Operations CV: Example and Template
A complete CV example for operations roles in Switzerland that evidences process metrics, Lean methods and supply chain responsibility instead of merely describing them.
Currently 248 open Operations Manager positions in Switzerland, across 16 cantons, 27 of them from the last 7 days. tsmg 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 operations roles in Switzerland?
Most Swiss operations positions require either a university of applied sciences (FH) degree in business administration, industrial engineering or supply chain management, or a technical EFZ combined with higher vocational education.
The classic path leads through an EFZ (Polymechanic, Logistician, Plant and Apparatus Engineering) followed by a higher vocational examination, such as Logistics Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education, Production Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education, or Federally Certified Industrial Plant Manager. These titles are firmly established at Swiss industrial companies and are immediately recognised correctly by HR managers. Write the title exactly as it appears on the diploma, including the 'eidg.' (federal) qualifier - a free translation into English costs you recognition.
The second path is a Bachelor's or Master's degree from an FH or ETH in industrial engineering, business administration or supply chain management, often from FHNW, BFH, ZHAW or HSLU. For positions with budget and management responsibility from around CHF 10 million in revenue responsibility, a university-level degree is usually a prerequisite. In your CV, add the specialisation, since 'Business Administration, specialisation in Operations' says more than the degree alone.
Method certifications often determine whether you get the interview: Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt, SCOR-P or CPIM from ASCM, as well as Safety Officer certification per EKAS Guideline 6508. In regulated industries, evidence of internal auditor status for ISO 9001 or ISO 13485 and knowledge of GMP requirements also count. State certificates with the year and issuing body so that their currency is clear.
How do I present work experience convincingly in an operations CV?
Describe the scope of responsibility for each position and support your results with the metrics that are actually managed in operations.
Start each position with a context sentence: the number of employees under your management, the shift model, the number of lines or SKUs, the budget size in CHF and the relevant standard. A sentence such as 'Site with 210 employees, ISO 13485, management of 48 employees across 3 shifts, budget CHF 24 million' places your profile within five seconds. Without this context, your achievements remain incomparable.
Then use three to four bullet points with before-and-after figures from the operations metrics set: OEE, OTIF delivery reliability, lead time in working days, inventory turnover, scrap rate in percent, changeover time in minutes, freight costs and accident frequency. Write 'Increased OEE from 62% to 79%, equivalent to 4'100 additional production hours per year' instead of 'Responsible for efficiency improvements'. Also state the method you used to achieve this, such as SMED, Kanban or bottleneck management.
Make it visible which systems you master and at what depth. There is a difference between 'SAP user' and 'SAP S/4HANA MM/PP: master data maintenance for 1'900 items, set scheduling parameters independently'. Add MES and shop floor data collection systems, Power BI or Minitab, as well as experience with equipment qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ), if you are targeting pharma or medtech.
How long should the CV be, and is a photo needed?
Two pages is the standard; a professional photo is still customary in Switzerland and is expected by most HR managers.
Stick to two pages if you have up to ten years of experience. A third page is only acceptable for an extensive management career spanning multiple sites or project portfolios, and even then only with a clear structure and an 'At a glance' section at the top. Summarise positions from more than 15 years ago in two lines.
A professional portrait photo in portrait format still belongs in a CV in Switzerland, unless the employer explicitly requests an anonymised application. In the header, include your place of residence, citizenship or permit type (such as a C permit / settlement permit), phone number in the format 079 000 00 00, and email address. For production sites outside the major centres, mention of a category B driving licence and willingness to commute is also relevant, as is your willingness to work shifts or be on call.
Swiss specifics in operations: reference your knowledge of the Labour Act (ArG) regarding shift and night work, EKAS and SUVA requirements on workplace safety, and experience with collective bargaining agreement (GAV) provisions if your company was subject to one. State language levels according to the CEFR and mention French or Italian if you work with sites in French-speaking Switzerland or Ticino, or with suppliers in northern Italy. Salary figures do not belong in the CV but - if requested - in the cover letter, for example as a range of CHF 120'000 to CHF 135'000.
