Process Architect / Strategic Project Manager R&D (f/m/x)

ZEISS Group; Oberkochen; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ZEISS Group in Germany seeks a Process Architect / Strategic Project Manager R&D to advance the R&D value creation system. You will analyze workflows, develop forward-looking target-state concepts, and anchor improvements across the organization.

You will lead interdisciplinary teams, define KPIs, and drive efficient processes from concept to implementation in a cutting-edge optics and semiconductor environment.

Qualifications

• Degree in STEM or engineering or equivalent qualification.
• 3–5 years in research and development, engineering, product development, or product lifecycle management.
• Experience in process management/design and optimization methods (Lean, Agile, ADKAR).
• Basic project management experience and structured, self-directed work style.
• Strong communication and facilitation skills in German and English.

Responsibilities

• Analyze, design, and optimize processes along development and product lifecycle value streams.
• Develop and implement efficient, scalable target processes aligned with business requirements and IT systems.
• Define KPIs and measurement/steering concepts for process improvements.
• Plan and manage strategic improvement and transformation projects.
• Lead interdisciplinary teams from a functional perspective.
• Facilitate workshops and prepare analyses and decision documents.
• Deliver lasting improvements in processes, collaboration, and product development.

Skills

Process design

Lean

Agile

ADKAR

Stakeholder management

German language

English language

Education

STEM degree

Tools

SAP Signavio

ServiceNow

Power Automate

Power BI

Job description

Enabling smaller, more powerful, and more energy-efficient microchips

Work where tomorrow takes shape.

Around 80 percent of all microchips worldwide are manufactured using ZEISS technologies. As the core of every electronically controlled system, microchips have become indispensable in everyday life—from smartphones and smart homes to smart factories. ZEISS is a technology leader in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. With high-precision lithography optics, photomask systems, and process control solutions, ZEISS enables the production of ever smaller, more powerful, and more energy-efficient microchips—and is helping shape the era of micro- and nanoelectronics through its innovations.

The Group Projects, Processes & Tools is responsible for strategic projects within the Carl Zeiss SMT R&D organization. Our focus is on developing and implementing processes, methods, and tools across the entire product development process.

Your role

As Process Architect / Strategic Project Manager R&D, you will play an active role in advancing our R&D value creation system. You will analyze existing workflows in the R&D environment, develop forward-looking and practical target-state concepts, and anchor them sustainably within the organization.

• Analyze, design, and optimize processes along development and product lifecycle management value streams
• Develop and implement efficient, scalable, and practical target processes aligned with business requirements, the organization, methods, and IT systems
• Define suitable KPIs as well as measurement and steering concepts to support sustainable process improvement
• Plan, structure, and manage strategic improvement and transformation projects
• Lead interdisciplinary teams from a functional perspective
• Facilitate workshops and prepare audience-specific analyses, management presentations, and decision documents
• In this role, you will have a lasting impact on how an innovative R&D organization works and deliver visible improvements in processes, collaboration, and product development.

Your profile

• Successfully completed degree in a STEM field, engineering, industrial engineering, or a comparable qualification
• Three to five years of experience in research and development, engineering, product development, or product lifecycle management
• Experience in process management / process design as well as in applying common optimization and transformation methods, such as Lean, Agile, or ADKAR
• Basic project management experience and a structured, self-directed way of working
• Strong communication and facilitation skills, with excellent written and spoken German and English
• Confident presence when interacting with different stakeholder groups

You are an especially strong fit for this role if you also bring the following qualifications:

• Consulting experience in process and organizational design with a focus on R&D, for example in management consulting or internal consulting
• Experience in digitizing and automating processes, ideally using common tools such as SAP Signavio, ServiceNow, Power Automate, Power BI, etc.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and conceptual skills

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:

Rebecca Wöhrle