ZEISS in India is headquartered in Bengaluru and present in the fields of Industrial Quality Solutions, Research Microscopy Solutions, Medical Technology, Vision Care and Sports & Cine Optics.

ZEISS India has 3 production facilities, R&D center, Global IT services and about 40 Sales & Service offices in almost all Tier I and Tier II cities in India. With 2200+ employees and continued investments over 25 years in India, ZEISS success story in India is continuing at a rapid pace.

Purpose of this position / Position summary :

Vision Care Commercial India is on a high growth trajectory. The Head – Strategy & New Business Development will play a pivotal role in shaping the organization's long-term direction, driving business transformation, and enabling scalable, data-driven growth. This leader will partner closely with the executive team to define strategic priorities, evaluate new growth opportunities, and institutionalize excellence in execution. The role requires a blend of strategic foresight, analytical depth, and operational discipline — ideal for a fast growing, high-performing organization.

The incumbent should be on a hands-on strategic leader who has successfully navigated the early scale build and scale up journey of building and scaling businesses, and who brings a deep, end-to-end understanding of how product, commercial, customer, operations, and financial levers come together to drive sustainable growth.

Primary duties and responsibilities :

Strategic Direction:

a. Define and drive long-term business strategy aligned with organizational goals and the growth vision.

b. Shape long-term business direction and identify scalable growth opportunities.

c. Translate strategic priorities into actionable plans with clear financial, operational, and customer outcomes.

Market & Competitive Intelligence:

a. Continuously assess market dynamics, emerging trends, and competitive movements to guide strategic positioning.

b. Analyze trends, customer behavior, and competitive landscapes to inform business strategy.

c. Use data to frame strategic questions, validate hypotheses, and guide decisions at leadership and board levels.

Cross-Functional Alignment:

a. Partner with business and functional heads to ensure alignment and execution of strategic priorities.

b. Collaborative approach to align teams and drive organization-wide clarity and focus.

New Growth Opportunities:

a. Evaluate and model new business ventures, partnerships, and expansion areas to diversify revenue streams.

b. Drive the early-stage creation and scaled execution of new business lines—from concept, feasibility, piloting, GTM, customer validation, to operational rollout.

c. Establish success metrics, experimentation frameworks, and feedback loops to ensure rapid learning and iteration.

d. Build playbooks for scaling—processes, systems, capabilities, and governance required for sustainable growth.

Data-Driven Decision Support:

a. Build analytical frameworks and dashboards that inform decision-making and measure strategic impact.

b. Experienced in evaluating business models, investment opportunities, and partnerships with a structured, analytical approach.

Financial and Commercial Acumen:

a. Build and own business cases, revenue models, P&L projections, investment requirements, and risk assessments for new initiatives.

b. Drive portfolio decisions—prioritisation, resource allocation, and scenario planning.

Education requirements / Experience / Job Specifications :

o MBA or advanced degree in Business, Strategy, or related field.

o 12-15 years of experience in strategy, business excellence, or transformation roles within high-growth or multinational or ganizations.

o Proven track record of building or scaling businesses from 0–1—startup, new ventures, new markets, or large enterprise incubations.

o Entrepreneurial mindset with strong ownership.

o Strong people leader with experience of mentorship and setting up high performing teams.

o Strong exposure to P&L thinking, operational models, product/market dynamics, and customer-centric business design.

o Experience working with senior leadership and board-level stakeholders.

o Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and storytelling skills, strong bias for action.

o Ability to work in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and drive clarity.

Head of Strategy and New Business Development(Vision Care)