Beyond Innovation Manager (f/m/x)

Carl Zeiss AG; Oberkochen; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Carl Zeiss AG seeks a dynamic leader to shape Beyond Fields, define strategy, and set up OKRs. You will work across teams, derive actionable items from objectives, and drive governance with board-ready presentations.

With a background in science or engineering and strong financial planning skills, you will balance technical and commercial topics while coaching colleagues and coordinating across functions in a fast-moving environment.

Qualifications

• Degree with outstanding grades in a relevant field.
• PhD or MBA is a plus.
• Minimum 3 years in dynamic environments like consulting or venture capital.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity and turn ideas into business plans.
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills.
• Comfort with technical and commercial topics.
• Strong commercial acumen and financial planning skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and cross-functional collaboration abilities.
• Proficiency in English and German, written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Define organizational and operational setup of Beyond Fields.
• Help to define and structure strategy for new Beyond Fields and OKR setup.
• Collaborate independently with all team members on Key Results.
• Move team into action by deriving and implementing actions from OKRs.
• Accountability for preliminary financial planning.
• Organize governance meetings and prepare board presentations.
• Manage project stakeholders across initiatives.
• Challenge ideas and improve their communicability.
• Coach team members and facilitate team formation.
• Moderate communication between team and management.
• Provide ongoing support for Beyond Fields.

Skills

Executive communication

Bilingual EN/DE

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Financial planning

Ambiguity tolerance

Team coaching

Education

Degree in natural science or engineering or economics

PhD or MBA is a plus

Job description

Beyond Innovation is ZEISS' vehicle for building long-term growth opportunities beyond today’s business. It enables the development of high-potential, high-risk ventures in new markets and technologies through dedicated funding, governance and management attention. A Beyond Field is a strategically relevant innovation domain with the potential to create significant future business for ZEISS, either in adjacent markets, entirely new markets, or emerging technologies.

Your Role

• Defining the organizational and operational setup of Beyond Fields
• Help to define and structure strategy and approach for new Beyond Fields and establish OKR set-up to align campaign goals
• Independently collaborating with all team members on Key Results and associated initiatives
• Deriving action items from OKRs and moving the team into action
• Accountability for preliminary financial planning
• Organizing and structuring governance meetings incl. board presentations
• Project specific stakeholder management
• Challenging and structuring ideas to enhance their communicability
• Coaching team members and facilitating team formation
• Moderating the communication between team and management
• Continuous support for ongoing Beyond Fields

Your Profile

• A degree in natural science, life science, engineering, or economics with outstanding grades.
• An additional PhD or MBA degree is a plus
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in dynamic working environments such as Consulting, Venture capital, etc.
• Proven ability to thrive in highly ambiguous environments and transform ideas into actionable business plans
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills
• Comfort working across technical and commercial topics
• Excellent commercial acumen and financial planning skills
• Superior interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
• Strong analytical and problem-structuring capabilities
• A resourceful team player with a willingness to help others succeed
• Proficiency in English and German, both in written and spoken communication

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team: Markus Repp

Step out of your comfort zone, excel and redefine the limits of what is possible. That's just what our employees are doing every single day - in order to set the pace through our innovations and enable outstanding achievements. After all, behind every successful company are many great fascinating people. In a spacious modern setting full of opportunities for further development, ZEISS employees work in a place where expert knowledge and team spirit reign supreme. All of this is supported by a special ownership structure and the long-term goal of the Carl Zeiss Foundation: to bring science and society into the future together. Join us today. Inspire people tomorrow. Diversity is a part of ZEISS. 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.