Director of Product Design, APAC
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Job Location:
Monthly Salary:
Posted on:
30+ days ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
Job Description
Zendesk is seeking aDirector of Product Designto lead design across ourFoundational & Core Platformproduct areastwo of the most critical pillars of our world-class customer experience. This role is central to shaping how millions of people interact with our products every day setting the design direction for flagship experiences.
Based in Melbourne VIC you will also play a broader unofficial leadership role within ourAPAC Design organization acting as a cultural and strategic anchor for the region. This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned design leader who thrives at the intersection ofvision execution and culture guiding teams to create experiences that are not only elegant and intuitive but also scalable and impactful for our customers most complex business needs.
What Youll Do
- Define and drive the design vision strategy and execution for Foundational and Core Platform product areas ensuring alignment with Zendesks overall business goals and customer experience strategy.
- Identify opportunities for innovation and differentiation that strengthen Zendesks competitive advantage in the market.
- Partner with senior Product Engineering and Research leaders to embed design thinking into the product strategy and influence executive decision-making.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead and inspire a team of design managers and senior ICs nurturing a high-performing inclusive and collaborative culture.
- Mentor and develop future leaders ensuring career growth pathways for designers at all levels.
- Drive initiatives that promote equity inclusion and belonging across the design organization.
Impact & Innovation
- Champion customer-centric design practices ensuring every solution solves real problems and delivers measurable value.
- Translate complex workflows and systems into intuitive human-centered experiences.
- Establish methods for measuring design effectiveness and continuously improving quality usability and business impact.
Communication & Collaboration
- Articulate design goals vision and strategies clearly to senior stakeholders cross-functional partners and the broader design org.
- Build deep partnerships with Product Engineering and Research ensuring design is a proactive force in product development.
- Model open inclusive and collaborative communication practices across global teams.
Operational Excellence
- Partner with other design leaders to set 13 year strategic plans for the global design organization.
- Ensure operational efficiency across design initiativesbalancing speed creativity and scalability.
- Contribute to broader Zendesk initiatives shaping how design elevates product and company-wide outcomes.
What Youll Bring
- Proven strategic leadership: Demonstrated ability to define communicate and execute design strategies that drive tangible business results.
- Influence at scale: Experience collaborating with senior executives and cross-functional leaders to align on shared goals and priorities.
- Team leadership at depth: Success in managing managers and leading organizations of 1015 designers with a track record of growing diverse high-performing teams.
- Customer-first mindset: Expertise in leveraging user research journey mapping service design and Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) frameworks to uncover needs and shape end-to-end product journeys.
- Enterprise product experience: Extensive background in designing complex enterprise-grade software particularly productivity or business operations tools.
- Commitment to inclusive design: A strong belief in building accessible equitable and inclusive experiences that scale globally.
- Bonus points: Experience in SaaS solutions customer service platforms or other scaled business-critical systems.
At Zendesk we believe that design is at the heart of deliveringexceptional customer experiences. As ourDirector of Product Design you will have the chance to:
- Shape the future of products used by thousands of businesses and millions of end users worldwide.
- Lead and grow talented design teams in APAC and beyond setting cultural standards for excellence and inclusivity.
- Work at a global SaaS leader collaborating with colleagues across product technology and business functions.
- Influence the next chapter of Zendesks story where customer experience is the differentiator.
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.
As part of our commitment to fairness and transparency we inform all applicants that artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications for this position in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law.
Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer and were 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 with your specific accommodation request.
Required Experience:
Director
Key Skills
- Crisis Management
- Marketing
- Public Relations
- Fundraising
- Media Relations
- Constant Contact
- Strategic Planning
- Social Media Management
- Team Management
- Public Speaking
- Wordpress
- Writing Skills
