Contract Python Data Analysis Jobs in Madison, WI

We are looking for a Senior Data Analyst to support the Foundation Insights team. You will work cross-functionally to help drive analytics, enablement, and data-driven decision-making for our global engineering and product teams. Foundation Insights at Zendesk owns operational data for Engineering and Product Development - measuring productivity, reliability, AI adoption, cost/OpEx, and infrastructure excellence.

In this role, you will turn raw engineering, product, and operational data into trusted metrics, self-service dashboards, and analyses that leaders act on. You'll own analytical domains end-to-end - from the SQL and dbt models that define a metric, to the interactive dashboards stakeholders read, to the definitions and documentation that keep everyone aligned. You'll work across a modern data stack - Snowflake, dbt, Airflow, GitHub, and AI platforms like Claude, Codex and MCP servers - and your work will directly shape how Product Development measures and improves itself.

This hybrid role requires working from our Madison, WI or Austin, TX office at least two days per week or as determined by your manager.

• Develop SQL queries and dbt models to transform engineering and operational data into trusted, analysis-ready data models
• Build and maintain self-service dashboards and reports that put engineering productivity, AI adoption, reliability, and cost metrics in front of engineers and leaders up to the VP+ level
• Define and standardize metrics across engineering teams - owning the semantics of what a metric means (funnel stages, eligibility, DORA definitions like change-failure-rate and cycle time) so comparisons stay valid
• Measure platform adoption, AI tool usage, and ROI across engineering, and communicate findings through a thoughtful combination of quantitative analysis and qualitative storytelling
• Proactively conduct analyses and investigations that identify insights into underlying engineering and business matters - digging into data anomalies and asking "why" until you understand root causes
• Write clear documentation and enablement material so stakeholders can self-serve and trust the data
• Build relationships and collaborate with internal engineering, product, and enterprise data and analytics teams - reviewing peers' work and aligning on shared definitions
• Implement data quality tests, monitoring, and validation (e.g. dbt tests, Monte Carlo) to ensure accuracy and prevent invalid metric comparisons
• Help integrate data from APIs and third-party tools into Snowflake for analytics and AI enrichment

• 3+ years of experience in the analytics or data space, delivering analyses and metrics that drive decisions
• Proven proficiency in SQL - comfortable with complex queries and transforming data into analysis-ready models
• Hands-on experience with dbt (or a strong willingness to ramp quickly)
• Experience with data visualization / BI or dashboarding tools (e.g. Tableau, Looker)
• Experience with a cloud data warehouse (e.g. Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks)
• Internally motivated, self-starter with an analytical and curious mindset - you find insights and show the value of data-driven decision-making
• Ability to work cross-functionally and communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, up to the executive level
• Detail-oriented with a passion for data quality, problem solving, and reliable, well-defined metrics

• Proficiency in Python and familiarity with data modeling, forecasting, and data analysis techniques.
• Experience developing and deploying open source BI solutions
• Familiarity with software engineering best practices - Git/GitHub PR workflows, code review, CI/CD, and testing
• Background working with large datasets, data APIs, and cloud object storage (AWS/GCP), plus data quality monitoring tools (Monte Carlo, dbt tests)
• Fluency with modern AI tooling (Claude, GPT/Codex, MCP servers, AI agents) and experience embedding AI-assisted workflows into analytics work.
• Knowledge of engineering productivity metrics - DORA metrics, PR review cycles, deployment frequency, incident management KPIs

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.