Compliance Program Manager

Job Description
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.

Reporting Structure

• Direct Reporting: Senior Counsel, Investigations and Global Compliance (Mexico City). Ultimate roll up: Chief Compliance Officer (U.S.-based)
• Dotted-Line Reporting: Pune Site Lead

Position Overview
Zendesk is seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Compliance Manager/Program Manager to help lead and manage the development, implementation, and maintenance of our compliance program, ensuring we meet all regulatory requirements and industry standards. This individual will play a critical role in protecting our organization, and for the India location, will serve as the local point of contact for compliance matters, working closely with global and regional stakeholders to ensure operations in India align with both local regulatory requirements and Zendesk's global compliance standards.

Note: this role requires you to to be based in Pune.
Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary compliance representative for the India office, ensuring adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and internal policies.
• Coordinate with Legal, HR, IT, Finance, and other functions to ensure compliance across all operations. Coordinate and support the India Compliance Committee (ICC) to ensure cross-functional collaboration and escalation of key issues.
• Foster a company culture of integrity and ethics by promoting compliance and ethical business practices.
• Lead and support compliance initiatives, including policy implementation, employee training, and monitoring activities.
• Facilitate investigations, assessments, or audits related to compliance topics.
• Monitor and report on the local compliance landscape, risks, and escalations to senior management.
• Stay up-to-date with industry regulations and trends to ensure programs are current and effective.
• Partner with the local site lead for day-to-day compliance engagement and alignment with business operations.
• Liaise with Indian regulators and legal advisors as needed for filings, inquiries, or regulatory developments.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date compliance documentation and coordinate with internal departments for monitoring and auditing, including managing a calendar of filing timelines.
• Identify local Compliance Champions across departments to promote awareness and reporting obligations.
• Support the design and implementation of an operational compliance playbook for India.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent; advanced degree in law, compliance, or related field preferred with at least 5 years of experience in compliance, risk management, legal, or regulatory affairs, preferably within a multinational organization.
• Strong understanding of Indian regulatory and corporate governance requirements.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills; fluency in English.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively while managing multiple projects and priorities while coordinating across global and local teams.
• Sound, balanced legal and business judgment incorporating risk management to foster a company culture of integrity and ethics.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to distill complex issues into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated experience proactively identifying, scoping, and implementing new solutions.
• Developed and implemented role-based training programs.
• Integrity, sound judgment, and the ability to handle sensitive matters with discretion.

What We Offer

• An opportunity to work with a global compliance team committed to ethical leadership and continuous improvement.
• Exposure to cross-border compliance strategy, implementation, and operational integration.
• A collaborative, flexible, and learning-oriented environment.

Please note that Zendesk can only hire candidates who are physically located and plan to work from Karnataka or Maharashtra. Please refer to the location posted on the requisition for where this role is based.

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 with your specific accommodation request.