Job Description

About Zendesk

Zendesk makes sales, support, and customer engagement software to help businesses offer a differentiated customer experience. Design is an integral part of everyday life at Zendesk, and Design Operations focuses on enabling our team, processes, and systems to work together more effectively and have a greater impact on our people and products.

About the Role

We are looking for a Design Operations Intern(also known as a Design Program Manager or Producer intern) to join the Zendesk Product Design team with a specific focus on AI Enablement.

As the design landscape rapidly shifts, we are evolving our usage of AI tools. You will help support this internal transformation by optimizing design workflows, piloting new AI capabilities, and supporting the team in integrating AI as a partner for both craft and speed. You will report to the Director of Product Design Operations and work closely with our "AI Champions" to operationalize the future of design at Zendesk.

The Zendesk Design team is committed to building and using AI that is transparent and accountable. As a Design Ops intern, you will play a role in ensuring our internal AI enablement maintains the "human-in-the-loop" philosophy that is core to our design craft.

Who You Are

• AI-Literate & Curious: You are interested in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI tools (like LLMs, generative UI tools, and AI-powered design plugins) and are eager to explore how they can be applied to design processes.

• Process-Oriented: You enjoy breaking down complex workflows and identifying friction points where automation or AI can add the most value.

• People-Centered: You are a strong communicator who can translate technical AI capabilities into practical guidance for designers, researchers, and content designers.

• Design-Minded: You have a solid understanding of the product design lifecycle and are passionate about solving design problems.

• Critically Optimistic:

You are excited about AI’s potential, and remain healthily skeptical of its nature. You ask the hard questions: "Is this fair? Is this transparent? Who might this exclude?"

What You’ll Do

• Workflow Optimization: Optimize specific design and research workflows (e.g., documentation, prototyping, synthesis) that are best enabled by AI to help increase creative bandwidth

• Audit & Inventory: Help maintain and update an internal AI tool inventory, tracking approved tools, primary use cases, and integration opportunities

• Enablement Materials: Assist in creating and publishing "AI in Design" quick-start guides, FAQs, and best practices for tools like Figma Make and Lovable.

• Community Support: Help coordinate the "AI Champions" program and knowledge-sharing rituals like "AI Show & Tells" to surface successful AI use cases across the design org.

• Measure Impact: Support the collection and analysis of metrics regarding AI adoption, time saved, and its impact on designer satisfaction.

Basic Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate program in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Business Operations, Program Management, or a related field.

• A portfolio or work samples demonstrating design thinking and problem-solving — this could include academic, personal, and/or work projects.

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with Design Thinking principles and the product development lifecycle.

• Hands-on experience with emerging AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Figma AI, or coding assistants like Cursor).

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple small-scale projects or experiments simultaneously.

• Curiosity, high tolerance for ambiguity, and passion for learning

• Strong interest in Inclusive Design or Accessibility (A11y), applying these lenses to how AI tools are used or what they produce.

• Familiarity with established ethical AI frameworks (e.g., IEEE 7000, the FAST principles—Fairness, Accountability, Sustainability, Transparency, or the EU AI Act).

The US hourly base rate range for this position is $31.25-$61.00. This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire rates for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base rate only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.

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.