General Manager - Head Of Consumer Products Sporting

Carl Zeiss Consumer Products (COP) is the business unit responsible for designing, producing, and selling optical equipment for the enthusiasts and professionals of Nature Observation, Hunting and Shooting, Photography and Cinema. COP is part of the Carl Zeiss Group, a company with more than 175 years of experience in creating technological progress in lithography optics, measuring technology, microscopes, medical technology, eyeglass lenses, camera and cine lenses or binoculars among other areas.

Carl Zeiss is one of the global leaders of these industries, with just under 40,000 employees worldwide, and a revenue of 8.75bn €, that invests in R&D 13% of its revenue.

The General Manager of COP in North America will be responsible for developing these categories and fully accountable for the local P&L, managing a diverse and motivated team

Be responsible for the Consumer Products Business Unit (COP) in North America:

• Full accountability for delivery of commercial P&L of COP across all COP categories Hunting, Nature Observation, Cinematography and Photography separately.

• Responsible for creating a high performing North American COP team of 30 employees covering commercial and operations functions (sales, marketing, customer service incl. repair, sales support, supply chain, FP&A)

• Responsible for driving collaboration with Global COP Team to optimise business success and strengthen the organisation.

• Proactively identify changes in competitive environment informing key stakeholder and modifying strategies and tactics accordingly.

• Provide national forecast data, including market share trends and competitive analysis as part of an annual budgeting process.

• Deliver outstanding customer experiences at all touchpoints, this includes the further development of the repair department and processes to a best-in-class level

• Facilitate local consumer understanding and support the global COP team to develop the right products for the North American market

• Develop processes and capabilities required to lead and manage an effective and efficient COP operation in North America

• Develop Direct to Consumer sales capabilities with an own online shop and capabilities to sell digital services to North American consumers as well as managing third party online marketplaces (e.g. amazon) for future category launches.

• Develop exceptional relationships with external customers , being seen as a trusted business partner

Be responsible for the legal entity management of Carl Zeiss SBE, LLC:

• As General Manager & Treasurer of the legal entity Carl Zeiss SBE, LLC with its two businesses (Consumer Products and Semiconductor), being accountable for the following areas:

• P&L and all operations of COP (not SMT)

• Legal entity management: i.e. coordinate budget process, period and year-end closing, audits, and annual board meeting for the entire legal entity

• Trade compliance (coordinate import/export operations) for the entire legal entity

• Data protection for the entire legal entity

• Manage the usage and utilization of the ZEISS Shared Services, i.e. Accounting, IT, HR, Legal, SC, etc.

MUST HAVE REQUIREMENTS

• Degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or related field

• Minimum of 8-10 years in national sales management preferably in Sporting, hunting or photography industry

• Deep understanding of corporate strategy and ability to translate ideas into executable outcome Ability to cope within a demanding consumer market and sales environment

• Proven sales and marketing management capabilities in the Consumer Durables business with strong focus on structural approach to sales based on data and systems as well as good relationships to key customers

• Experienced in managing a P&L

• High level of financial (budget, forecast) and organizational skills

• Proven expertise in account management and development 

• General IT expertise in CRM system, data analysis and MS Office

SOFT SKILLS:

• The candidate should be an excellent communicator, both in writing and in person to become the respected leader and ambassador of the US Market to its employees, its customers and the Headquarter functions.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with customers, co-workers, managers and colleagues/leaders as well as the Headquarter in Germany

• Be a cultural facilitator to in order to foster a fruitful and constructive co working relationship between the US team as the most important market and the R&D, Product- and Marketing team from the Headquarter to achieve mutual success and real team spirit.

• Ability to influence others internally and externally,

• Outstanding customer and consumer focus

• Highly energetic, organized, able to successfully drive performance and deliver results in timely and efficient manner

• High on integrity, compliance, ethics and transparency

The annual pay range for this position is $200,000 - $250,000

The pay offered for this role may be influenced by factors such as job location, scope of role, qualifications, education, experience, & complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent.

This position is also eligible for a performance bonus or sales commissions. ZEISS also offers robust benefits, including medical plans, retirement savings plan and paid time off.

NICE TO HAVE

• Professional knowledge of the outdoor, birding, hunting and shooting industry is an advantage
• Experience working in an international corporation