Finance Manager CV: Example and Template
A complete Swiss CV example for Finance Manager with qualifications, technical terminology and quantified achievements, which you can use as a template.
Currently 9 open Finance Manager positions in Switzerland, across 4 cantons, 1 of them from the last 7 days. MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company 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 are expected for a Finance Manager position in Switzerland?
Swiss employers typically require the Federal Certificate in Accounting and Finance, or more often the Federal Diploma as an Expert in Accounting and Controlling, or a business administration bachelor's degree with a specialisation in accounting.
For SME positions, the Federal Certificate in Accounting and Finance combined with several years of financial statement experience is usually sufficient. Once consolidated financial statements, deferred taxes or the consolidation of multiple companies come into play, employers expect the Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education (Certified Expert in Accounting and Controlling) or a bachelor's or master's degree from a university of applied sciences or university. Write the title exactly as it appears on the diploma, and add the institution and year - HR managers in finance check this closely.
Also state the accounting standards you have actually worked with: OR 957-963b for statutory financial statements, Swiss GAAP FER for medium-sized Swiss groups, and IFRS for internationally oriented companies. If you started out in a fiduciary environment, mention VAT accounting methods, withholding tax and cooperation with the auditor. These terms distinguish a Finance Manager from a general management position.
Further training only makes an impact if it is professionally relevant: veb.ch seminars on Swiss GAAP FER, IFRS certificate programmes, a CAS in Controlling or an SAP Key User certificate. List a maximum of four certificates with the year, and leave out courses unrelated to accounting, tax, treasury or ERP systems.
How do I convincingly describe my professional experience as a Finance Manager?
For each position, show the size of the company, the scope of your responsibilities, and at least three results with figures such as closing time, DSO or budget volume.
Add a brief context line under each role: revenue, number of companies and countries, number of employees managed, and your reporting line (CFO, executive board or board of directors). A Finance Manager at an SME with CHF 30 million in revenue has a different profile from someone consolidating six companies. Without this context, no one can assess whether you are a good fit for the role.
Phrase achievements using industry-typical metrics: reduction in monthly closing time in working days, forecast accuracy at EBITDA level, DSO and DPO trends, reduction in net working capital in Swiss francs, number of cost centres in the budget process, volume of foreign exchange hedging, or number of VAT returns managed. Write amounts in Swiss notation, e.g. CHF 3.1 million or CHF 85'000.
Mention projects, since finance departments almost always have system changes underway: ERP implementation or migration (Abacus, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics), setting up a consolidation tool such as LucaNet, introducing an ICS, switching to Swiss GAAP FER, or automating reporting. State your role, the budget, the duration and the measurable result - this is exactly how a recruiter recognises seniority.
How long should the CV be, and does it need a photo?
Two pages are the standard for Finance Managers; a professional photo is still customary in Switzerland and is generally expected.
Keep the CV to two pages: profile, at a glance, professional experience with the last three to four positions, education, further training, IT skills and languages. Summarise earlier roles in a single line. With more than 15 years of experience, a third page is acceptable if it adds genuine substance rather than just repetition.
A professional portrait photo in the top right corner is conventional in Switzerland and expected by most employers, although it is not a legal requirement. In the header, include your place of residence, your contact details, and your residence status if you do not hold a Swiss passport - for example, a C settlement permit or a B residence permit with its validity. Date of birth and marital status are optional; notice period and earliest possible start date are better placed in the cover letter.
Pay attention to Swiss-specific details that stand out in finance: dates as MM/YYYY, amounts with an apostrophe as the thousands separator, correct language levels according to the CEFR, and exact company names including AG or GmbH. Submit a PDF with a descriptive file name and include copies of diplomas and reference letters as a separate dossier - in Switzerland, complete interim and final reference letters are expected.
Where Finance Manager are hired in Switzerland
How the 9 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Waadt | 4 |
| Thurgau | 1 |
| Zürich | 1 |
| Zug | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 6 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| English | 5 (5) |
| German | 1 (1) |
Who hires Finance Manager in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company | 1 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 1 |
| Novo Nordisk | 1 |
| edwards | 1 |
| itesys AG | 1 |
| EF | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 7 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Andrea Bärtschi
Finance Manager, Certified Expert in Accounting and Controlling
Finance Manager with 11 years of experience preparing financial statements under Swiss GAAP FER and IFRS in industrial and trading companies with CHF 120 million in revenue. Responsible for monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements, consolidation of six companies, the budget and forecast process, and liquidity planning in four currencies. Experienced manager leading a team of seven employees in Financial Accounting, Controlling and the payroll interface.
