Senior Scientist (m/f/x) AI-Driven Optical System Development

Your Role

You are passionate about combining scientific excellence with technical leadership and want to actively shape the transformation towards AI-driven development workflows? In this role, you will take on a central position in leading and coordinating innovative projects in the field of optical system design. As a Senior Scientist (m/f/x), you act as a key interface between research, development, and application. You ensure that complex, interdisciplinary initiatives are executed efficiently, purposefully, and aligned with strategic objectives. A strong focus of your role will be effective stakeholder management across the ZEISS Innovation Ecosystem.

Your Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate innovation-driven technical projects in the area of model-, data-, and AI-driven design workflows
• Define project goals, milestones, and deliverables in close alignment with key stakeholders
• Drive stakeholder management across business units, functions, and organizational levels
• Ensure technical consistency and quality of developed solutions
• Facilitate and steer interdisciplinary teams comprising scientists, software engineers, and system engineers
• Identify dependencies, synergies, and risks within complex project landscapes
• Support the transfer of research results into sustainable industrial applications
• Contribute to continuous improvement of methods and best practices in technical project leadership

Your Profile

• PhD in Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
• Several years of experience in leading complex technical projects
• Strong expertise in optics, simulation, machine learning, or scientific computing
• Proven ability to structure and manage complex topics
• Experience in stakeholder and interface management
• Excellent communication skills across organizational levels ZEISS classification: Confidential
• Strategic mindset with hands-on execution focus
• High level of initiative and team orientation

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team

Friederike Kirklar-Harms, Selina Riccio