Business Development Representative

Job Description

Zendesk has evolved beyond traditional customer service software. We've scaled a $200M ARR AI business in under three years, deployed across 20,000+ businesses globally. As AI transforms how organisations engage with their customers, businesses need more than a software pitch. They need commercially minded partners who understand their challenges, challenge conventional thinking and help them see what's possible.

Why this role matters
The future of sales looks different, and we're building the next generation of commercial talent to lead it. This isn't a role built around reading scripts and booking meetings. As a BDR at Zendesk, you'll take ownership of strategic prospecting, engage senior business leaders and uncover opportunities for organisations to transform their customer experience through AI.

You'll learn to think like an Account Executive from day one, developing the commercial judgement, business acumen and account strategy skills that underpin successful sales careers.

What you'll do

• Create meaningful commercial opportunities: Go beyond surface-level qualification to understand customer challenges, uncover compelling AI and CX use cases and identify the business outcomes that matter.
• Own strategic account prospecting: Research and prioritise target accounts, map buying groups and develop multi-threaded engagement strategies in partnership with Account Executives and Marketing.
• Lead with curiosity and commercial acumen: Engage senior decision-makers in thoughtful business conversations, challenge the status quo and build urgency around the cost of inaction.
• Work AI-first: Leverage AI, intent signals and modern prospecting technology to identify opportunities, personalise outreach and build smarter, more scalable ways of generating pipeline.
• Take ownership of pipeline quality: Focus on creating well-qualified opportunities with clear business value, stakeholder alignment and next steps. Partner with Account Executives to support progression beyond initial qualification.
• Build the skills of a future AE: Develop your capabilities in discovery, account planning, executive engagement and pipeline management while learning from experienced sales leaders.

What you bring
We value commercial curiosity, sound judgement, ambition and a willingness to challenge how things have always been done over a traditional SDR background.

• Commercial mindset: You understand that great salespeople solve business problems, not just pitch products. You may come from B2B sales, recruitment, commercial real estate, consulting or another commercially focused environment.
• Confidence and communication: You're comfortable engaging business leaders, asking thoughtful questions and adapting your approach without relying on a script.
• Strategic thinking: You can connect the dots between a company's challenges, its stakeholders and the opportunities worth pursuing. You know how to prioritise where your effort will have the greatest impact.
• AI curiosity: You're excited by emerging technology and actively explore how AI can help you work smarter, improve outcomes and challenge traditional prospecting approaches.
• Ownership and resilience: You bring the discipline to execute consistently, the initiative to create opportunities and the resilience to learn from setbacks.
• Growth mindset: You're highly coachable, seek feedback and have the ambition to develop into a high-performing commercial sales professional.

We'll teach you our products, sales methodology and technology. You bring the curiosity, commercial drive and willingness to learn.

Why Zendesk
You'll join a business at the forefront of AI-driven customer experience, working alongside experienced sales leaders and some of the region's most talented commercial teams.

You'll have the opportunity to work with leading businesses across Australia and New Zealand, gain hands-on experience with AI technology and develop the skills required to progress into a full-cycle sales career.

We're not just building a pipeline generation team. We're developing the next generation of sales talent.

Exceptional commercial talent doesn't always follow a traditional path. Whether you've built a recruitment desk, advised commercial clients, worked in consulting or started your own venture, if you're commercially curious, ambitious and ready to challenge yourself, we want to hear from you.

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 peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.