CV Engineering: Example and Template
A complete Swiss CV example for engineers - with quantified projects, knowledge of standards and CAD/FEM tools.
Currently 163 open Engineering positions in Switzerland, across 18 cantons, 19 of them from the last 7 days. Roche 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.
Which qualification belongs in an engineer's CV?
State the title, institution and year exactly as they appear on the diploma - Swiss HR managers clearly distinguish between ETH/EPFL, university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) and higher vocational college (Höhere Fachschule).
Write your qualification out in full: 'MSc ETH in Mechanical Engineering Sciences', 'Bachelor of Science FHNW in Systems Engineering' or 'Dipl. Techniker HF Mechanical Engineering'. A Bachelor from a university of applied sciences (FH) and a Master from ETH are positioned differently in the Swiss labour market, and HR managers in engineering read closely. If you completed a vocational apprenticeship as a Polymechanic EFZ, Design Engineer EFZ or Automation Engineer EFZ, be sure to keep it on your CV - the combination of apprenticeship plus degree is seen as a strong signal of practical competence in industrial companies.
Classify foreign diplomas: add a level confirmation from Swiss ENIC or - for regulated civil engineering roles - your entry in the REG register (REG-A, REG-B) with the Swiss Technical Association (STV). Cantonal building authorities and engineering firms often explicitly require a REG entry or membership with SIA, USIC or Swiss Engineering STV for roles with signing authority. List these points in a separate 'Registrations and Associations' section.
Add specific further training instead of generic course names: Machine Safety according to EKAS Guideline 6508, Welding Engineer SFI/IWE, Fire Protection Specialist VKF, MAS in Energy or Six Sigma Green Belt. Such credentials often decide whether you get invited to interview more than a third line in your profile text, because they directly address requirements from the job profile.
How should I structure work experience and projects in an engineering CV?
For each position, briefly describe the technical context and follow it with three to four results with figures - cycle times, tolerances, budgets, unit numbers.
Under each position, add two lines of context: industry, product, series size or plant volume, your responsibility. 'Special-purpose machinery for pharma, project volume CHF 0.3 to 4.2 million, responsible from quotation to final acceptance' says more than any task list. This is followed by results with metrics: output increased from 220 to 288 units per minute, Cpk 1.67, commonality rate 68 percent, material costs reduced by CHF 187'000 per year.
Make visible which phase of the product development process you excel in. Concept and specification, detailed design, calculation and validation, prototyping, series start-up, commissioning or change management (ECR/ECO) require different profiles. Mention the standards and methods relevant to your phase: EN ISO 12100 and ISO 13849-1 for safety, EN 1090 for steel construction, EN 13480 and AD 2000 for pressure equipment, SIA 260 to 267 for structural engineering, ISO 1101 for dimensioning.
For project-heavy profiles - typical for engineering firms and plant construction - an additional 'Selected Projects' section with four to six entries is worthwhile: project, role, volume, result. Maintain confidentiality: 'ISO 8 cleanroom facility for a Suisse Romande pharmaceutical company' works even without naming the client. Add CAD, FEM and PLM systems with proficiency level, because 'Siemens NX, 8 years daily use' is more meaningful than a long tool list without depth.
How long should the CV be and is a photo needed?
Two pages is standard, a professional photo is still customary in Switzerland, and details on permit type, availability and region belong near the top.
Keep the CV to two pages; with more than 15 years of experience or an extensive project list, three pages are acceptable, provided every line has substance. Summarise older positions; apprenticeship and study years are sufficient with the years listed. A photo in business attire, professional and current, is still widespread in Switzerland and expected by most industrial companies, even though it is not legally required.
In the header, add your place of residence, citizenship or type of permit (for example settlement permit C or residence permit B), availability and - if relevant - driving licence category B as well as willingness to travel for commissioning work. In plant construction and service roles, the share of work abroad is a real selection criterion: 'up to 30 percent travel possible' answers a question that would otherwise take up interview time.
Weight languages according to region and industry: in Bern, Biel and Suisse Romande, German plus French are often a requirement; in export-oriented companies, technical English is essential. Use CEFR levels (B2, C1) instead of 'good'. Attach work references and diplomas as a separate PDF, name the file clearly ('CV_Brunnenmeier_ProjectEngineer.pdf') and adapt the profile text as well as the list of standards and tools to the job profile for each application.
