Retail Architect (f/m/x)

Location: Aalen

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

Your Talent, our Vision – together we see beyond. Your start at ZEISS Vision Care. As a leading manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses, we help people around the world achieve a clearer vision – sustainable and with focus on the future. 

Our products are as diverse as the career paths we offer, from tailored lenses to award-winning measurement systems. Become part of our team and shape a future in which clear vision and professional success go hand in hand.

Your Role

• Continuously evolve the global ZEISS store format strategy (e.g., experience centers, flagship, standard, shop-in-shop, pop-ups) by translating brand strategy, consumer journeys, commercial requirements, and emerging retail, design, and technology trends into clear, future-ready spatial concepts.

• Develop holistic, on-brand store concepts (incl. layout, architecture, interior, lighting, signage, digital touchpoints, VM tools) and corresponding guidelines, ensuring consistent, scalable, modular, and locally adaptable implementation across all ZEISS retail formats.

• Lead the architectural design of new stores and major refurbishments from concept to design development, aligning with internal stakeholders and coordinating external partners to ensure on-brand, consumer-centric, and technically feasible implementation.

• Define, document, and enforce global architectural and design standards for ZEISS branded retail, including review and approval of regional designs, management of justified deviations, and training/support of regions, partners, and suppliers on best practices.

• Continuously scout and evaluate retail, architectural, experiential, and technology trends, piloting and integrating new concepts, fixtures, and digital solutions (e.g., digital signage, interactive tools, diagnostics) to enhance customer experience and business performance.

• Integrate sustainability principles (materials, energy efficiency, lifecycle, modularity, reuse) into ZEISS store concepts while optimizing designs for operational efficiency, ergonomics, and cost-effectiveness without compromising the ZEISS brand experience.

As Retail Architect for ZEISS branded retail formats within the ZEISS Business Partner Program you are responsible for the end-to-end architectural concept, design, and the continuous development of all ZEISS store formats worldwide. This role shapes the physical expression of the ZEISS brand in retail, ensuring our stores deliver a best-in-class consumer experience, reflect our premium positioning, and continuously evolve in line with global and local retail trends.

Your Profile

• Degree in Architecture, Interior Architecture, Retail Design, or a related field.

• Several years of experience in retail architecture / store design, ideally in a premium or luxury, consumer, or healthcare/optical environment combined with proven track record in developing and rolling out global or multi-country store concepts and formats.

• Strong proficiency in architectural design and planning tools (e.g. AutoCAD, Revit, ArchiCAD, SketchUp, or similar; Adobe Creative Suite a plus).

• Solid understanding of construction methods, materials, building regulations, and technical constraints, demonstrated through a structured, pragmatic, and solution-oriented working style; able to balance creativity with feasibility and cost.

• Strong conceptual and strategic thinking, with the ability to translate brand and customer insights into spatial experiences.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, able to collaborate across functions, cultures, and geographies supported by strong communication and presentation skills to convince and inspire both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Fluency in English; additional languages are an advantage.

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:

Hannah Beutler