Sales Operations Specialist

Global Go-to-Market Sales Development Operations team

Location Lisbon

As a Sales Development Analyst on the Global Go-to-Market Sales Development Operations team, you will be the dedicated analytical and strategic partner for our EMEA Sales Development Leadership team. You will be critical in driving the efficiency and strategic impact of our top-of-funnel motion across EMEA. You will leverage data to ensure the Sales Development engine, the lifeblood of our new business, is measurable, highly effective, and deeply aligned with global pipeline goals.

Zendesk is a rapidly growing company with an amazing culture. You will be working with smart and driven individuals focused on delivering high-impact projects and initiatives that directly fuel our pipeline growth.

Skills and Attributes

The ideal candidate must be a detail-oriented problem solver, data-driven, and have excellent analytical skills. You must possess a good understanding of the Sales Development function and the top-of-funnel motion in a SaaS environment. You will be eager to define and optimize how AI and automation combine with human creativity to accelerate growth. You will excel at helping the regional sales development leaders translate complex performance data into actionable coaching insights and strategic recommendations for SDR leadership. Creating strategic partnerships within the company (SDR/BDR Leaders, Marketing, and Sales Ops) will be critical to success in this role.

Software-as-a-service or other subscription-based work experience will be essential.

Core Responsibilities

• Strategic Analytics, Measurement & ROI: Create, manage, and distribute comprehensive dashboards, reports, and ad-hoc analytics tasks specifically for the SDR/BDR teams and their leadership. Focus areas include lead volume, persistency rates, conversion rates (Lead to Qualified Opportunity), funnel velocity, and tracking pipeline contribution, ROI, and overall health of inbound and outbound activities.

• AI & Automation Strategy and Deployment: Influence the design, deployment, and scaling of the AI-powered automation platform integrated with the core GTM stack (Salesforce, Groove, Outreach, etc.). Optimize the full-funnel engagement engine to run personalized, high-impact outreach and manage nurturing at scale, transforming how we identify, engage, and convert prospects.

• Workflow Management & Cross-Functional Alignment: Work closely with Revenue Operations, Marketing, and Systems to ensure data accuracy, smart targeting, and seamless workflows that enable SDR/BDR teams to operate at peak performance.

• Best Practice Scouting & Advocacy: Work cross-functionally to identify best-in-class activities and strategies being employed at the sub-regional level, surface them up to global Sales Development leaders, shape how Zendesk uses automation and AI to drive engagement, fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation, and advocate for their adoption across the business.

• Data Quality & Hygiene: Resolve data quality issues within the initial funnel stages (Lead/Contact/Account) and Sales Intelligence platforms (ZoomInfo, Lusha) to ensure the SDR team is working with accurate, high-quality information, thereby maximizing top-of-funnel efficiency.

• Front-Line Support: Provide front-line system/process support for SDRs and their management, including responding to and resolving ticket escalations in Zendesk, solving queries and problems related to their daily tools and data in a timely and efficient manner.

Who we are looking for

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Proven analytical skills with the ability to translate complex data into business narratives and actionable insights.

• Demonstrated deep understanding of the Sales Development function and top-of-funnel operations in a SaaS or subscription business.

• Solid understanding and experience with top-of-funnel metrics, including lead volumes, MQL, SQL, persistence, activity metrics, conversion rates, and campaign performance analysis.

• At least 1+ years of experience in a Sales Operations, Sales Development Operations, or business/system analysis role.

• High proficiency and daily working experience with our core GTM stack: Salesforce, Tableau, Looker, and Snowflake.

• Experience analyzing and optimizing data from Sales Engagement Platforms (e.g., Groove, Outreach), Lead Routing/Management (e.g., LeanData), Sales Intelligence/Data Enrichment (e.g., ZoomInfo, Lusha), Conversational Intelligence (e.g., Gong), Marketing Automation (e.g., Eloqua), and productivity tools like Clari.

• Experience or deep familiarity with integrating AI tools or automation into GTM workflows (e.g., lead scoring, outreach automation, predictive analytics).

• Proficient in the Google App Suite (Sheets, Slides, etc.) with intermediate to advanced skills in spreadsheet functions.

• Related SQL knowledge a definite advantage.

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.

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 with your specific accommodation request.