Engineering Program Manager, XRX

ZEISS Group•Dublin, CA

4d•$135,300 - $169,100

About The Position

ZEISS is seeking an Engineering Program Manager for its XRX business in Dublin, California. The position is responsible for helping achieve XRX business targets by delivering technical solutions for a key U.S. account and contributing to the development of next-generation wearable vision technology. The role leads advanced spectacle lens development programs from concept through industrialization, including complex, multi-year product and technology programs with technical uncertainty, multiple development loops, and rigorous industrialization-readiness criteria. The program manager translates customer requirements into measurable objectives, plans, milestones, and deliverables; coordinates R&D, manufacturing, quality, regulatory, and supply chain teams; and manages scope, schedule, risks, dependencies, communication, performance, cost, and quality. The role operates within ZEISS governance, product-development processes, quality systems, and applicable regulatory and safety requirements. It has accountability for integrated project delivery and authority over defined day-to-day project decisions, with shared approvals and escalation of significant strategic, commercial, resource, financial, or schedule decisions to leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience.
Proven experience managing complex technical development projects.
Strong ability to structure ambiguity and turn evolving requirements into actionable plans.
Excellent stakeholder management skills and confidence working with demanding, detail-oriented customers.
Ability to align teams without formal authority and maintain momentum under pressure.
Clear, concise communication skills, balancing technical depth with executive-level clarity.
Resilient, pragmatic, and solution-oriented approach, with comfort navigating conflict and high expectations.
Solid understanding of product development, product lifecycles, and cross-functional collaboration.
Willingness to travel nationally and internationally, estimated at approximately 25%.

Nice To Haves

Experience in optics, medical devices, consumer electronics, or similar high-precision industries.
Experience managing technical development projects with direct customer relationships.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end project management for advanced spectacle lens development programs, from concept through industrialization.
Lead complex, multi-year new product and new technology development programs, managing planning, execution, control, technical uncertainty, development loops, and industrialization readiness.
Translate evolving customer requirements—including optical performance, manufacturability, cost, and regulatory considerations—into structured project objectives, plans, milestones, and deliverables.
Coordinate R&D, manufacturing, quality, regulatory, and supply chain teams across disciplines, locations, and stages of maturity.
Manage project scope, timelines, risks, and dependencies through risk reviews, scenario analyses, and structured decision forums.
Drive regular, decision-oriented communication with internal teams and external stakeholders, ensuring transparency, alignment, and timely decisions.
Identify emerging technical, organizational, and execution issues; escalate critical issues with fact-based options and impact assessments; and guide teams toward pragmatic, high-quality solutions.
Maintain alignment with performance, cost, and quality targets, monitoring progress through structured reviews, KPIs, and deviation analyses.
Make day-to-day project decisions and corrective actions within the approved project framework, escalating significant deviations and strategic trade-offs as required.
Follow corporate product-development processes, governance models, change-management rules, documentation standards, quality systems, and applicable regulatory and safety guidelines.