CV Engineer: Example and Template
This is what a convincing CV looks like for engineers in the Swiss mechanical, electrical and metal industry - with measurable project results instead of task lists.
Currently 2365 open Engineer positions in Switzerland, across 21 cantons, 632 of them from the last 7 days. Harmattan AI 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 CVWhich qualification belongs in an Engineer CV?
State the protected title exactly as it was awarded - BSc FH, MSc ETH, dipl. Ing. FH or dipl. Techniker HF - and add the institution, specialization and graduation year.
In Switzerland, HR managers in engineering distinguish very precisely between educational pathways. So write 'MSc ETH in Mechanical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 2012' or 'BSc FHNW in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, 2015' rather than vague statements such as 'studied engineering'. Anyone holding the older title dipl. Ing. FH or dipl. Ing. HTL should keep it and add the current equivalent in brackets for international companies. A specialization such as product development, energy technology, mechatronics or design engineering should also be included, as it immediately clarifies the area of application.
An entry in the REG A or REG B register is a particularly strong signal in civil and plant engineering, as is membership of Swiss Engineering STV. For management and project roles, IPMA Level C or D from VZPM, an SIA-related qualification in construction, or further training as a machine safety specialist carry considerably more weight than general management courses. List such credentials with the year, so their currency remains clear.
Foreign diplomas should be accompanied by a recognition note, for example 'Swiss ENIC level confirmation available'. For technical occupations built on an apprenticeship - Polymechaniker EFZ, Automatiker EFZ, Elektroniker EFZ - it is worth listing them: they demonstrate manufacturing know-how that many employers in the MEM sector explicitly look for. Mention internships, semester and master's theses only if the topic fits the position, and then always with a result.
How do I structure my professional experience as an engineer convincingly?
Describe the technical context of each position in two lines and list three to four results below with figures - cycle time, cost, availability, scrap rate or project budget.
Task lists such as 'design of components' say nothing. Instead, name the type of machine, industry, unit quantity or project volume, followed by the impact of your work: 'cycle time reduced from 38 to 24 seconds', 'manufacturing costs reduced by 18 percent, corresponding to CHF 480'000 per year' or 'plant availability increased from 91.4 to 98.2 percent'. These figures are documented in engineering work anyway - you only need to bring them into the CV.
Make your role in the development process visible. Were you responsible for the requirements specification, for calculation and simulation, for prototype construction, for series release, or for commissioning at the customer's site? Name the standards and processes you actually worked with - Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, SN EN ISO 12100, SN EN ISO 13849-1, SN EN ISO 9001, ISO 13485 in medical technology, or the SIA standards series in construction. Such details can be verified at interview and therefore appear credible.
Keep the system landscape separate and specific: CAD system with version, FEM tool, PLM and ERP system, control platform. 'Siemens NX, ANSYS Mechanical, Windchill, TIA Portal' is more meaningful than 'good CAD skills'. Add leadership and interface experience with figures: team size, number of suppliers managed, number of commissionings and countries. State foreign languages with level and application, since acceptance testing and documentation often take place in English or French.
How long should the CV be, and does it need a photo?
Two pages are standard; with over ten years of experience and an extensive project history, up to three pages maximum - a photo is optional but still customary in Switzerland.
The following structure has proven effective: contact details and permit status, brief profile, core competencies and systems, professional experience in reverse chronological order, education, certificates, languages. Highly experienced engineers move detailed information into a separate project list - project, role, volume, result - and reference it in the CV. This keeps the main document scannable without losing reference projects.
A professional portrait photo is still widespread in Switzerland and expected by many SMEs, though no one may legally require it. Year of birth, nationality or residence permit (such as B, C or cross-border commuter permit G), and place of residence are common details, especially when commuting distance or willingness to travel for commissioning work matters. Leave out marital status, religion and photos of diplomas in the CV.
Save the document as a PDF with a clear filename, for example 'CV_Ammann_DevelopmentEngineer.pdf', and attach reference letters and diplomas as a separate document. Adapt the profile and skills list to each job posting: a company filling a special machine design position looks for different keywords than one hiring an engineer for maintenance, process optimization or technical sales. Always have figures and standard designations proofread - technical errors are immediately noticed by specialist supervisors.
Where Engineer are hired in Switzerland
How the 2365 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 185 |
| Waadt | 46 |
| Genf | 42 |
| Aargau | 21 |
| Basel-Stadt | 21 |
| Bern | 20 |
| Zug | 18 |
| Freiburg | 12 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 1519 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| English | 1118 (855) |
| German | 935 (512) |
| French | 124 (77) |
| Italian | 17 (11) |
Who hires Engineer in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Harmattan AI | 28 |
| Proton | 28 |
| Destinus | 26 |
| Rivr | 24 |
| On | 24 |
| Lombard Odier | 23 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 1646 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 27 |
| Temporär | 17 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Lukas Ammann
Mechanical Engineer MSc ETH, REG A - Product Development & Automation
Mechanical engineer with 12 years of experience in series and special machine development at Swiss MEM suppliers. Focus areas are product development in the stage-gate process, machine safety according to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, and manufacturing cost optimization through DFM/DFA. Currently leads a development team of six people and is responsible for project budgets of up to CHF 2.4 million.
