As Senior Project Manager in the Program Management Office, you take on a central role in turning strategic goals into tangible results. You lead complex, cross-functional projects with high visibility and make a significant contribution to the success of the overall program through clear structures, well-founded decisions, and close collaboration with program leadership and top management. With your strategic perspective, strong execution mindset, and ability to provide direction even in demanding situations, you create real value and drive sustainable change.

Your Role

• Ensure integrated steering across projects, interfaces, and dependencies Active management of interfaces, competing priorities, and dependencies across projects and workstreams to create transparency, enable prioritization, and secure consistent progress across the overall program.

• Prepare decisions and escalations for program leadership and top management Structuring of complex topics, development of sound decision options, and preparation of management-ready materials that make opportunities, risks, and implications transparent and actionable.

• Lead complex cross-functional and cross-divisional projects of high strategic relevance Independent ownership of the planning, management, and execution of selected transformation projects, with responsibility for objectives, timelines, budgets, and risks. Translation of strategic initiatives into effective action and tangible results.

• Support additional projects during particularly demanding phases Coaching of project and workstream leads in critical phases, with strong contributions in content clarification, structuring, risk management, and complex decision-making situations to strengthen overall program success.

• Create transparency through active project steering and effective controlling Establishment and application of suitable steering and controlling instruments to ensure reliable status information, transparency, and decision readiness at all times, forming the basis for effective steering and sustainable project success.

• Foster collaboration and provide lateral leadership within the project environment Functional leadership of interdisciplinary project stakeholders, promotion of a trusting and collaborative way of working, and continuous development of approaches and steering logic across the project and program environment.

Your Profile

• Excellent university degree (Master’s or Diploma), for example in industrial engineering, business administration, management, engineering, business informatics, or psychology with a focus on organizational or business psychology

• Several years (5+ years) of relevant experience in project or program management, including the independent leadership of complex cross-functional and cross-divisional projects

• Strong background in transformation and change initiatives, including the management of complex dependencies, milestones, risks, and governance structures

• Proven ability to work confidently with senior management, prepare decision-ready materials, and navigate escalation situations with professionalism

• Excellent analytical and conceptual skills, combined with strong knowledge of modern project and program management methods in complex environments

• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, paired with strong personal ownership and fluent German and English

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team: