Director CV: Example and Template
This is how you structure your CV as a Director so that the board of directors, CEO and recruitment consultants grasp your P&L responsibility, management span and results in 60 seconds.
Currently 307 open Director positions in Switzerland, across 11 cantons, 44 of them from the last 7 days. Novartis advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
Check your CV against real Swiss job adverts
The check compares your CV with what Swiss adverts actually ask for — structure, language level, missing evidence.
Check my CVWhat qualifications are expected for a Director position in Switzerland?
A university degree (FH or university) plus executive further education such as an Executive MBA, a CAS in Corporate Governance, or a board director programme is standard.
For Director roles at Swiss companies, what counts is the combination of a solid foundational education and a demonstrable leadership qualification. A bachelor's or master's degree in business administration, industrial engineering or a technical field forms the basis; building on this, an Executive MBA (HSG, IMD, ZHAW, HSLU), a CAS in Corporate Governance or a board director programme are the qualifications that boards of directors actually read closely. State the institution and year so that currency is clear.
A university degree is not mandatory if you have taken the classic Swiss route through higher vocational education. A federal diploma as a Business Economist HF, a federal diploma as an Expert in Accounting and Controlling, or a federal certificate followed by an executive programme are highly regarded in industrial and trade environments. It is important to write the titles correctly, as protected designations are verified.
Supplement your education with governance- and law-related credentials specific to Director duties: Swiss GAAP FER or IFRS seminars, ICS under Art. 728a CO, employment law for executives, data protection under the revised FADP, or FINMA-relevant training if you work at a financial institution. For foreign diplomas, note in brackets the recognition by Swissuniversities or the SEFRI - this avoids follow-up questions.
How do I convincingly demonstrate management and results responsibility?
For each role, provide three hard metrics: revenue or budget in CHF, the number of FTE and direct reports, and the reporting line.
Start each position with a context sentence that makes your responsibility measurable: 'Business unit with CHF 46 million revenue, 180 FTE, 5 direct reports, reporting line to the CEO'. Only then do the achievements follow. This way, the reader immediately recognises whether your management span matches the advertised role - a Director position with a CHF 15 million budget requires different evidence than one with CHF 300 million.
Phrase achievements as a delta with a timeframe: EBITDA margin from 7.2% to 11.8% in 36 months, staff turnover from 14% to 8.5%, monthly closing from 12 to 5 working days. For restructurings, short-time work or site closures, state the scope and outcome factually, including the social plan and agreement with the social partners. Such points demonstrate your resilience within the Swiss employment law framework.
Also show your interface upward: presentations to the board of directors, preparation of audit committee materials, collaboration with the auditor, budget approval, M&A dossiers. Add mandates such as board seats, executive functions in industry associations, or foundation board mandates for the pension fund - these demonstrate governance experience that cannot be acquired in a course.
How long should the CV be, and should it include a photo?
Two to a maximum of three pages are accepted at Director level, and a professional portrait photo remains standard practice in Switzerland.
At management level, you may use two pages, or three if you have 20 years of experience. However, the first page must stand on its own: a profile in three sentences, an 'At a glance' section with revenue, FTE and governance experience, and the current role with key figures. Summarise positions dating back more than 15 years in one line per role and omit the details.
A professional portrait photo in business attire is standard for Swiss executive dossiers, as are location, nationality or permit status (e.g. C permit), year of birth and contact details. Attach references and work certificates as a separate PDF; disclose referees only upon request, since current mandates are confidential. A one-page cover letter is expected at this level.
Pay attention to Swiss conventions: amounts as CHF 85'000 with an apostrophe, dates as MM/YYYY, language levels according to the CEFR, and the term 'Lebenslauf' rather than 'CV' in German-language applications. Align your title and key terms with the job posting, as recruitment consultants and applicant tracking systems search for phrases such as 'Member of the Executive Board', 'P&L responsibility' or 'Swiss GAAP FER'. Submit the dossier as a single, correctly named PDF.
Where Director are hired in Switzerland
How the 307 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 25 |
| Basel-Stadt | 17 |
| Waadt | 8 |
| Genf | 7 |
| Zug | 5 |
| Luzern | 3 |
| Solothurn | 2 |
| Tessin | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 209 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| English | 176 (160) |
| German | 84 (50) |
| French | 23 (20) |
| Italian | 1 (1) |
Who hires Director in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Novartis | 18 |
| Lonza | 12 |
| Abbott | 11 |
| CSL | 10 |
| On | 10 |
| pwc | 8 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 170 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 2 |
| Temporär | 2 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Sandra Bürgisser
Director Operations & Member of the Executive Board, Executive MBA HSG
Director with 14 years of management experience in manufacturing and service-oriented SME structures in Switzerland, including 5 years as a member of the executive board with full P&L responsibility for CHF 148 million revenue and 480 FTE. I combine operational efficiency improvements (OEE, Lean) with sound corporate governance: quarterly reporting to the board of directors under Swiss GAAP FER, budget and medium-term planning, as well as negotiations with social partners and the auditor. Most recently increased EBITDA margin from 7.2% to 11.8% within three years and integrated an acquisition with 95 FTE.
