Z

Zeiss

Corporate venture capital for deep-tech startups

Head of Data Strategy & Enablement

Data ManagementConfirmed live in the last 24 hours
Full-timeOberkochen, GermanyNo salary listedIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

  • A Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or a comparable field.
  • Several years of disciplinary leadership experience overseeing large teams in Data, Analytics, or IT environments, including management of senior leaders and senior experts, as well as budget, resource, and organizational responsibility.
  • Strong understanding of modern data architectures and Data Governance, with a focus on strategic steering, prioritization, architecture governance, and empowering expert teams.
  • An entrepreneurial leadership style with strong business and management orientation, and experience aligning organizational units to corporate goals and positioning them as strategic value drivers.
  • Experience steering complex cross-functional committees and transformation programs, with communication, facilitation, and enforcement skills across hierarchical levels.
  • A pragmatic, results-driven, and empowering leadership style with strong shaping ability and a pronounced “Win Together” mindset.
  • Fluency in English.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop two Data teams totaling 25 employees, responsible for Data Governance, data quality, Master Data Management (MDM), and Data Enablement.
  • Chair the SMT Data Governance Board and define and steer SMT-wide data policies, standards, role models, and quality requirements.
  • Translate the SMT data strategy into clear roadmaps, OKRs, and prioritized initiatives focused on measurable business value and expanding data-driven value creation.
  • Advance automated, platform-supported governance, data quality (“Governance/Data as Code”), and reusable data products.
  • Represent SMT data interests as a central stakeholder and actively shape strategic key projects within SMT and the ZEISS group.
  • Collaborate with business areas, the IT organization, and Enterprise Architecture to enable secure self-service use and ensure robust, scalable, and future-ready data solutions.

Desired Qualifications

  • German language skills are advantageous.

About the Company

Zeiss

Corporate venture capital for deep-tech startups

ZEISS Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of the ZEISS Group, investing in deep-tech startups that align with its core business areas. It focuses on early-stage rounds (pre-Series A to Series A), typically $1–$5 million, across Information Technology, Industrial Tech, MedTech, and Life Sciences. It adds value by providing targeted funding and using ZEISS’s global network and expertise to support portfolio companies. The goal is to accelerate development of new technologies and business models that complement ZEISS’s portfolio, while actively engaging with external innovation.

Company size
1,001-5,000
Company stage
Growth Equity (Non-Venture Capital)
Total funding
$69.9M
Headquarters
Oberkochen, Germany
Founded
2001

Recently Posted Jobs

Explore more opportunities at Zeiss

See more jobs