What sets me apart
From Polymechaniker EFZ to MSc ETH: Four-year workshop apprenticeship as a foundation: designs are engineered for manufacturability, and discussions with production and suppliers take place on equal footing. Reject rates fell by over 2 percentage points at two companies following design reviews.
Machine safety as specialist responsibility: Prepares risk assessments according to SN EN ISO 12100 and validates safety functions up to Performance Level d in accordance with SN EN ISO 13849-1. Guided 14 series through CE conformity assessment, including technical documentation and operating instructions.
Mechanics and automation from a single source: Combines 3D CAD and FEM with PLC programming in TIA Portal and drive sizing. This reduces interface losses between design and electrical planning - engineering hours per retrofit fell by 25 percent.
Cost responsibility instead of drafting service: Conducts systematic value analyses and supplier qualifications with initial sample inspection (EMPB/PPAP). Reduced manufacturing costs of core assemblies by 18 percent, corresponding to CHF 480'000 in savings per year.
Key achievements
Cycle time of a packaging line reduced by 37 percent. Redesign of gripper and cam-gear kinematics reduced cycle time from 38 to 24 seconds per cycle and increased line output by 4'200 units per shift.
Prototype loops reduced from 3 to 1. Introduction of structured FEM calculation in ANSYS with fatigue strength verification shortened development time by 11 weeks and saved CHF 165'000 in prototype costs per project.
Plant availability increased from 91.4 to 98.2 percent. 23 control system retrofits from S7-300 to S7-1500 with a revised maintenance concept reduced unplanned downtime by 640 hours per year across the entire machine fleet.
Experience
Senior Development Engineer / Project Manager — Helvetronic Systems AG, Winterthur, since 03/2019
Series and special machine manufacturing for food and pharmaceutical packaging, 240 employees, export share 78 percent. Leadership of 6 engineers and designers, project budgets up to CHF 2.4 million.
- Led the redevelopment of a cartoning machine series from specification to series release: cycle time reduced from 38 to 24 seconds, 9 machines sold in the first year
- Reduced manufacturing costs of main assemblies through DFM/DFA and a common-parts strategy by 18 percent, annual savings of CHF 480'000 across 62 machines
- Responsible for CE conformity assessment of 14 series under 2006/42/EC, including risk assessment per SN EN ISO 12100 and validation up to PL d per SN EN ISO 13849-1 - no findings in 6 customer audits
- Introduced stage-gate reviews and ANSYS calculation standards: prototype loops reduced from 3 to 1, time-to-market shortened by 11 weeks
Automation Project Engineer — Alptec Antriebstechnik GmbH, Baden, 08/2015 - 02/2019
Retrofit and modernization of production plants for the Swiss MEM industry, project volume CHF 150'000 to CHF 900'000, commissioning in Switzerland and abroad.
- Carried out 23 control system retrofits from S7-300 to S7-1500 using TIA Portal, increasing plant availability across the customer fleet from 91.4 to 98.2 percent
- Standardized switch cabinet documentation in EPLAN P8 with a macro library: engineering hours per project reduced by 25 percent
- Reduced energy consumption of 11 drive systems by 14 percent through redesign of frequency converters and gear ratios, payback within 19 months
- Carried out 31 commissionings in 7 countries, acceptance protocols in German and English, average delay under 2 days
Design Engineer / Junior Engineer — Rhein Präzision AG, Schaffhausen, 09/2012 - 07/2015
Supplier of precision turned parts and assemblies for medical technology, 85 employees, manufacturing according to SN EN ISO 9001 and ISO 13485.
- Created over 140 manufacturing drawings with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing per ISO GPS and SN EN ISO 2768, reducing production queries by 45 percent
- Supported the introduction of Windchill PLM for 4'800 items and reduced document search times by 40 percent
- Reduced scrap in a production series from 4.1 to 1.8 percent through tolerance analysis and tooling adjustments
- Supervised 2 Polymechaniker EFZ apprentices in design projects, each over a 6-month period
Education
MSc ETH, Mechanical Engineering, specialization in Product Development — ETH Zurich · 2012
BSc, Mechanical Engineering — ZHAW School of Engineering, Winterthur · 2010
Federal VET Diploma, Polymechaniker EFZ, Profile G — Berufsfachschule Winterthur · 2006
REG A entry in the Swiss Register of Engineers, Architects and Technicians · IPMA Level C Project Manager (VZPM), 2020 · Machine Safety Specialist: risk assessment and validation according to SN EN ISO 12100 / 13849, 2018 · Six Sigma Green Belt, 2016
Common questions
- What language should I write my CV in as a Engineer?
- 53% of adverts are in German, 44% in English. In this occupation two versions earn their keep.
- Where in Switzerland are Engineer most in demand?
- Spread out, Zurich first at 8%, then Vaud and Geneva. Across a language border, apply with the matching version.
- What language level do Engineer adverts ask for?
- English in 74% of adverts that state a requirement, but only 76% want professional level. Solid basics, honestly stated, often suffice.
- Are Engineer roles offered full or part time?
- 98% full time, only 2% part time. If you need part time, say so early rather than leaving it open.
- Who hires Engineer in Switzerland?
- Currently Harmattan AI, Proton, Destinus, among others. Their adverts are the best word list for your own CV.