Head of Commercial Finance

ZEISS Group•Princeton, NJ

7d•$143,900 - $179,900

About The Position

The Head of Commercial Finance owns product and customer portfolio health across all channels, deal and new-business viability approvals, and the commercial finance guardrails that enable timely decisions while protecting sound economics. The role has a material impact on ZEISS Vision P&L performance, including both revenue and profitability. As a member of the Commercial Leadership Team, this position helps define and implement business strategy and acts as a finance partner to commercial teams. The role leads commercial finance activities spanning pricing, customer profitability, deal structure, rebates, trade spend, credit exposure, payment terms, and portfolio decisions. It partners with Sales, Retail, Business Development, Finance, and senior leaders to shape commercial strategies, assess performance, and support profitable growth. The position also leads and develops three channel analysts covering ECP, Retail, and CEC, setting consistent standards for analysis, accountability, and business partnership.

Requirements

Eight or more years of experience in commercial finance, including direct partnership with a sales organization.
Track record of building pricing or deal governance that speeds decisions rather than slowing them down.
Strong grasp of channel and customer profitability mechanics, including rebates and trade spend.
Ability and willingness to clearly decline proposals and explain the reasoning in commercial language.
Bachelor’s degree or higher in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Sit on the Commercial Leadership Team and help define and drive implementation of business strategy around the customer value proposition.
Own product and customer portfolio profitability by product range, channel, and customer; surface weak positions, ensure action plans are established, and track performance.
Approve deal and new-business viability against agreed margin thresholds, and help develop deal ideas and business designs.
Maintain and periodically recalibrate the margin guardrail framework so commercial teams can self-qualify most deals without finance approval.
Partner with Sales and Retail leadership on pricing, product mix, customer terms, and commercial strategy.
Review rebate and incentive structures for margin impact, including VCS equipment and premium lens rebate mechanics, and ensure these levers deliver expected value.
Lead commercial finance input into pricing decisions, major account renewals, and tenders; participate in customer meetings where appropriate.
Conduct post-deal reviews of material agreements, comparing delivered economics with the approved case.
Apply financial insight to pricing, customer profitability, deal structure, rebates, trade spend, and portfolio decisions to support profitable growth.
Partner with Sales, Retail, Business Development, Finance, and senior leadership to shape commercial strategies while maintaining financial discipline.
Make timely, reasoned recommendations on deal viability, margin thresholds, customer terms, credit exposure, and escalations.
Translate product, channel, customer, and post-deal performance data into actionable insights, risks, and improvement plans.
Design, maintain, and improve practical guardrails for pricing, deal approval, credit limits, payment terms, and rebate structures.
Communicate and explain financial decisions, including decisions to decline proposals, in practical commercial language.
Identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve deal self-qualification, increase transparency, and strengthen commercial finance decision-making.
Lead, coach, and develop three channel analysts covering ECP, Retail, and CEC, maintaining consistent standards of analysis and accountability.