Senior Project Manager Finance (m/f/x)

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.

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Welcome to ZEISS! A company that combines innovation and responsibility. Our diverse corporate divisions make a decisive contribution to the strategic orientation and sustainable success of the ZEISS Group.

The Senior Project Manager Finance is a central leadership role within SAT-X and acts as the operational driver of global finance transformation initiatives.

In close alignment with the Head of Business Development & Process Excellence, this role ensures the successful execution of complex, multi-regional programs such as ERP roll-ins (e.g. S/4HANA), global governance frameworks, and operating model transformations.

The position combines strategic execution, hands-on delivery, and portfolio steering responsibility. It is designed as a future leadership role with responsibility for building and developing a high-performing project team within SAT-X.

Your role:

• Lead complex international transformation programs end-to-end within Services Accounting & Tax

• Act as the primary operational counterpart to the Head of SAT-X for selected strategic initiatives

• Drive cross-functional alignment across Global Process Owners, local Finance organizations, IT, and external partners

• Ensure delivery against scope, timeline, budget, and defined governance principles

• Establish KPI-based performance steering and transparent reporting for senior leadership

• Build and continuously improve project management standards, playbooks, and governance frameworks within SAT-X

• Proactively identify risks, structural dependencies, and escalation needs

• Gradually take responsibility for developing and leading a growing SAT-X project team

Strategic Impact

• This role is critical to translating ZEISS' global finance transformation agenda into disciplined execution.

• By driving ERP roll-ins, governance frameworks and operating model changes, the Senior Project Manager Finance ensures structural alignment across regions, systems and stakeholders.

• The position serves as a central coordination and escalation point within SAT-X and materially shapes the long-term performance and scalability of the global Accounting & Tax organization.

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, or Business Informatics

• Minimum 6–8 years of experience in Finance Transformation, ERP programs, Shared Services, global project leadership, or relevant experience gained within a top-tier strategy or transformation consulting environment

• Proven track record of delivering complex international programs in matrix organizations

• Strong SAP expertise, ideally including S/4HANA implementations

• Project and Change Management certification (e.g. PMP, Prince2, Agile, Prosci)

• High analytical depth combined with strong execution discipline

• Strong stakeholder management capabilities at senior leadership level

• Fluent in German and English

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