CV Engineer: Example and Template
How to structure your CV as an engineer in Switzerland - with project figures, knowledge of standards, and the details Swiss HR managers expect.
Currently 83 open Civil Engineer positions in Switzerland, across 8 cantons, 4 of them from the last 7 days. Coris Innovation Group 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 degree and titles should I state on an engineer's CV?
State the exact title together with the institution and specialisation, as Swiss employers clearly distinguish between ETH/EPFL, universities of applied sciences (FH) and foreign qualifications.
Write the qualification exactly as it appears on your diploma: "MSc ETH in Civil Engineering", "Bachelor of Science FH in Mechanical Engineering" or "Dipl. Ing. HTL". Add the specialisation (structural design, process engineering, automation), because HR managers use it to gauge your suitability for structural analysis, process planning or control engineering. In Switzerland, a Master's title alone says less than the combination of institution, specialisation and graduation year.
If you studied abroad, state the recognition: a certificate from swissuniversities or a REG A/B register entry with the Foundation of the Swiss Registers of Building Professionals. For public construction tenders, the REG entry is often a prerequisite for signing as the responsible engineer. Also mention memberships of professional associations such as SIA, usic, Swiss Engineering STV or electrosuisse.
Include field-specific further training rather than generic courses: SIA courses on seismic safety or SIA 118, Suva safety officer, EKAS module, VSS specialist courses, ASTRA specialist applications, or a CAS in fire protection (VKF) or energy and building technology. Such qualifications are sometimes legally required in Switzerland and are specifically sought by recruiters.
How do I describe my professional experience as an engineer using figures?
For each position, describe the project type, construction volume or lot size, your role within the SIA phases, and the measurable outcome.
Start each position with a brief context sentence about the employer: engineering firm with 45 employees, general contractor, industrial company with series production, or cantonal civil engineering office. Follow this with three to four bullet points containing figures: construction volume in CHF, number of projects managed in parallel, spans in metres, unit quantities, cycle times, reject rate or energy savings in kWh. "Responsible for structural analysis" remains interchangeable; "structural analysis for 6 halls with spans over 40 m under SIA 263" is verifiable.
Make visible which project phases you actually worked in. Use the phases under SIA 112 or SIA 102/103 (preliminary studies, design, tendering, execution) or, in mechanical and plant engineering, the stages from specification, design, FAT/SAT through to commissioning. Employers want to know whether you only calculate and draft, or whether you also lead tenders, manage site supervision, carry out handovers and negotiate variation orders.
Mention standards and systems in connection with an achievement, not as a loose list: seismic assessment under SIA 261/1 with compliance factor raised from 0.38 to 1.05, machine safety under MRL 2006/42/EC and SN EN ISO 12100, pressure equipment under the Pressure Equipment Ordinance, electrical installations under NIV and NIN 2020, or cost planning under eBKP-H. This lets the specialist on the selection panel recognise within seconds whether your profile matches the tender.
How long should the CV be, and is a photo needed?
Two to a maximum of three pages is standard for engineers; a professional photo is still generally welcomed in Switzerland, but optional.
With up to ten years of experience, two pages are sufficient. With a long project list, a third page is acceptable if you attach a separate reference project list: project name, client (anonymised), construction volume, your role, year. This project list is almost a separate application document in engineering and is often explicitly requested for project leader positions.
A neutral portrait photo in the top right, place of residence, year of birth and nationality are standard details in Switzerland. Your work permit status is important: Swiss citizenship, permit C, B or EU/EFTA freedom of movement. For positions involving site work, mention your category B driving licence and willingness to travel throughout German-speaking Switzerland or Romandy, as site visits are part of everyday work.
State your language skills by level (C1, B2) and mention which language you use to lead meetings and write minutes - in bilingual cantons and for federal mandates, this is a genuine selection criterion. Tailor the profile at the top to the job advertisement: for a position with cost responsibility, state CHF volumes and cost accuracy; for a design role, mention your CAD and calculation systems as well as experience with series or custom production.
