Senior Category & Product Manager - ZEISS Camera Lenses (m/w/x)

Carl Zeiss AG; Oberkochen; Presencial; EUR 120.000 - 180.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

ZEISS is seeking a Senior Product Manager to own the long-term portfolio and category strategy for ZEISS Camera Lenses. You will shape multi-year roadmaps from market intelligence to successful launches and lifecycle management.

You will lead international, cross-functional initiatives with R&D, Marketing, Sales, and Operations, translate needs into product requirements, define pricing corridors and volume forecasts, and ensure launch readiness across markets.

Formación

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Product Management, Marketing, Engineering, Optics, Imaging Technology or a related field.
• At least eight years of experience in senior product management, category management, portfolio management or business development.
• Proven experience defining and managing multi-year product roadmaps, business cases and lifecycle decisions for hardware or technology products.
• Strong commercial and financial expertise, including pricing, profitability analysis, volume forecasting and commercial risk assessment.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English; German is a plus.

Responsabilidades

• Define and continuously evolve the global, multi-year category and product roadmap for ZEISS Camera Lenses.
• Identify growth opportunities based on customer, competitor and technology insights.
• Steer the portfolio throughout the full product lifecycle—from concept and investment decision through launch and optimization to phase-out.
• Develop and own business cases, including revenue, volume and margin planning, pricing logic, investment requirements, risks and scenario assumptions.
• Lead international, cross-functional product and portfolio initiatives with R&D, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Quality, Service and external partners.
• Translate market, customer and technology needs into prioritized product requirements and compelling commercial concepts.
• Ensure launch readiness, including product positioning, sales enablement, sample planning and initial sales quantities.
• Represent the category perspective in discussions with internal stakeholders, selected customers, partners and industry contacts.

Conocimientos

Product management

Portfolio management

Cross-functional leadership

Pricing strategy

Financial analysis

Market intelligence

Lifecycle management

English communication

Educación

Master’s degree

Descripción del empleo

ZEISS, a leading supplier of optical and optoelectronic technologies, is bundling units outside the divisions in the Photonics & Optics strategic business unit that offer customers a wide range of optical and photonic technologies in highly specialized markets around the world: mobile imaging, hunting & nature, cinematography, microoptics, spectroscopy, planetariums and simulation projection solutions. Do you want to shape the future of premium camera lenses? In this strategically important role, you will own the long-term portfolio and category strategy for ZEISS Camera Lenses — from market intelligence and business cases to successful product launches and lifecycle management.

Your Role Define and continuously evolve the global, multi-year category and product roadmap for ZEISS Camera Lenses. Identify growth opportunities, adjacent use cases and potential new business fields based on customer, competitor and technology insights. Steer the portfolio throughout the full product lifecycle — from product concept and investment decision through launch and optimization to phase-out. Develop and own business cases, including revenue, volume and margin planning, pricing logic, investment requirements, risks and scenario assumptions. Define pricing corridors, commercial success criteria and volume forecasts; derive actions from business performance and market developments. Lead international, cross-functional product and portfolio initiatives with R&D, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Quality, Service and external partners. Translate market, customer and technology needs into prioritized product requirements and compelling commercial concepts. Ensure launch readiness, including product positioning, sales enablement, sample planning and initial sales quantities. Represent the category perspective in discussions with internal stakeholders, selected customers, partners and industry contacts.

Your Profile Master’s degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Product Management, Marketing, Engineering, Optics, Imaging Technology or a related field. At least eight years of experience in senior product management, category management, portfolio management or business development — ideally within photography, videography, imaging, optics, consumer electronics or premium technology. Proven experience defining and managing multi-year product roadmaps, business cases and lifecycle decisions for hardware or technology products. Strong commercial and financial expertise, including pricing, profitability analysis, volume forecasting and commercial risk assessment. Experience leading international, cross-functional teams in a matrix organization, including lateral leadership. Deep understanding of photography ecosystems, camera markets, imaging technologies and optical performance drivers. A strategic, analytical and entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to turn market trends and customer insights into concrete growth opportunities. Excellent communication and presentation skills in English; German is a plus. Willingness to travel internationally up to 15%. A genuine passion for photography, imaging technology, premium consumer products and the ZEISS brand.

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team: Bastian Hoffmann 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.