What sets me apart
P&L instead of project lists: I manage results, not just activities: contribution margin accounting by product line, monthly forecasting with variance analysis, and a budgeting process that links the board's medium-term planning with operational OKRs.
Governance maturity: Experienced in working with the board of directors, audit committee and auditor: reporting under Swiss GAAP FER, implementation of the Swiss Code of Best Practice, and internal control systems (ICS) under Art. 728a CO.
Social partnership and labour law: Negotiations with trade unions and the staff committee on CBA affiliation, working time models under the Employment Act (ArG), and short-time work applications; completed two restructurings without litigation.
Post-acquisition integration: Post-merger integration from due diligence handover to a harmonised ERP landscape: unified chart of accounts, a single management rhythm, synergies of CHF 2.1 million realised in 14 months.
Key achievements
EBITDA margin from 7.2% to 11.8%. Programme of price enforcement, product range rationalisation (-180 items) and Lean initiatives across three plants; absolute EBITDA improvement of CHF 6.8 million within 36 months with stable headcount.
Integrated acquisition with CHF 22 million revenue. Transferred 95 FTE, two locations and 1'200 customer contracts within 14 months; synergies of CHF 2.1 million p.a., customer churn below 3%, no delay to the group's consolidated financial statements.
Reduced staff turnover from 14% to 8.5%. New compensation system with transparent salary bands, CBA-compliant shift allowances and a management development programme for 34 managers; reduced recruitment costs by CHF 410'000 per year.
Experience
Director Operations & Member of the Executive Board — Alpstein Precision Group AG, Zug, since 03/2020
Industrial group with 480 FTE, three plants (CH/DE/PL) and CHF 148 million revenue; direct reporting line to the CEO, quarterly presentations to the board of directors.
- Increased EBITDA margin from 7.2% to 11.8% (+CHF 6.8 million) through a price, range and Lean programme across three plants
- Responsible for a CHF 12 million investment programme; increased OEE of core lines from 62% to 79%, reducing throughput time by 22%
- Integrated an acquisition with CHF 22 million revenue and 95 FTE; realised synergies of CHF 2.1 million p.a. within 14 months
- Negotiated CBA affiliation and a new shift model with social partners; reduced staff turnover from 14% to 8.5%
Vice Director / Head of Business Unit Services — Lindenmoos Technologie AG, Winterthur, 08/2016 - 02/2020
Business unit with CHF 46 million revenue and 180 FTE within a technology group operating throughout Switzerland; full P&L and investment responsibility.
- Increased revenue from CHF 33 million to CHF 46 million (+38%), improved contribution margin by 4.2 percentage points
- Converted maintenance contracts to an indexed pricing model: renegotiated 1'200 contracts, increasing the recurring revenue share from 41% to 63%
- Led the implementation of SAP S/4HANA in the business unit (budget CHF 2.4 million, on schedule); shortened the monthly closing from 12 to 5 working days
- Increased Net Promoter Score from 31 to 52, reduced complaint-handling costs by CHF 620'000 per year
Senior Manager Transformation — Bergquell Advisory AG, Zürich, 09/2011 - 07/2016
Consulting mandates for Swiss industrial and trading companies with CHF 20-300 million revenue; focus on cost structure, plant networks and management systems.
- Led 14 mandates, demonstrating a cumulative CHF 18 million in sustainable cost reductions for clients
- Developed a site concept for a manufacturer: consolidation from 4 to 2 plants, payback within 26 months
- Led teams of up to 9 consultants and 20 client staff, mandate volumes of up to CHF 1.3 million
- Built a KPI and reporting system for 3 groups (Swiss GAAP FER segment reporting)
Education
Executive MBA, General Management — University of St. Gallen (HSG) · 2016
Master of Science, Business Administration, major in Controlling — University of Bern · 2008
Eidg. Fachausweis, Technical Business Administrator — Higher Vocational School Zug · 2004
CAS Corporate Governance, ZHAW School of Management and Law · 2021 · Board Director Certificate (Board Director Programme), Executive School HSG · 2019 · Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Swiss Association for Quality (SAQ) · 2015 · Employment Law for Executives, Swiss Employers' Association · 2018
Common questions
- What language should I write my CV in as a Director?
- 78% of adverts are in English, 20% in German. In this occupation two versions earn their keep.
- Where in Switzerland are Director most in demand?
- Spread out, Zurich first at 8%, then Basel-Stadt and Vaud. Across a language border, apply with the matching version.
- What language level do Director adverts ask for?
- English in 84% of adverts that state a requirement, 91% of them at professional level. "Good knowledge" will not do — give A2 to C2.
- Are Director roles offered full or part time?
- 99% full time, only 1% part time. If you need part time, say so early rather than leaving it open.
- Who hires Director in Switzerland?
- Currently Novartis, Lonza, Abbott, among others. Their adverts are the best word list for your own CV.