Senior Manager (Zendesk & Support tools)

The Systems & Technology team operates within the Customer Support, Safety, & Experience organization & has the crucial responsibility of ensuring the presence & optimal functionality of appropriate Support tools & technologies. The primary objective of the team is to support & accelerate the current & future operation, growth, & scalability of the Customer Support, Safety & Experience business.

As the Senior Manager of the Systems & Technology team within CSSE, you will be a seasoned leader responsible for overseeing a team of Zendesk developers & Admins (and co-managing data analysis, with the Sr. Data Analyst), who own the maintenance, development, & optimization of our Support tools to derive insights from interactions between our Support team & end users. Your expertise & strategic vision will drive innovation, streamline processes, & ensure that our Support delivery & operation teams are efficient, data-driven, & centered around delivering exceptional customer experiences.

In this role, you & your team will prioritize system stability, fostering innovation that directly enhances the customer & agent experience. You will collaborate with the Service Experience Product Manager, & other cross-functional teams to understand the needs of our customers & our support team(s), working tirelessly to enhance their journey & satisfaction.
By fostering an environment of continuous learning & improvement, you will empower your team to excel in their respective domains, leading to greater customer satisfaction & employee engagement.

What youll do:

Ensuring Systems Health:

• Proactively supervise & maintain the optimal health & proper functioning of the support tools/systems
• Ensure the team provides high-quality & timely resolutions to technical issues & inquiries reported by the Support delivery & operations teams, minimizing disruptions to Support delivery & operations.
• Implement necessary measures to optimize system performance, ensuring smooth workflows & user experiences for the Support team.
• Track & report key metrics related to system health & user satisfaction.

Strategic Direction & Innovation:

• Drive the strategic direction of team-level work with minimal oversight, aligning initiatives with the broader organizational strategy, with a specific focus on the Service Experience roadmap.
• Independently seek out & act upon high-impact opportunities for improvement in customer experience, team efficiency, & individual growth.
• Utilize a deep understanding of the current strategy to propose innovative solutions & improvements.
• Mentoring & Guiding Team Members:
• Provide ongoing mentoring & guidance to team members, ensuring they possess the knowledge, expertise, & tools needed to succeed in their roles.
• Empower team members to work independently & take ownership of tasks & projects from inception to completion, delivering high-quality results.
• Establish & monitor performance objectives for yourself & your team, ensuring alignment between individual goals & the overarching objectives & V2MOM of the CSSE organization & company.
• Act as a coach, supporting team members' development & identifying opportunities for growth.
• Identify high performers & provide opportunities for their growth & advancement within the organization.
• Support professional development opportunities to foster a culture of continuous learning & growth within the team.

Domain knowledge & expertise:

• Serve as a company-wide expert in Support Tools (Zendesk, integrations, Dev work, etc) & Data tools.
• Set an example of rigor & thoughtfulness in tasks, projects, & interactions with stakeholders, colleagues, or peers.
• Proactively call attention to major challenges & pain points, driving the necessary changes for improvement.
• Practice effective change management to ensure the smooth adoption of new tools & processes.

Develop & maintain knowledge through documentation & visualization:

• Lead the documentation efforts for processes, workflows, & system configurations within the Systems & Technology team. Ensure everything is well-documented & easily accessible to team members.
• Work closely with your team members to visually represent system configurations, enhancing the team's clarity & ease of understanding.
• Promote a culture of knowledge sharing & documentation within the team, ensuring continuity & efficiency in operations.

Skills & knowledge you should possess:

• Zendesk experience (proven experience with Zendesk) - a must.
• 3+ years of experience leading a technical team - Zendesk admins & Developers, IT, or an Engineering team (of 3+ members).
• Proven ability to lead & mentor technical team members, shaping their career development. Expertise in creating comprehensive job descriptions, setting clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), & designing personalized career paths for each individual, fostering a culture of growth & continuous improvement
• Proficient in deploying tools for system health monitoring & creating technical documentations
• A demonstrated history of successfully leading complex projects from inception to fruition.
• Strong understanding of customer support operations & processes, with a passion for enhancing the customer & agent experience.
• Excellent communication & collaboration skills across functional teams, exhibiting proficiency in effective teamwork.
• Coding & scripting experience - big advantage
• Scrum master/experience in Agile/Scrum - big advantage

Bonus points (nice skills to have, but not needed): 

• Bachelor's degree in IT, business administration or related field
• Customer Support background - advantage
• Scrum master/experience in Agile/Scrum