CV Enterprise Architect: Example and Template
How to structure your CV as an Enterprise Architect so that target-state architectures, architecture governance and measurable business impact are recognisable at first glance.
Currently 45 open Enterprise Architect positions in Switzerland, across 6 cantons, 7 of them from the last 7 days. GitGuardian 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.
What qualifications and certificates are expected of Enterprise Architects in Switzerland?
A university degree in computer science or business information technology (FH, ETH or university) plus a recognised architecture certification such as TOGAF or ArchiMate is standard.
The typical Swiss career path often begins with an IT Specialist EFZ and continues with a Bachelor's degree (FH) in computer science or business information technology. For enterprise roles, banks, insurers and public administrations frequently also require a Master's degree, a CAS or an MAS - for example a CAS in Enterprise Architecture, an MAS in Business Engineering, or the federal diploma as ICT Manager. State the qualification exactly as it appears on the diploma, including institution and year, so that its equivalence is immediately clear.
Certificates are not a nice-to-have in this role but a filtering criterion in many job postings. TOGAF Standard 10th Edition and ArchiMate Practitioner are the de facto standard, complemented by SAFe Architect, ITIL 4, CISSP or cloud certifications (Azure Solutions Architect Expert, AWS Solutions Architect Professional). Always include the issuing body and the year, and leave out expired or purely internal courses that carry no weight.
If you hold a foreign qualification, include a recognition statement from Swiss ENIC or at least a note such as 'equivalent to a Bachelor's degree (FH)'. Also state your residence status (Swiss citizen, settlement permit C, residence permit B, EU/EFTA), as architecture mandates at banks and in public administration are often linked to security clearances and data access.
How do I present my professional experience as an Enterprise Architect convincingly?
For each position, show the architecture domain, the size of the landscape and the measurable effect of your decisions - not a list of your meetings.
Start by describing the context in one line: industry, number of employees, number of applications, domains and reporting line. A sentence like 'Responsible for 430 applications across 7 business domains, reporting to the CIO' places your role immediately. Without these size indicators, a recruiter cannot tell whether you were responsible for a target architecture covering 40 or 400 applications.
Then phrase your achievements as results with figures: reduced number of applications, lowered operating costs in CHF, shortened turnaround time in the Architecture Review Board, number of interfaces retired, audits passed without findings. Cost figures in particular should follow Swiss notation with an apostrophe, for example CHF 85'000 or CHF 2.1 million. Also demonstrate governance impact, such as the proportion of initiatives that comply with your architecture principles.
Clearly distinguish between enterprise, domain and solution architecture, and name your artefacts: target architecture, capability map, roadmap, reference architecture, architecture decision records. Name the systems you used explicitly (Sparx Enterprise Architect, LeanIX, ServiceNow, SAP S/4HANA, Azure) and add industry-specific standards such as eCH standards in public administration, BIAN in banking, or HL7 FHIR in healthcare.
How long should the CV be, and is a photo needed?
Two to three pages are acceptable for Enterprise Architects; a professional photo is still common in Switzerland but not mandatory.
With eleven or more years of experience, two pages are appropriate, and with a very broad portfolio, three. Keep the first page free for your profile, key facts, core competencies and your current role with the strongest figures. Summarise older positions in two lines; project lists with 30 entries belong in a separate project dossier, which you can provide during the interview or on request.
A businesslike portrait photo in business attire is still customary with Swiss employers and is rarely viewed negatively. Also state your place of residence with canton, availability, notice period and, if relevant, your willingness to travel between locations such as Zurich, Bern, Basel or the Romandie. For roles involving client contact in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, state your French proficiency using the CEFR scale.
Follow Swiss dossier conventions: CV, cover letter, work references, diplomas and certificates as one cleanly structured PDF, with the file named after you. In your cover letter, address a concrete architecture challenge facing the company, such as retiring a core system or migrating to the cloud under FINMA requirements - this is far more convincing than general statements about your enthusiasm for technology.
Where Enterprise Architect are hired in Switzerland
How the 45 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 12 |
| Aargau | 1 |
| St. Gallen | 1 |
| Luzern | 1 |
| Genf | 1 |
| Waadt | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 36 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| English | 28 (27) |
| German | 24 (21) |
| French | 2 (2) |
Who hires Enterprise Architect in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| GitGuardian | 3 |
| Elastic | 2 |
| Veeva Systems | 2 |
| blp-digital | 2 |
| gartner | 2 |
| STMicroelectronics | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 33 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 1 |
| Temporär | 1 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Simon Brunschwiler
Enterprise Architect · MSc Business Information Technology, University of Zurich · TOGAF 10 Certified
Enterprise Architect with 11 years of experience in banking, insurance and public administration in Switzerland. I am responsible for target-state architectures (business, application, data, technology), architecture governance according to TOGAF 10, and the evaluation of application portfolios with 400+ applications in LeanIX. My roadmaps are budgeted, compliant with FINMA and the nDSG, and are supported equally by executive management and delivery teams.
