Consulting Manager - Product & Service Innovation (all genders)

NZZone; Hamburg; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work life blend

Profit share scheme

Global and Diverse Zühlke community

Committed to development

Job summary

Zühlke seeks a consultant who blends deep product development knowledge with strategic business insight. You will shape product strategies, manage portfolios, and guide digital-physical innovations for top clients across industries.

You will collaborate with executives, engineers, and delivery teams to drive change from idea to implementation, ensuring tangible outcomes in both German and English contexts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Engineering, Engineering, Computer Science, Innovation Management, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• At least 4 years of professional experience combining consulting and industry exposure.
• Proven experience in product development, product management, R&D, innovation management, or business model innovation.
• Strong understanding of modern product development approaches, such as Agile, SAFe, Stage-Gate, Design Thinking, Lean Product Development, or Outcome-Driven Innovation.
• Experience working at the interface between business, product, technology, and engineering.
• Deep understanding of how successful products are developed, launched, and evolved throughout their lifecycle.
• Excellent stakeholder management and facilitation skills across different organisational levels.
• Strong analytical thinking combined with a pragmatic, hands-on approach to solving problems.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for engaging with executives, engineers, product managers, and delivery teams alike
• A proactive and entrepreneurial mindset, taking ownership and proactively moving initiatives forward
• Solution-oriented, focusing on pragmatic outcomes rather than theoretical concepts
• Fluent German and English language (spoken & written)

Responsibilities

• Lead client engagements in product strategy, product management, technology innovation, and business transformation.
• Drive the development of new business models, digital services, and value propositions enabled by technology and data.
• Translate market, user, and business insights into product visions, strategies, roadmaps, and investment decisions.
• Consult clients across the entire product lifecycle, from ideation and business case development through market launch, product evolution, and next-generation offerings.
• Guide clients in developing innovative digital, connected, and cyber-physical products by acting as a trusted advisor, coach, and programme lead.
• Assess, design, and optimise product development processes for digital, physical, and cyber-physical products.
• Help organisations improve their product operating models, governance structures, portfolio management practices, and ways of working.
• Support product organisations in navigating the convergence of hardware, software, data, and services.
• Collaborate with executives, product managers, engineers, designers, architects, and delivery teams to align business goals with implementation decisions.
• Build long-term client relationships and become a trusted partner at the client.
• Shape consulting opportunities, develop offers with account management, and support clients from the first conversation through successful delivery and long-term collaboration.

Skills

Product development

Product management

R&D

Innovation management

Business model innovation

Agile

SAFe

Stage-Gate

Design Thinking

Lean Product Development

Outcome-Driven Innovation

Stakeholder management

Communication

German & English (fluent)

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in a relevant field

Job description

Founded in Switzerland in 1968, Zühlke is owned by its partners and located across Europe and Asia. We are a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation in our DNA. We're trusted to help clients envision and build their businesses for the future - to run smarter today while adapting for tomorrow's markets, customers, and communities. Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in tech strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We excel in complex, regulated spaces including health and finance, connecting strategy, tech implementation, and operational services to help clients become more effective, resilient businesses.

If you share our values and want to do the best work, for the right reasons, we can offer you the chance to do it on a global scale and play a real role in shaping our exciting journey.

About the Job

In our Digital Consulting Practice, we work with leading companies to shape the future of their products and businesses. From defining product strategies and business models to transforming product development organisations and delivering digital-physical solutions, we help clients turn complex challenges into sustainable growth.

We are looking for a consultant who combines a strong understanding of product development with the ability to navigate strategic business challenges. Someone who enjoys working across disciplines, building trusted relationships, and driving meaningful change from idea to implementation.

The Role

You will work with leading organisations on strategic and operational initiatives across the entire product lifecycle. Leveraging your experience from both industry and consulting, you will help clients improve how they develop products, manage portfolios, and bring innovations to market.

You act as a trusted advisor, guiding stakeholders from strategy through execution. Whether discussing product investments with executives, improving development processes with R&D leaders, or supporting agile teams in delivery, you bring structure, clarity, and momentum to complex situations.

How You'll Make an Impact

Product & Service Innovation

• Lead client engagements in product strategy, product management, technology innovation, and business transformation.
• Drive the development of new business models, digital services, and value propositions enabled by technology and data.
• Translate market, user, and business insights into product visions, strategies, roadmaps, and investment decisions.
• Consult clients across the entire product lifecycle, from ideation and business case development through market launch, product evolution, and next-generation offerings.
• Guide clients in developing innovative digital, connected, and cyber-physical products by acting as a trusted advisor, coach, and programme lead.

Product Development & Transformation Enablement

• Assess, design, and optimise product development processes for digital, physical, and cyber-physical products.
• Help organisations improve their product operating models, governance structures, portfolio management practices, and ways of working.
• Support product organisations in navigating the convergence of hardware, software, data, and services.
• Collaborate with executives, product managers, engineers, designers, architects, and delivery teams to align business goals with implementation decisions.

Client Growth & Relationship Management

• Build long-term client relationships and become a trusted partner at the client.
• Shape consulting opportunities, develop offers with account management, and support clients from the first conversation through successful delivery and long-term collaboration.

What's important to us

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Engineering, Engineering, Computer Science, Innovation Management, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• At least 4 years of professional experience combining consulting and industry exposure.
• Proven experience in product development, product management, R&D, innovation management, or business model innovation.
• Strong understanding of modern product development approaches, such as Agile, SAFe, Stage-Gate, Design Thinking, Lean Product Development, or Outcome-Driven Innovation.
• Experience working at the interface between business, product, technology, and engineering.
• Deep understanding of how successful products are developed, launched, and evolved throughout their lifecycle.
• Excellent stakeholder management and facilitation skills across different organisational levels.
• Strong analytical thinking combined with a pragmatic, hands-on approach to solving problems.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for engaging with executives, engineers, product managers, and delivery teams alike
• A proactive and entrepreneurial mindset, taking ownership and proactively moving initiatives forward
• Solution-oriented, focusing on pragmatic outcomes rather than theoretical concepts
• Fluent German and English language (spoken & written)

What we offer

• Work life blend:we offer a safe & healthy workplace, with flexible working hours and, depending on client needs, the option to work from home up to three days per week
• Profit share scheme:In addition to your annual salary, you may receive a profit share defined by the company’s success in the previous year
• Global and Diverse Zühlke community:witness how colleagues from all our 16 offices across the globe come together to create a unique, positive and inclusive work culture, learning from one another at annual team camps, and celebrating year-end parties and other local festivities.
• Committed to development:we are committed to the growth of our people and are investing in your development. We're empowering you to build the skills you need to make a positive impact, both personally and for our clients, today and in the future.

To dive deeper into local benefits of working in Zühlke follow the link.

We welcome people from all backgrounds, regardless of their gender, personality, national origin, race, religion, colour, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability or veteran status.