Senior Business Developer (m/f/x)

Carl Zeiss SMT; Aalen; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ZEISS Vision Care is seeking a Senior Project Leader New Business - Blue Rise to lead the development and scaling of new business fields across hardware, pharma, software and digital solutions.

You will translate strategic growth into viable business models, orchestrate cross-functional teams, and drive timely launches with measurable profitability. This role requires an entrepreneurial mindset, global collaboration, and travel 20–40%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or comparable field.
• Proven years of professional experience in project leadership or new business development, ideally in regulated industries.
• Strong strategic and analytical thinking with hands-on mentality.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with high ownership and execution strength.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Intercultural competence and experience working with international teams.
• Fluency in English and willingness to travel internationally (20–40%).

Responsibilities

• Lead projects in building and scaling new business segments (contact lenses, care products, pharma solutions, digital offerings).
• Translate strategic opportunities into viable, scalable business models and bring them to market.
• Align cross-functional teams (Regulatory, Quality, Sales, Marketing, Product Management, IT) to execute initiatives compliantly and efficiently.
• Act as central orchestrator with leadership visibility and entrepreneurial leadership within ZEISS.
• Drive timely launches and scalable growth with measurable profitability and long-term value creation.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Communication

Intercultural competence

English fluency

International travel

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration or Engineering

Job description

Your Talent, our Vision - together we see beyond. Your start at ZEISS Vision Care. As a leading manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses, we help people around the world achieve a clearer vision - sustainable and with focus on the future.

Our products are as diverse as the career paths we offer, from tailored lenses to award-winning measurement systems. Become part of our team and shape a future in which clear vision and professional success go hand in hand.

Your role

Leading projects in building, and scaling new business segments, covering areas such as contact lenses, care products, pharma solutions, and digital offerings. The focus lies on translating strategic opportunities into viable, scalable business models and successfully bringing them to market.

Combining strategic thinking with strong execution capability: from developing end-to-end business concepts and innovative commercial models to driving implementation and scaling in an uncertain and fast-changing environment. A key aspect is the ability to assess opportunities, risks, and ROI even with incomplete data and make pragmatic, timely decisions.

Acting as a central orchestrator, the role aligns cross-functional teams (e.g., Regulatory, Quality, Sales, Marketing, Product Management, IT) and ensures that all initiatives are executed in a compliant, efficient, and coordinated way. Leadership is primarily project-based and influence-driven, without direct disciplinary responsibility.

Strong entrepreneurial mindset, with high ownership, accountability, and a clear focus on results for engaging with senior stakeholders and representing initiatives at leadership level.

Operating in a global and intercultural environment, the position demands the ability to work effectively across regions, build trust-based networks, and lead diverse teams toward common goals.

Success is measured by the timely launch and scalable growth of new business models, rapid execution, and their measurable contribution to sustainable profitability and long-term value creation.

The Senior Project Leader New Business - Blue Rise establishes, develops, and scales new business fields within the Blue Rise segment for Carl Zeiss Vision. The position exists to translate strategic growth ambitions into viable, scalable business models across hardware, pharma, software, and digital solutions. The role enables sustainable revenue growth, strengthens portfolio resilience, and accelerates ZEISS Vision Care's ability to operate successfully in dynamic and uncertain market environments. The position has high organizational visibility and acts as a role model for entrepreneurial leadership within ZEISS.

Your profile

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or comparable field Experience

Profound years of professional experience in demanding roles, preferably in project leadership, new business development, strategy execution, or innovation-driven environments, ideally combined with experience in regulated industries (e.g. medical devices, pharma, healthcare)

Strong strategic and analytical thinking combined with exceptional hands-on mentality

Proven entrepreneurial mindset with high ownership and execution strength to navigate uncertainty and make decisions based on incomplete information

Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

Strong intercultural competence and experience working with international teams

Fluency in English and willingness to travel internationally (approx. 20-40%)

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team: Hannah Beutler