Where Engineering are hired in Switzerland
How the 163 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 38 |
| Basel-Stadt | 12 |
| St. Gallen | 11 |
| Genf | 9 |
| Waadt | 9 |
| Thurgau | 6 |
| Aargau | 6 |
| Freiburg | 3 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 141 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| English | 117 (108) |
| German | 53 (51) |
| French | 9 (7) |
| Italian | 1 (0) |
Who hires Engineering in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Roche | 10 |
| UNSW | 8 |
| Stadler | 5 |
| Agoda | 5 |
| Variosystems | 4 |
| onrunning | 4 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 111 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 4 |
| Temporär | 5 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Lukas Brunnenmeier
Senior Project Engineer Mechanical Engineering, MSc ETH Zurich, REG-A (STV)
Mechanical engineer with 11 years of experience in the development and commissioning of special-purpose machines and process plants for the pharmaceutical and food industries. Manages projects from specification creation through risk assessment according to EN ISO 12100 to CE declaration of conformity and FAT/SAT at the customer's site. Responsible for project budgets of up to CHF 4.2 million and leads interdisciplinary teams from design, automation and manufacturing.
What sets me apart
Standards-compliant design: Prepares risk assessments according to EN ISO 12100 and SN EN ISO 13849-1 (PL d) including complete technical documentation - 14 machine families approved without objection by SUVA or a notified body.
Calculation instead of gut feeling: Validates components using FEM in Ansys Mechanical and fatigue strength analyses according to the FKM guideline; achieved a 22 percent material saving on a welded structure according to EN 1090-2 (EXC2).
Plant ramp-up under GMP: Conducts IQ/OQ qualifications and FAT/SAT in GMP environments; the most recent cleanroom facility (ISO 8) was released 3 weeks ahead of schedule.
Suppliers and costs under control: Negotiates purchased parts with Swiss and EU suppliers, reduced material costs of a product line by CHF 187'000 per year while maintaining the tolerance class according to ISO 2768-mK.
Key achievements
Reduced cycle time of a filling line by 31 percent. Redesigned the transport system and optimised servo cam disks in TIA Portal: output increased from 220 to 288 units per minute with 0.4 percent rejects.
Saved CHF 620'000 in development costs. Introduced a modular platform with a 68 percent commonality rate; reduced quotation lead time for customer projects from 5 to 2 weeks.
Series start-up in 9 months. Led an assembly cell with 3 robots from concept approval to series start, managed 42 engineering change requests (ECR) and demonstrated a Cpk of 1.67 in the process audit.
Experience
Senior Project Engineer Mechanical Engineering — Helvetec Systems AG, Zug, 03/2020 - present
Special-purpose machinery manufacturer for pharma and food industries, 280 employees, 74 percent export share. Responsible for projects from quotation to final acceptance.
- Completed 9 plant projects with a total volume of CHF 14.8 million on schedule, gross margin 4 percentage points above plan
- Introduced a modular platform: 68 percent commonality rate, reduced engineering hours per project by 480 h
- Led a team of 6 design engineers and 3 automation engineers and supervised 2 ZHAW interns
- Reduced complaint rate after commissioning from 11 to 4 percent through structured FMEA workshops
Mechanical Development Engineer — Alpina Precision AG, Winterthur, 08/2016 - 02/2020
Manufacturer of precision drives and dosing systems, series volumes from 500 to 20'000 units per year.
- Developed a new dosing head with a dosing accuracy of +/- 0.15 percent, 12'000 units sold in the first year
- Performed FEM and tolerance chain analyses for 23 components, reducing assembly rework by 37 percent
- Supported the conversion of the drawing basis to GPS dimensioning (ISO 1101) for 340 drawings
- Reduced material costs of the main product line by CHF 187'000 per year through second-source qualification
Design Engineer / Project Engineer — Limmat Anlagenbau AG, Dietikon, 09/2013 - 07/2016
Piping and vessel construction for the chemical industry, manufacturing according to the Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU.
- Designed and documented 31 vessel and piping packages according to AD 2000 and EN 13480
- Planned weld seam inspections with a 100 percent pass rate across 4 inspections by the notified body
- Introduced 3D plant modelling in Inventor, reducing on-site collisions from 18 to 2 per project
- Supervised assembly at 3 sites with up to 14 fitters each, achieving zero accidents over 26 months
Education
Master of Science ETH, Mechanical Engineering Sciences, specialisation in Product Development — ETH Zurich · 2013
Bachelor of Science FH, Mechanical Engineering Technology — ZHAW Winterthur · 2010
Federal VET Diploma (EFZ), Polymechanic EFZ, Profile G — Vocational School Zug · 2006
REG-A registration, Swiss Technical Association (STV) · IPMA Level C Project Manager (spm) · Six Sigma Green Belt · Machine Safety Officer (SUVA course, EKAS Guideline 6508)