Principal Analyst Workforce & Service Performance

Job Description

The principal analyst sets standards and leads advanced analytics and automation across Workforce Management (WFM) and Quality Assurance (QA) for multiple teams within the Zendesk organization. Solves unique complex and ambiguous problems with broad business impact driving change through data models experiments and frameworks. Operates with high autonomy determining methods and procedures on new or special assignments and shaping WSP direction through recommendations standards and measurable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategy Shaping & Standards

• • Translate business goals and business targets into WFM/QA analytical roadmaps standards and reference models adopted across teams.

  • Produce playbooks for forecasting capacity intraday and backlog management; build QA scorecards/calibration guides; define metrics/data; and set governance rules.

  • Establish experimentation standards (A/B quasi-experimental test/control) scenario modeling and business casing to advise senior leaders on trade-offs and prioritization.

  • Define guardrails for ethical/secure data use and model risk management (validation monitoring drift).

• Advanced Workforce Management

• • Build trend-based forecasts for each channel over different timeframes and confirm reliability with scenario and risk simulations.

  • Create capacity and hiring plans incorporating seasonality marketing campaigns sales projections policy/product changes and attrition; quantify impacts of AHT shrinkage adherence and occupancy.

  • Recommend scheduling strategies that balance SLA/ASA cost and agent experience; quantify impacts of AHT shrinkage adherence and occupancy.

  • Lead intraday/variance analysis and event/outage modeling; define corrective actions and run controlled experiments.

• Quality Management Analytics

• • Design and maintain QA frameworks sampling plans calibration routines and reliability checks to ensure fair consistent measurement.

  • Integrate speech/text analytics and VoC/CSAT/NPS to detect defects and behavior gaps; quantify impact and drive closed-loop action via coaching enablement or process/product changes.

  • Validate automated QA/tag accuracy; monitor impact on customer satisfaction first-contact resolution repeat contacts defects and resolution time.

• Insight Automation & Tooling

• • Build executive-ready dashboards and narratives linking operational drivers to business outcomes.

  • Define data models and metric definitions for WFM/QA; ensure data quality and lineage.

  • Lead adoption of automation and AI-assisted analytics to reduce manual effort and accelerate time-to-insight; partner with IT/Product/vendors on evaluation configuration integrations and monitoring.

• Cross-functional Influence & Program Execution

• • Create formal networks and facilitate recurring forums (forecast reviews calibrations performance deep dives) across Operations Sales Success Enablement Finance and Product/IT.

  • Lead complex cross-functional workstreams and pilots end to end (charter plan risks measurement change management); document decisions and trade-offs.

  • Serve as a WFM/QA Center-of-Excellence voice mentoring peers conducting training and uplifting analytic capabilities without direct people management.

• Risk Compliance & Change Management

• • Ensure compliance and privacy in QA programs and data usage; anticipate risks and build mitigations.

  • Anticipate risks (model drift data quality operational resiliency) and implement mitigations; maintain audit-ready documentation.

  • Plan and execute change management for new processes and tools; measure adoption and effectiveness and iterate.

• Key Outcomes and Measures

• • Forecast accuracy and staffing efficiency (AHT Forecast accuracy staffing efficiency schedule efficiency index; healthy occupancy/adherence with agent wellbeing considerations.

  • SLA/ASA/abandon attainment across channels with optimized cost per resolved contact and backlog health (for async channels).

  • QA performance: calibration health pass rates precision/recall of automated QA defect reduction closed-loop improvements.

  • Customer outcomes: CSAT/NPS FCR recontact/complaint rates end-to-end resolution time self-service containment/deflection.

  • Insight and automation: time-to-insight automation coverage and hours saved measurable savings and ROI from process/tool improvements.

  • Adoption of standards data governance and operating rhythms across business units.

Competencies

• Strategic and systems thinking; conceptual and innovative problem solving in ambiguous environments.

• Analytical rigor; statistical literacy; data governance and quality mindset.

• Experimental design and inference; translating analysis to action with measurable results.

• Stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration; leads through influence and formal networks.

• Project/program leadership prioritization and autonomy; documentation discipline and change enablement.

• Executive communication and storytelling with data; negotiates trade-offs; mentors without direct authority.

• Ethical AI and automation awareness; risk anticipation and mitigation.

Qualifications

• 8 years in contact center operations with deep experience across WFM and QA; track record delivering enterprise-impact analyses and programs as an individual contributor.

• Expert proficiency with WEM/WFM platforms (e.g. NICE IEX Verint Calabrio Playvox Zendesk WFM) and QA platforms (Playvox Maestro QA Zendesk QA); strong system configuration and maintenance experience.

• Advanced Excel/Google Sheets and BI (Tableau/Power BI/Looker); SQL required; scripting/statistical modeling (Python/R) and version control (Git) a plus.

• Familiarity with contact center support systems (e.g. telephony chat email CRM platforms case management)

• Expert knowledge of Erlang C/queueing concepts sampling and calibration methods and core CX metrics (SL ASA AHT adherence occupancy CSAT/NPS)

• Experience with experimentation (A/B quasi-experimental) scenario analysis and business casing; able to convert analysis into action with measurable results.

• Strong program/project execution skills (Agile/Kanban familiarity RAID/RACI OKRs); change management exposure (adoption measurement).

• Executive communication; able to influence Sr Manager stakeholders and negotiate trade-offs; vendor evaluation and partnership management experience.

Preferred

• Six Sigma/Lean exposure

• Project/change management experience or certification (e.g. PMP Agile Prosci/ADKAR)

• Hands-on experience with AI/automation initiatives in support operations

• Experience in B2B support within the technology industry

Work model

• Hybrid or remote with periodic travel (as needed) for workshops calibrations or program rollouts

Notes: This role acts independently on new or special assignments determines the methods and procedures to achieve objectives and may provide input to broader organizational goals. No direct people management or ownership of organizational budgets.

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.

Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working enables us to purposefully come together in person at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world to connect collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

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.