Where Civil Engineer are hired in Switzerland
How the 83 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Waadt | 29 |
| Genf | 14 |
| Freiburg | 8 |
| Neuenburg | 5 |
| Wallis | 4 |
| Bern | 4 |
| Luzern | 1 |
| Jura | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 70 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| French | 62 (57) |
| English | 41 (24) |
| German | 25 (12) |
| Italian | 1 (0) |
Who hires Civil Engineer in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Coris Innovation Group | 6 |
| ilem Group | 4 |
| adesso Schweiz AG | 3 |
| Siemens | 3 |
| Gruner Stucky Ltd | 3 |
| IM Maggia Engineering Ltd. | 3 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 73 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 3 |
| Temporär | 1 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
JulienRothenbühler
Dipl. Civil Engineer ETH / Structural Design Project Leader (SIA)
Civil engineer ETH with eleven years of experience in structural design and project management for building and infrastructure construction projects with construction volumes of CHF 3 million to CHF 48 million. I manage projects from preliminary study (SIA 112, Phase 21) through to commissioning, am responsible for structural analyses under SIA 260-267 and Eurocode, and coordinate specialist planners, clients and authorities. Bilingual French/German, experienced with tenders under BöB/SIA 142 and with procurement processes in both language regions.
What sets me apart
Structural design under SIA and Eurocode: Structural analyses for reinforced concrete, steel and timber under SIA 262/263/265; 14 seismic assessments under SIA 261, including retrofitting of existing buildings from the 1960s.
BIM-based project execution: Set up a BIM workflow (Revit, IFC exchange, BIM execution plan per SIA 2051) for 9 projects; clash detection reduced execution changes by 27 percent.
Cost certainty and tendering: Cost estimates under eBKP-H with deviation under 4 percent from final construction accounts; 23 tenders under SIA 118 and public procurement law without any appeal proceedings.
Bilingual site management teams: Led planning teams of 6-12 people in Lausanne and Bern; client meetings, discussions with authorities and minutes in French and German.
Key achievements
Refurbishment of a Road Bridge, Canton of Vaud. Refurbishment of a 128 m prestressed concrete bridge under live traffic; construction time reduced from 22 to 17 months, completed CHF 1.4 million under the CHF 12.6 million budget.
Material Optimisation for a Residential Development. Structural optimisation using low-CO2 concrete and post-tensioned flat slabs: saved 480 t of cement and cut shell construction costs by 6.2 percent across 84 apartments.
Seismic Retrofitting of a School Complex. Assessment and reinforcement concept under SIA 261/1 for three buildings; increased the compliance factor from 0.38 to 1.05, implemented in two summer-holiday stages without any disruption to school operations.
Experience
Project Leader, Structural Design — Baumberger & Ferrand Ingenieure AG, Lausanne, Since 03/2019
Engineering firm with 45 employees, building construction and civil structures for public and private clients across French-speaking Switzerland.
- Responsible for 7 parallel projects with a total construction volume of CHF 48 million and annual fee revenue of CHF 2.1 million
- Increased on-time delivery of execution planning from 78 to 94 percent through weekly drawing-delivery scheduling
- Technical supervision of 5 engineers and 3 draughtspersons; developed 2 employees into site manager roles
- Managed 23 tenders under SIA 118, with an average bid deviation of 3.8 percent from the cost estimate
Civil Engineer, Structural Design — Zurkinden Tragwerk GmbH, Bern, 08/2015 - 02/2019
Specialist firm for steel and timber construction, industrial and commercial halls in German-speaking Switzerland.
- Structural calculations and analyses for 31 projects under SIA 263 and SIA 265, including 6 halls with spans over 40 m
- Developed a prestressing concept for a logistics centre: reduced steel weight by 14 percent, or 62 t
- Site supervision of 9 construction sites with 2-4 inspection visits per week each; defect rate at handover under 1 percent of line items
- Standardised Cubus and structural calculation templates, reducing calculation time per standard hall by 11 hours
Design Engineer — Chemin Vert Infrastruktur AG, Fribourg, 09/2013 - 07/2015
Entry-level position after ETH Master's degree at a road and water engineering firm with cantonal mandates.
- Design of 6.4 km of cantonal road under VSS standards, including drainage analysis and building permit dossier
- Quantity surveys and cost estimates for projects up to CHF 3.2 million with a deviation under 5 percent
- Traffic management concepts for 4 construction sites under live traffic, reducing average tailback length by 220 m
Education
Master of Science ETH, Civil Engineering, specialisation in Structural Design — ETH Zurich · 2013
Bachelor of Science ETH, Civil Engineering — ETH Zurich · 2011
Maturité gymnasiale, Major in Physics and Applications of Mathematics — Gymnase de Beaulieu, Lausanne · 2008
REG A entry / Register of Engineers (REG Foundation) · SIA course on seismic safety of existing buildings, 2021 · Construction site safety officer (Suva course), 2018 · BIM Manager certificate (Bauen digital Schweiz), 2020