What sets me apart
Target-state architecture with a price tag: I deliver architecture target states not as a slide deck, but with a migration path, total cost of ownership per domain and a business case: for the last core-system modernisation, I demonstrated savings of CHF 3.4 million over five years.
Regulatory requirements as architecture requirements: I translate FINMA circulars on operational risk, the nDSG and ISO/IEC 27001 into verifiable architecture principles and guardrails, rather than adding them as an afterthought at the end of a project.
Bridge between the SAP core and cloud platforms: I was responsible for a hybrid target architecture combining SAP S/4HANA, Azure landing zones and an API layer - including data storage in Swiss data centres for 100 percent of personal data.
Governance that doesn't slow teams down: My Architecture Review Board works with a fast-track process: 80 percent of initiatives are decided in under 5 working days, and average waiting time dropped from 19 to 4 days.
Key achievements
Reduced the application landscape by 27 percent. Evaluated 430 applications using the TIME model, identified 118 redundancies and retired them within 24 months - reducing annual licensing and operating costs by CHF 2.1 million.
Core banking target architecture approved for a CHF 24 million programme. Modelled the target architecture in ArchiMate, defined 6 implementation waves and secured board approval; the programme started 3 months ahead of schedule.
Reduced integration debt. Replaced 142 point-to-point interfaces with 38 versioned REST and event APIs; reduced median time-to-integration for new partners from 11 to 3 weeks.
Experience
Enterprise Architect — Kantonalbank Nordwest AG, Basel, 2020 - present
Universal bank with 1'800 employees; responsible for application and integration architecture across 7 business domains, with a direct reporting line to the CIO.
- Created the 2028 target-state architecture for the core banking system, channels and data platform, aligned with 34 stakeholders across 9 domain workshops; investment volume CHF 24 million.
- Reduced the application portfolio from 430 to 312 applications, cutting operating costs by CHF 2.1 million per year.
- Established an Architecture Review Board: assessed 260 initiatives, shortened turnaround time from 19 to 4 days, and reduced the deviation rate from architecture principles to 6 percent.
- Defined cloud guardrails for Azure landing zones; 100 percent of customer data held in Swiss regions, passed FINMA outsourcing review without findings.
Solution Architect Digital Platforms — Limmattal Versicherungen AG, Zurich, 2016 - 2020
Property and casualty insurer with 700'000 policies; architecture responsibility for the customer portal, claims processes and partner integration.
- Built an API layer with 38 versioned services and retired 142 point-to-point interfaces; reduced time-to-integration from 11 to 3 weeks.
- Designed self-service claims reporting: increased the online quote share from 12 to 46 percent, reduced processing cost per case by CHF 18.
- Supported data protection impact assessments for 14 initiatives under the nDSG and incorporated deletion concepts into the reference architecture.
- Introduced a technical debt backlog, prioritised 63 findings and closed 41 within 18 months.
IT Architect / Senior Software Engineer — Aarwerk Systems AG, Olten, 2013 - 2016
IT service provider for public administrations, project teams of 5 to 12 people.
- Migrated a specialist application for 4 cantons to eCH standards (eCH-0058, eCH-0147); passed interoperability testing in 3 cantons on the first attempt.
- Introduced release automation: reduced deployment duration from 6 hours to 25 minutes, cut production defects per release by 58 percent.
- Standardised architecture documentation according to arc42 and created it for 9 applications; shortened onboarding for new developers from 6 to 2 weeks.
Education
Master of Science, Business Information Technology — University of Zurich · 2013
Bachelor of Science FH, Computer Science, Software Engineering specialisation — Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW, Brugg-Windisch · 2010
Federal Certificate of Proficiency EFZ, IT Specialist EFZ, Application Development — Berufsfachschule Aarau · 2006
TOGAF Standard 10th Edition, Certified (The Open Group), 2022 · ArchiMate 3.2 Practitioner (The Open Group), 2021 · SAFe Architect 6.0, 2023 · ITIL 4 Foundation, 2019
Common questions
- What language should I write my CV in as a Enterprise Architect?
- 75% of adverts are in English, 22% in German. In this occupation two versions earn their keep.
- Where in Switzerland are Enterprise Architect most in demand?
- Zurich alone holds 27% of the openings, then Aargau and St. Gallen. If you live elsewhere, put your willingness to relocate in the profile.
- What language level do Enterprise Architect adverts ask for?
- English in 78% of adverts that state a requirement, 96% of them at professional level. "Good knowledge" will not do — give A2 to C2.
- Are Enterprise Architect roles offered full or part time?
- 97% full time, only 3% part time. If you need part time, say so early rather than leaving it open.
- Who hires Enterprise Architect in Switzerland?
- Currently GitGuardian, Elastic, Veeva Systems, among others. Their adverts are the best word list for your own CV.