Lead Executive Assistant - Military veterans preferred

Location: San Francisco, California, United States of America

Requisition ID: R31579

Position_Type: Full time

Job Description

About the Role
Zendesk is seeking a dynamic and experienced Lead Executive Assistant to support our Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and up to two additional SVPs. Reporting to the Director, Office of the CMO, this role is critical to ensuring seamless operations, executive readiness, and team cohesion. You’ll also serve as a mentor to our team of Executive Assistants in Mexico City, providing leadership and upholding high standards of excellence.

This is a high-impact role requiring discretion, proactive problem-solving, strong judgment, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Support:
  Provide proactive calendar, travel, and expense management for the CMO and senior executives, ensuring they are fully prepared for meetings, travel, and engagements.
  

• Leadership Team Enablement:
  Plan and execute high-quality team meetings, events, and offsites that foster collaboration, alignment, and morale.
  

• Operational Excellence:
  Prioritize and manage competing demands with minimal oversight. Anticipate needs and remove friction points before they arise.
  

• Cross-functional Collaboration:
  Build trusted relationships with internal teams to ensure smooth communication and execution across functions.
  

• Confidentiality & Professionalism:
  Represent the executives and organization with integrity, confidentiality, and executive presence at all times.
  

• EA Team Leadership:
  Coach and mentor Marketing Executive Assistants, standardizing best practices, driving consistency, and supporting professional development.
  

• Special Projects:
  Lead or support key initiatives, research, and administrative tasks on behalf of the executives or department. This could include town hall support, internship program support, and support with our culture and connection events.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience supporting C-suite or senior executives in fast-paced, global environments; experience in tech or SaaS strongly preferred.
  

• Demonstrated success in complex calendar management, travel coordination, and executive communication.
  

• Proven ability to operate independently, prioritize strategically, and maintain composure under pressure.
  

• Strong organizational and project management skills with acute attention to detail.
  

• High emotional intelligence with the ability to navigate sensitive situations with discretion and professionalism.
  

• Experience managing or mentoring other EAs a strong plus.
  

• Tech-savvy and highly proficient in Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Slides).
  

• Flexible to work across time zones and respond to urgent requests with urgency and grace.
  

The US annualized base salary range for this position is $57.69-$86.54. This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.

Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.

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.

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 peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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