Senior Project Manager; Program Management Office; m​/f​/x

Welcome to ZEISS – a company that combines innovation and responsibility! Our corporate functions are diverse and make a decisive contribution to the strategic orientation and sustainable success of ZEISS.

The Strategic Corporate Development department (CCD) supports the development of ZEISS through strategic projects in all areas of the ZEISS Group (business units, corporate functions and country organisations). The experienced team brings in diverse perspectives from different industries and promotes a culture of creative exchange. With fresh ideas and innovative approaches, the team contributes to achieving strategic goals and responding to the challenges of the future.

As Senior Project Manager in the Program Management Office, you take on a central role in turning strategic goals into tangible results. You lead complex, cross‑functional projects with high visibility and make a significant contribution to the success of the overall program through clear structures, well‑founded decisions, and close collaboration with program leadership and top management. With your strategic perspective, strong execution mindset, and ability to provide direction even in demanding situations, you create real value and drive sustainable change.

• Ensure integrated steering across projects, interfaces, and dependencies.
• Active management of interfaces, competing priorities, and dependencies across projects and work streams to create transparency, enable prioritization, and secure consistent progress across the overall program.
• Prepare decisions and escalations for program leadership and top management.
• Structure complex topics, develop sound decision options, and prepare management‑ready materials that make opportunities, risks, and implications transparent and actionable.
• Lead complex cross‑functional and cross‑divisional projects of high strategic relevance.
• Hold independent ownership of the planning, management, and execution of selected transformation projects, with responsibility for objectives, timelines, budgets, and risks.
• Translate strategic initiatives into effective action and tangible results.
• Support additional projects during particularly demanding phases.
• Coaching of project and workstream leads in critical phases, with strong contributions in content clarification, structuring, risk management, and complex decision‑making situations to strengthen overall program success.
• Create transparency through active project steering and effective controlling.
• Establish and apply suitable steering and controlling instruments to ensure reliable status information, transparency, and decision readiness at all times, forming the basis for effective steering and sustainable project success.
• Foster collaboration and provide lateral leadership within the project environment.
• Functional leadership of interdisciplinary project stakeholders, promotion of a trusting and collaborative way of working, and continuous development of approaches and steering logic across the project and program environment.

• Excellent university degree (Master’s or Diploma), e.g., in industrial engineering, business administration, management, engineering, business informatics, or psychology with a focus on organizational or business psychology.
• Several years (5+ years) of relevant experience in project or program management, including the independent leadership of complex cross‑functional and cross‑divisional projects.
• Strong background in transformation and change initiatives, including the management of complex dependencies, milestones, risks, and governance structures.
• Proven ability to work confidently with senior management, prepare decision‑ready materials, and navigate escalation situations with professionalism.
• Excellent analytical and conceptual skills, combined with strong knowledge of modern project and program management methods in complex environments.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, paired with strong personal ownership and fluent German and English.

We look forward to receiving your application regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, philosophy of life, disability, age, sexual orientation or identity.