Senior Program & Strategy Manager, Consumer Eyecare

Job Title Senior Program & Strategy Manager, Consumer Eyecare Location Birmingham, UK Division Consumer Markets Reports to Head of Global Business & Operations, Consumer Eyecare Contract Permanent, Full-time (Hybrid) The Senior Program & Strategy Manager, Consumer Eyecare: owns end-to-end program governance and the integrated timeline and critical path to deliver Consumer Eyecare launch readiness across regions (Global/US/China) and workstreams, ensuring disciplined execution on the critical path enables timely decision-making through stage-gate readiness, clear escalation, and reporting aligns internal functions and external partners to deliver on time , within budget, and in full compliance with regulatory and quality requirements Responsibilities Own the integrated timeline: Build and maintain the timeline and critical path; ensure consistency/quality of workstream plans; manage dependencies and the critical path Run program governance end-to-end : SteerCos, weekly/bi-weekly cadences, workstream reviews, risk reviews; standardized agendas, pre-reads, minutes, action tracking, and follow-ups Drive cross-functional and cross-regional alignment: Align functions and teams, proactively resolve blockers, accelerate decisions Institutionalize RAID management and mitigation tracking: ensure risks/issues are surfaced early, owned, and actively closed Drive stage-gate readiness : Orchestrate gate deliverables, coordinate cross-functional inputs, and ensure timely delivery & decisions Manage external partners and timelines (e.g., contract manufacturers): Together with Procurement, manage and track delivery, cost, and timing of external partners Support financial steering : Track cost center spends vs. plan, support forecasting, and quantify execution impacts (delay cost, scope changes) Lead quarterly OKR planning and review cycles across functions and regions: Ensure measurable outcomes, accountability, and transparent progress reporting Institutionalize ways of working: Templates, standards, routines, playbooks, and lessons learned to scale the Consumer Eyecare PMO Required Knowledge & Experience Proven experience in program/project management experience in complex, cross-functional environments ; Consumer Healthcare/OTC/Pharma strongly preferred (MedTech acceptable) Proven track record delivering multi-country product launches and/or large-scale programs with measurable outcomes (time, cost, quality) Strong governance and execution experience: integrated planning, RAID discipline, action management, escalation judgment, and executive-ready reporting Experience with stage-gate governance and driving gate readiness , decision materials, and go/no-go recommendations Ability to drive accountability ; excellent stakeholder management across functions , regions, and seniority levels Strong dependency management and structured problem-solving ; comfortable translating ambiguity into executable plans External vendor/partner management experience (multi-party delivery, SOW governance, performance tracking) Advanced proficiency with project management and reporting tools (e.g., Smartsheet/MS Project), plus advanced skills in MS PowerPoint/Excel High-quality written and verbal communication; able to synthesize complex inputs into clear management narratives Comfortable operating across time zones and cultures ; high reliability, ownership mindset , and resilience under pressure 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.