Job Description

Principal AI Success Strategist, Customer Success | Zendesk

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at Zendesk, located in São Paulo, Brazil. Zendesk builds software that brings calm to customer service, powering billions of conversations for brands. Customer experience is rapidly transforming through AI-driven innovation, and Zendesk leads this change by developing its AI-powered Resolution Platform. This role is crucial for shaping and delivering long-term AI success for customers, moving beyond technical deployment to own strategic AI roadmaps and maximize business impact through executive partnerships.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Hybrid – São Paulo, Brazil
• Mission: Own end-to-end delivery of customers’ AI roadmaps by translating product capabilities into clear business strategies, defining a long-term AI vision, aligning internal and external teams, and driving execution from initial adoption through sustained expansion.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Full Ownership of AI Roadmap Delivery: Lead the design, planning, and execution of comprehensive AI adoption and expansion roadmaps for key customers, ensuring alignment with their business goals.
• Design Authority: Serve as the design authority for customers’ AI deployments, leading solution design reviews and coordinating troubleshooting and technical escalations.
• Long-term AI Vision & Business Strategy: Partner with executive stakeholders to co-create and refine a forward-looking AI strategy, serving as the primary AI thought leader and trusted advisor.
• Internal and External Stakeholder Alignment: Dedicate effort to cross-functional collaboration, aligning Product, Professional Services, Sales, Success, and other teams to deliver on the AI roadmap.
• Sustain Engagement & Mutual AI Roadmap: Maintain recurring outcome-driven cadences and mutual AI Roadmaps that define strategic goals, shared initiatives, measurable success, and a roadmap to maximize value and secure renewal.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, with core domain knowledge in Customer Success and AI strategy.
• Experience: A minimum of 10+ years in Customer Success or Experience roles, including at least 2 years in AI-related experience. This includes previous experience in go-to-customer/GTM roles in enterprise technology/SaaS, such as customer success management, professional services/consulting, technical account management, or solutions engineering. Demonstrated experience in managing AI or software adoption programs, designing and executing success plans, and utilizing adoption/health analytics to forecast churn and expansion is required.
• Skills: Strong Project & Program Management, deep Product and Technical Knowledge of AI solutions and platform capabilities (including generative AI and integrations), Business & Strategic Acumen, Consultation & Communication skills (especially with executive stakeholders), an Analytical & Outcome-Focused approach, and Conversational English and Spanish. Confidently advise customers on ethical AI practices, data governance, and compliance.
• Bonus: Advanced degrees or certifications in AI strategy or project management are preferred, along with familiarity with emerging AI trends.