About the Role:
Zendesk for Startups helps early-stage companies build exceptional customer experiences from day one by providing the AI-first customer service technology, resources, and support they need to scale.
We’re looking for a strategic, hands-on Startup Growth & Campaign Manager who owns end-to-end funnel execution for the Zendesk for Startups program. In this role, you will bridge top-of-funnel acquisition with mid-funnel activation, designing and executing integrated marketing campaigns that attract startup founders, drive qualified program applications, and nurture admitted accounts through product onboarding, go-live, and paid subscription conversion.
You are an equal parts growth marketer, creative storyteller, and lifecycle operator. You know how to launch compelling top-of-funnel campaigns across paid, organic, partner, and community channels to capture founder mindshare, while simultaneously building the mid-funnel nurture tracks, founder-centric content, and automated customer journeys required to turn trial accounts into active, high-value Zendesk users.
You leverage AI to work nimbly—accelerating creative development, copy production, audience testing, and workflow automation. You deeply understand what motivates early-stage teams and can build end-to-end campaign motions that speak authentically to founders, accelerate Zendesk AI adoption, and deliver measurable revenue impact.
What You’ll Do:
Drive End-to-End Campaign Strategy & Execution
- Own the Full-Funnel Campaign Engine: Strategy, execution, and optimization of multi-channel marketing campaigns designed to reach, engage, and convert startup founders at every stage—from first touch through program application, product deployment, and paid conversion.
- Top-of-Funnel Demand Generation: Launch targeted acquisition campaigns across paid channels (search, social, display), organic social, SEO/AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), ABM, startup communities (e.g., Reddit, Product Hunt), and VC co-marketing partnerships to drive qualified traffic and program applications.
- Mid-Funnel Activation & Nurture: Design and run mid-funnel campaign streams, targeted email nurtures, retargeting sequences, and behavioral triggers that keep admitted founders engaged throughout their extended trial runway and push accounts to reach official go-live milestones.
- Founder-Centric Copywriting & Content: Write authentic, high-converting copy across ad assets, campaign briefs, landing pages, founder playbooks, customer spotlights, webinar abstracts, and email workflows tailored to startup operators and CX leaders.
Deliver Mid-Funnel Programming & Product Activation
- Digital Programming & Virtual Events: Conceptualize and host founder-focused workshops, virtual webinars, AI immersion sessions, and product deep-dives that guide startups through workspace setup and rapid deployment of Zendesk AI capabilities (e.g., AI Agents, Copilot, omnichannel routing).
- Segmented Campaign Motions: Build differentiated campaign tracks tailored to high-value T0/T1 VC-backed startup portfolios versus high-volume self-serve segments, ensuring high-conviction accounts receive targeted touchpoints and executive engagement.
- Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): Run PLG experiments, landing page optimizations, messaging tests, and friction-reduction initiatives in partnership with web, product, and analytics teams to improve funnel conversion at every step.
What You Bring
- 6+ years of experience in growth marketing, demand generation, lifecycle marketing, product marketing, or performance marketing—ideally in B2B SaaS, high-growth technology, or a startup-focused business.
- Experience marketing to founders, startup operators, or SMB audiences.
- Demonstrated experience driving acquisition through a mix of paid, organic, content, events, ABM, and digital channels.
- Strong campaign ownership skills, with experience taking programs from initial strategy through launch, reporting, and optimization.
- Excellent writing and messaging abilities, with a portfolio of customer-facing campaigns, email, web, social, or ad copy.
- Working knowledge of paid media platforms, web analytics, CRM/marketing automation tools, and reporting dashboards.
- A strong understanding of SEO; familiarity with AEO and optimizing content for AI-powered search and discovery is a plus.
- A data-informed mindset: comfortable using performance data to make decisions, test hypotheses, and communicate results.
- Exceptional project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple workstreams and stakeholders in a fast-moving environment.
Nice to Have
- Experience working with startup accelerators, venture capital firms, incubators, or ecosystem partners.
- Experience with product-led growth motions or freemium/self-serve conversion funnels.
- Familiarity with Zendesk, customer experience software, AI agents, or customer service technology.
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 we’re 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 [email protected] with your specific accommodation request.
Skills Required
- 6+ years of experience in growth marketing, demand generation, lifecycle marketing, product marketing, or performance marketing
- Experience in B2B SaaS, high-growth technology, or a startup-focused business
- Experience marketing to founders, startup operators, or SMB audiences
- Demonstrated acquisition experience across paid, organic, content, events, ABM, and digital channels
- Experience owning campaigns from initial strategy through launch, reporting, and optimization
- Excellent writing and messaging abilities, supported by a portfolio of customer-facing campaign, email, web, social, or advertising copy
- Working knowledge of paid media platforms, web analytics, CRM or marketing automation tools, and reporting dashboards
- Strong understanding of SEO
- Data-informed approach to performance analysis, hypothesis testing, decision-making, and communicating results
- Exceptional project-management skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams and stakeholders
- Experience with startup accelerators, venture capital firms, incubators, or ecosystem partners
- Experience with product-led growth motions or freemium and self-serve conversion funnels
- Familiarity with Zendesk, customer experience software, AI agents, or customer service technology
- Familiarity with AEO and optimizing content for AI-powered search and discovery
Zendesk Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Zendesk and has not been reviewed or approved by Zendesk.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — The company states a commitment to publishing base pay ranges and advancing pay equity, helping employees gauge fairness. Public messaging on pay equity and transparency signals structured, consistent compensation practices.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time away programs include flexible PTO, dedicated well‑being days, emergency time off, and pregnancy loss leave. Parental leave is described as generous, and travel support exists for reproductive care where access is restricted.
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Healthcare Strength — Benefits language highlights comprehensive medical, dental/vision, mental health access, and an employee assistance program. These offerings are positioned as part of holistic wellbeing support across regions.
Zendesk Insights
What We Do
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. We advocate for digital first customer experiences— and we stick with it in our workplace. Over 5,000 employees worldwide are collaborating from kitchen tables, home offices, co-working spaces, and Zendesk workspaces to make one team.
Why Work With Us
We know one desk doesn’t fit all. At Zendesk, we prioritize remote work because we believe great work happens anywhere. Digital first is more than where we work though. We give our employees flexibility and choice in both where and how they work while also trusting them to be a team player.
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