Associate Manager Strategy - Rail (m/f/d)

Knorr-Bremse; München; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

Sabbaticals

Remote work

EU travel up to 20 days per year

Job summary

Knorr-Bremse is seeking a strategy professional to support the Growth Beyond program, performing independent analyses of strategic opportunities beyond the core business. You will conduct market and competitor analyses, and develop structured materials for executive decisions.

Responsibilities include managing work packages, coordinating stakeholders, and supporting program management and risk tracking. Strong analytics, German and English language skills, and travel readiness are required.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in business administration, industrial engineering, or a related field.
• 2–4 years of relevant experience in corporate strategy, strategy consulting or business development.
• Experience in project/program management and coordinating work packages, milestones, stakeholders, risks and deliverables.
• Familiarity with strategy/analytic methods (PESTEL, Porter, BCG, scenario analysis) and AI-supported research.
• Understanding of rail or industrial value chains, OEM/Tier structures, and tech-driven market transformation.
• Strong analytical skills, structured working style, and high-quality deliverables.
• Proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel; Power BI or Tableau is a plus.
• Proficient English (C1) and fluent German; willingness to travel ~10–15%.

Responsibilities

• Support the Rail Growth Beyond program by analyzing strategic growth opportunities beyond the core business.
• Conduct market, competitor and trend analyses using strategy frameworks and AI-supported research.
• Maintain a structured strategic market perspective with competitor profiles, tech radars and market data.
• Prepare analyses, presentations and background papers for management decisions and Executive Board briefings.
• Manage defined work packages with milestones and status tracking.
• Support project management activities, stakeholder coordination and risk tracking.
• Collect, structure and analyze data for business cases and potential M&A assessments.
• Prepare and follow up workshops and maintain strategy templates and knowledge databases.

Skills

Strategy analysis

Stakeholder management

AI-assisted research

PowerPoint & Excel

Data analysis

Scenario planning

English (C1)

German (fluent)

Team collaboration

Travel readiness

Education

Master's degree

Tools

PowerPoint

Excel

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

This role is closely linked to the Growth Beyond Program Office and supports both its management and the execution of strategic growth initiatives.

YOUR TASKS

• Support the Rail Growth Beyond program by independently analyzing and evaluating strategic growth opportunities beyond the current core business
• Conduct market, competitor and trend analyses using established strategy frameworks, secondary sources, databases and AI-supported research
• Maintain a structured strategic market perspective, including competitor profiles, technology radars, market data and developments in adjacent rail growth fields
• Prepare structured analyses, presentation materials and background papers as input for management decisions, Executive Board presentations and executive briefings
• Independently manage defined work packages within Rail Growth Beyond initiatives, including agreed deliverables, milestones and status tracking
• Support project and program management activities, including planning, stakeholder coordination, progress monitoring, risk tracking and follow-up of actions
• Collect, structure and analyze data for business cases, scenario analyses, strategic planning and initial assessments of potential M&A candidates and market positions
• Prepare and follow up workshops and stakeholder interviews and maintain strategy templates, analytical methods and knowledge databases

YOUR PROFILE

• You hold an excellent university degree (Master/Diploma preferred) in business administration, industrial engineering, engineering or a comparable discipline and have 2-4 years of relevant professional experience in corporate strategy, strategy consulting or business development
• You have initial experience in project or program management, including the coordination of work packages, milestones, stakeholders, risks and deliverables
• You have sound knowledge of common strategy and analytical methods, including PESTEL, Porter, BCG matrix and scenario analysis, as well as confidence in AI-supported research and analysis
• You have an initial understanding of the rail or industrial value chain, OEM and Tier structures and technology-driven market transformation
• You have excellent analytical skills, a structured working style, strong quality orientation and very good PowerPoint and Excel skills; Power BI or Tableau experience is an advantage
• You are proactive, collaborative and confident in stakeholder interactions, have English skills at C1 level and fluent German skills, and are willing to travel approximately 10-15%

Come and join our team!

Let’s shape the future of mobility together!

Who are we? Some 32,000 team players around the world, hard at work in over 100 locations across more than 30 countries. As a force for progress on road and rail, we prioritize technical excellence, sustainable business practices and social responsibility. At the last count, our global revenues totaled EUR 7.9 billion. Join us, and you can expect exciting, varied work in an international environment with attractive working conditions – including flexible working hours, sabbaticals and remote work. In addition, you can work up to twenty days a year from abroad in the EU. A broad selection of continuing education programs offers you plenty of opportunities to develop both professionally and personally. And you can look forward to many other benefits, such as sports and healthcare programs, corporate volunteering, JobRad bicycle leasing, subsidized public transit options, and a state-of-the-art workplace with a rich choice of in-house catering options.

• including flexible working hours, sabbaticals and remote work.
• In addition, you can work up to twenty days a year from abroad in the EU.
• A broad selection of continuing education programs offers you plenty of opportunities to develop both professionally and personally.
• And you can look forward to many other benefits, such as sports and healthcare programs, corporate volunteering, JobRad bicycle leasing, subsidized public transit options, and a state-of-the-art workplace with a rich choice of in-house catering options.