Where Operations Manager are hired in Switzerland
How the 248 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 75 |
| Genf | 24 |
| St. Gallen | 20 |
| Waadt | 14 |
| Bern | 14 |
| Basel-Stadt | 12 |
| Zug | 11 |
| Wallis | 6 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 206 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| English | 142 (136) |
| German | 102 (92) |
| French | 26 (20) |
| Italian | 7 (1) |
Who hires Operations Manager in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| tsmg | 52 |
| onrunning | 12 |
| Variosystems | 5 |
| bjakcareer | 4 |
| roche | 3 |
| Axians in Switzerland | 3 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 134 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 2 |
| Temporär | 6 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Simon Brunner
Operations Manager, Business Economist FH, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Operations Manager with 11 years of experience in production, planning and logistics at Swiss industrial and medtech companies with 120 to 450 employees. Responsible for an operations budget of CHF 24 million, three shift teams and site metrics including OEE, delivery reliability and inventory turnover. Drives improvements consistently through shopfloor management, value stream mapping and SAP data transparency rather than isolated measures.
What sets me apart
Metrics-driven management instead of gut feeling: Built a shopfloor board with daily SQDCP metrics (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People) and weekly variance reviews; reduced response time to production disruptions from 3 days to 4 hours.
Lean implementation with line responsibility: Personally led six value stream mappings and four SMED workshops, reducing changeover times on packaging lines from 82 to 27 minutes - as line supervisor, not as an external consultant.
Command of regulated environments: Responsible for operations processes under ISO 13485 and ISO 9001, 3 external audits with no major findings, 14 CAPA measures completed on schedule.
Cross-functional S&OP: Established a monthly Sales and Operations Planning cycle with sales, purchasing and finance, improving 30-day forecast accuracy from 68% to 87%.
Key achievements
Reduced inventory by CHF 2.1 million. Introduced a new ABC-XYZ classification and Kanban for C-parts, increasing inventory turnover from 4.2 to 7.1 without any decline in delivery reliability.
Ramped up new assembly line in 7 months. Led the project for layout, cycle time design and qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) for a line with a CHF 3.4 million investment, starting series production 3 weeks ahead of schedule with scrap rates below 1.2% from week 6.
Tripled accident-free period. Revised risk assessments according to EKAS Guideline 6508 and introduced 12 safety inspections per year, reducing accident frequency from 9 to 2 cases per year.
Experience
Operations Manager — Valtura Medtech AG, Aarau, 03.2020 - present
Site with 210 employees, medical technology components, ISO 13485, direct management of 48 employees in production, planning and logistics, budget CHF 24 million.
- Increased OEE of the three main lines from 62% to 79%, equivalent to 4'100 additional production hours per year
- Improved OTIF delivery reliability from 91% to 98.4% and reduced express shipping costs by CHF 260'000 per year
- Reduced working capital inventory by CHF 2.1 million while simultaneously achieving 18% revenue growth
- Reduced staff turnover in production from 21% to 9% through a 4-team shift model and internal qualification matrix
Head of Production Planning and Logistics — Hegmatt Industrie AG, Zofingen, 08.2016 - 02.2020
Supplier of drive technology, 450 employees, management of 11 employees in scheduling, warehousing and shipping, 1'900 SKUs.
- Reduced lead time of the main product line from 21 to 12 working days through bottleneck management and batch size optimisation
- Cleansed SAP MM and PP master data for 1'900 items, reducing shortage reports by 74%
- Reduced changeover times on four packaging lines from 82 to 27 minutes using SMED
- Reduced freight costs by CHF 410'000 per year through a tender with 6 carriers
Process Engineer / Supply Chain Specialist — Nordwyl Precision GmbH, Basel, 09.2013 - 07.2016
Precision parts manufacturing, 120 employees, role interfacing between production, quality and purchasing.
- Supported 12 value stream mappings and implemented measures with an annual savings value of CHF 680'000
- Reduced scrap rate in machining from 4.8% to 1.9% via a Six Sigma DMAIC project
- Reduced stocktaking discrepancies from 2.4% to 0.3% of inventory value through perpetual inventory management
- Trained 24 employees in 5S and standardised work, raising the audit score of manufacturing cells from 54 to 88 points
Education
Master of Science, Supply Chain Management — Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW · 2018
Bachelor of Science FH, Business Economics, specialisation in Operations — Berner Fachhochschule BFH · 2013
Federal VET Diploma EFZ, Polymechanic — Gewerblich-Industrielle Berufsschule Bern · 2008
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (ASQ-certified), 2019 · SCOR-P Supply Chain Professional (ASCM), 2021 · Safety Officer ASGS per EKAS 6508, 2017 · Internal Auditor ISO 13485, SQS, 2022