Senior DE&I Partner

Job Description

 Zendesk is a service-first CRM company that builds powerful, customizable software crafted to improve customer relationships. Many of the world’s favorite brands, including Airbnb, Netflix and Samsung leverage our products to engage you as a customer. We lead the industry with beautifully simple software, and you’ve almost certainly interacted with it without knowing it!

We’re looking for a Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) Senior Manager to join Zendesk’s Global DEI&B team. In this role, you’ll help to accelerate our global diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging journey. In this strategic role, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams and senior leadership to drive comprehensive plans of action to build a more inclusive environment for our employees. This role requires a deep understanding and level of expertise across DEI&B and the ability to engage in multiple key projects, engage in DEI&B communications and lead DEI&B metrics tracking. 

What You'll Be Doing

• Develop relationships with leaders to attain a deep understanding of the business, increase awareness and understanding of DEI&B as a critical business imperative and drive the key pillars of the strategy into relevant initiatives.

• Build strong support for DEI&B initiatives, and strong relationships to ensure DEI&B efforts are integrated into all aspects of the organization's operations, policies, and practices, and are aligned with the DEI&B philosophy and organizational strategies and goals.

• Act as internal DEI&B champion by taking a balanced consultative approach to capitalize on strategic and tactical/operational execution and change management.

• Drive program objectives through effective design and delivery methodology and defined project plans; lead implementation activities, and develop processes, documentation and communications for program/process roll out and ongoing support.

• Review existing policies and practices to identify areas for improvement and provide guidance and suggestions that promote DEI&B while guaranteeing adherence with legal requirements.

• In collaboration with corporate communications, help to drive communication strategy for promoting and highlighting DEI&B programs, supporting promotion and evolution.

• Provide guidance and  mentorship to our Employee Community Leaders, helping them establish effective governance structures, set goals, and execute impactful initiatives. Facilitate regular meetings with Employee Community Leaders to champion collaboration, share best practices, and address challenges.

Basic Qualifications

• 8 + years of experience in Global DEI or Culture strategy roles with strong intercultural competencies. 

• Experience working or consulting with global organizations.

• Deep understanding of DEI&B principles, standard methodologies, and industry trends. Passion for creating an inclusive and equitable work environment and a commitment to ongoing learning and self-development.

• Confirmed experience of developing and implementing successful DEI&B strategies and initiatives with strong project management skills.

• Solid understanding of employment laws, regulations, and compliance related to diversity, equity, and inclusion globally.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, ability to influence and engage leaders at all levels of the organization.

• Experience in facilitating discussions on DEI&B topics.

• Strong analytical skills and ability to translate metrics, research, and trends into strategy and improvement opportunities.

• Strong program and project management skills, with demonstrated ability to operationalize and scale programs focused on this space.

• Ability to empower, influence and optimize working relationships with senior leadership, partners and peer groups.

• Excellent communicator and collaborator, able to establish relationships, lead expectations and influence employees across the organization.

• Ability to influence others without direct authority to achieve solutions to meet organization’s objectives, and be proactive in providing solutions, resolving issues and overcoming hurdles to results.

• Provide guidance and  mentorship to our Employee Community Leaders, helping them establish effective governance structures, set goals, and execute impactful initiatives. Facilitate regular meetings with Employee Community Leaders to champion collaboration, share best practices, and address challenges.

Where We Work

 In this role, you’ll work in a hybrid structure with the suppo