Overview

VC & Startup Partnerships Manager - UKI, Nordics & MENA

Location: London, United Kingdom. Department: Product, Field and Partner Marketing: Global Startups Business. Reports to: Sr. Manager, Regional Lead - EMEA. Post: In Office / Hybrid. Time type: Full time.

Posting details may have been updated; please refer to the official posting for the most current information.

About Zendesk for Startups

Zendesk for Startups is a business initiative at Zendesk focused on helping startups drive growth and prepare for scale by creating great customer experiences with Zendesk products. Zendesk has more than 100,000 customer accounts globally, and weve been working with the worlds most disruptive startups since their early stages, like Slack, Uber, Instacart, Coinbase, Nubank, Lime, and Deliveroo.

About the Role

As a VC & Startup Partnerships Manager, you will drive the adoption of Zendesk among startups in the UKI, Nordics, and MENA region by building and nurturing strategic partnerships with venture capitalists (VCs), accelerators, government bodies, service providers and ecosystem partners. You will lead partner onboarding, sponsorships, co-marketing efforts, and enablement initiatives, while closely collaborating with sales and marketing teams to deliver effective sell-to and sell-with motions alongside VC and investor partners.

In this role, you will evangelize Zendesk within the startup ecosystem, actively drive program applications, connect startups with our sales organization, and execute regional events and initiatives to strengthen our presence. By developing insight-driven narratives and managing ongoing partner communications and reporting, you'll help accelerate startup success and ensure strong alignment with both regional and global programs.

The ideal candidate is a skilled relationship builder, capable of engaging with both founders and VC partners, navigating Zendesk's internal teams, and serving as a strong advocate for our customers and partners.

Responsibilities

• Build and nurture partner ecosystems: Recruit, activate, and grow relationships with regional partners including venture capital firms, accelerators, government entities, and service providers—serving as Zendesk's key representative across the UKI, Nordics & MENA region.
• Drive sponsorship & co-marketing initiatives: Secure, manage, and maximize partner sponsorships, joint marketing efforts, and engagement programs to amplify Zendesk's impact and presence in the startup ecosystem.
• Partner enablement & joint go-to-market: Equip VCs and partners with tools, training, and resources to advocate for Zendesk within their portfolios. Collaborate with VCs and Zendesk sales teams on joint outreach, co-selling, and introductions to accelerate startup adoption and revenue growth in the region.
• Own startup adoption and engagement: Generate startup signups and awareness through impactful partnership activities, educational resources, events, and tailored value-add initiatives for founders and their communities.
• Lifecycle management: Oversee and support founders throughout the program lifecycle—from initial application and onboarding to program graduation—answering queries, facilitating enablement, and connecting founders into the broader startup community.
• Operational excellence: Continuously track and report regional partner metrics, application flows (partner-sourced vs. organic), and program performance to both regional and global teams for initiative alignment. Produce quarterly reports and insight-driven, partner-facing narratives that showcase the value and impact of the Zendesk for Startups program to VC/investor partners.
• Ecosystem evangelism: Represent Zendesk at third-party events, conferences, and ecosystem gatherings through speaking engagements, demos, and sponsorships, establishing Zendesk as a leading ally for startups.
• Regional strategy & internal collaboration: Help shape the growth strategy for the Startups team in the region, and coordinate with cross-functional Zendesk teams—leveraging internal resources to ensure effective regional execution and alignment with global objectives.

Qualifications

• Based in London, United Kingdom.
• 6+ years of relevant experience in partnerships within the startup, venture, or technology ecosystems, experience in a customer or partner-facing role, with a track record of top performance.
• Immersed in the regional startup ecosystem with an understanding of key players and emerging trends within the region.
• Demonstrated analytical skills, particularly the ability to measure program impact/success.
• Strong networking and relationship management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and drive joint programs.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Availability to travel.

Nice to have

• Fluency in Hebrew, Arabic or French is a plus.
• Experience as a founder, at an accelerator or in venture capital.
• Subject matter expertise on managing customer support and/or sales teams.
• Hands-on experience with Zendesk products, CRM tools (Salesforce, Airtable), or startup-focused GTM motions.

Hybrid: This role expects a hybrid work model with part of the time onsite in the local office. Specific in-office schedule 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 come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn while also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer. We foster global diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. 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. If you require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, please send an e-mail with your accommodation request.

About Zendesk: Zendesk is on a mission to simplify the complexity of business and make it easy for companies and customers to create connections. Our customer experience software unlocks the power of billions of interactions, enabling businesses to build meaningful relationships with their customers.

What's it like to work here? Our offices reflect the global cities we call home and provide spaces for collaboration, quiet, and events. With our hybrid approach, you'll experience flexibility and connection, collaboration, and learning with your team.

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