What sets me apart
Confident handling of dual financial reporting: Manages both the statutory financial statements under OR 957-963b and the consolidated financial statements under Swiss GAAP FER in parallel, including reconciliation and deferred taxes; has supported the audit by a Big Four firm for seven years without any material audit findings.
Tax and VAT Compliance: Responsible for VAT returns using the effective method, including reverse-charge tax and input tax corrections, tax returns for three cantons, as well as transfer pricing documentation (Local File) for the German and Austrian subsidiaries.
Treasury and Currency Risk: Manages a rolling 13-week liquidity forecast, an overdraft facility of CHF 8 million, as well as forward foreign exchange contracts for EUR and USD exposure of around CHF 24 million per year; reduced average hedging costs by 18 percent.
ERP and Reporting Automation: Implemented Abacus and later SAP S/4HANA Finance in live operation and built a Power BI reporting solution with 14 automated KPIs (DSO, DPO, working capital, EBITDA margin), reducing manual Excel work by 60 hours per month.
Key achievements
Fast Close Reduced from 12 to 5 Working Days. Standardised 34 closing steps in a closing checklist, automated accruals and intercompany reconciliations, and shortened the monthly close from 12 to 5 working days - while reducing correction entries by 40 percent.
Working Capital Reduced by CHF 3.1 Million. Reduced DSO from 62 to 41 days through a new three-stage dunning process and credit checks, and renegotiated payment terms with 45 suppliers; net working capital reduced by CHF 3.1 million.
SAP S/4HANA Finance Implemented in 11 Months. Led the Finance sub-project with a budget of CHF 640'000 and six key users, migrated 240'000 journal entries and three charts of accounts, and went live on schedule on 1 January, 4 percent under budget.
Experience
Finance Manager — Helvetor Industries AG, Zug, 03/2020 - present
Manufacturing SME with CHF 120 million in revenue, 6 companies in CH, DE and AT, 380 employees; leadership of 7 employees, reporting to the CFO.
- Shortened the group's monthly close from 12 to 5 working days and reduced post-closing entries by 40 percent
- Implemented SAP S/4HANA Finance on schedule with a budget of CHF 640'000, 4 percent under budget
- Reduced DSO from 62 to 41 days and freed up CHF 3.1 million in working capital
- Prepared the budget and three forecasts per year for 18 cost centres, achieving forecast accuracy of 97 percent at EBITDA level
Head of Controlling — Aarblick Handels AG, Baden, 08/2016 - 02/2020
Trading company with CHF 65 million in revenue and 12'000 SKUs; responsible for controlling, costing and reporting, leading 3 employees.
- Built a contribution margin analysis across 9 product groups and identified CHF 1.4 million in unprofitable revenue
- Reduced inventory levels by 22 percent (CHF 2.6 million) through ABC analysis and a new minimum stock logic
- Automated 11 monthly reports in Abacus AbaReport, saving 25 working hours per month
- Introduced investment appraisal using NPV and payback methods; evaluated 14 investment proposals totalling CHF 4.8 million
Financial Accounting Clerk — Treuhand Limmatpartner AG, Zürich, 01/2013 - 07/2016
Fiduciary company with 40 employees; client management for 22 SMEs in bookkeeping, VAT and annual financial statements.
- Prepared 22 annual financial statements under the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR) and 88 VAT returns per year without objection from the Federal Tax Administration (ESTV)
- Managed payroll accounting with 260 salary certificates, including withholding tax and pension fund (BVG) reporting
- Took over account reconciliation for 3 clients with over 1'500 documents per month each, reducing processing time by 30 percent
Education
Certified Expert in Accounting and Controlling, Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education — Controller Akademie · 2019
Specialist in Accounting and Finance with Federal Certificate, Accounting and Finance — KV Bildungsgruppe Zürich · 2015
Commercial Basic Training EFZ, Profile E, Fiduciary sector — Vocational School Baden · 2012
Swiss GAAP FER Update Seminar, veb.ch (2023) · IFRS Fundamentals and Application, Certificate Programme (2022) · SAP S/4HANA Finance Key User Certificate (2021) · VAT Specialist Advanced Course, ESTV-compliant Practice (2020)