Technical lead Jobs in Oberkochen

At XRX (Carl Zeiss Extended Reality), a newly established global Strategic Business Unit in the scale-up phase, we are dedicated to innovation and excellence. Our goal is to deliver cutting-edge XR vision correction and optical systems to consumers around the world, ensuring we are the preferred partner in the XR market. We empower our customers and individuals with solutions that enhance productivity and change the way we work and live. Rooted in the ZEISS culture, we prioritize collaboration, integrity, ambition, and an entrepreneurial growth mindset, all supported by a commitment to continuous learning. We foster an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives and performance are valued and important to our success. Our teams are encouraged to grow both personally and professionally. At XRX, we offer competitive compensation packages and benefits, and ample opportunities for professional development. Join us and be part of a team that champions innovation, collaboration, and excellence.

Your role

The Technical Project Manager coordinates hardware-related product and production process development activities within complex XR optical and prescription lens projects from concept to industrialization. The role coordinates technical alignment and project execution between product management, product/process development, product quality, regulatory product requirements, and manufacturing readiness. It manages technical risks, issue solution and engineering changes and ensures technical documentation of new products.

• Coordinate technical project execution from concept to industrialization
• Manages interdependent development activities across technical disciplines within a regulated environment. Must balance evolving product requirements, industrial constraints, and timeline pressure while maintaining structured execution.
• Ensures cross-functional technical alignment
• Resolves technical conflicts between performance expectations, regulatory constraints, manufacturability, and cost targets. Requires systems thinking and the ability to align stakeholders with different technical perspectives and priorities.
• Manages technical risk and issue resolution
• Addresses high-precision optical and process-related risks where tolerances, material behavior, or integration effects may only become visible during testing or pilot builds. Requires analytical problem-solving under uncertainty and time constraints.
• Control engineering changes and ensure compliant technical documentation
• Must anticipate downstream consequences of technical modifications and prevent uncontrolled scope expansion. Requires discipline and cross-functional coordination to avoid documentation gaps that could delay approval or market launch

Your profile

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or related technical discipline. Project management or agile certification is an advantage
• 5+ years of experience in hardware product development in regulated or high-precision manufacturing environments, supporting industrialization and production process validation
• Knowledge of structured project management methods, incl. engineering change management and technical risk assessment
• Good understanding of optical systems, tolerancing principles, and precision component integration, medical device development processes
• Structured problem-solving capability, analytical mindset, hands-on mentality, result/solution orientation and strong technical communication skills in cross-functional and partner environments
• Fluent in English; German/Chinese language skills are an advantage
• Regular international travelling of up to 20% of working time required

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:

Hannah Beutler