Managing Director

Confidential Search – Services Industry – Multi-Site – Turnaround Context

Approx. 400 employees – Switzerland

Position Overview

Our client, a recognised services company operating across multiple sites in Switzerland, is entering a decisive phase of organisational and financial restructuring. To lead this transformation and secure the long-term recovery of the business, we are recruiting a

Managing Director Switzerland
.

Reporting to the Group CEO, the Managing Director will take full responsibility for the country's P&L, operational performance, people leadership and transformation roadmap. This role requires a leader capable of stabilising an organisation under pressure, restoring operational excellence, rebuilding client trust and establishing a sustainable, performance-driven culture.

This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role for an executive who thrives in complex environments and knows how to lead both turnaround and growth phases.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership & Country P&L Ownership

• Define and execute the country strategy in alignment with Group objectives, ensuring the recovery of performance and long-term business viability.
• Take full accountability for revenue, profitability, operational KPIs and cash discipline.
• Rebuild a solid business foundation by strengthening governance, operational discipline and decision-making processes.

2. Turnaround & Transformation Management

• Lead the country's transformation agenda, addressing structural inefficiencies, service-quality gaps, financial underperformance and operational fragmentation.
• Restructure and optimise the organisation: processes, teams, cost base, service delivery model and site performance.
• Restore internal stability during a sensitive phase, ensuring clear priorities, rapid execution and measurable results.
• Implement a high-performance culture focused on accountability, client satisfaction, employee engagement and operational excellence.

3. Multi-Site Operational Management

• Oversee daily operations across multiple sites, ensuring consistency of standards, compliance and quality of service delivery.
• Harmonise practices between the different regions (Romandie / German-speaking Switzerland / Ticino where applicable) while respecting regulatory and cultural specificities.
• Improve productivity and operational reliability through redesigned processes, resource optimisation and enhanced service-level management.

4. People Leadership & Cultural Reset

• Lead, motivate and develop managers and teams (approx. 400 employees), fostering clarity, engagement and alignment.
• Strengthen managerial capabilities and rebuild trust in leadership.
• Address talent gaps, redefine responsibilities, and instil a culture of ownership and transparency.
• Manage social, organisational and change-sensitive situations with tact and firmness.

5. Client Relationship & Business Development

• Act as the primary ambassador of the company in Switzerland, ensuring strong relationships with clients, partners and key stakeholders.
• Reinforce service quality and client experience to rebuild reputation and loyalty.
• Identify commercial opportunities and drive controlled growth once stabilisation is achieved.

6. Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

• Guarantee adherence to Swiss regulatory requirements (labour law, compliance, safety, financial reporting).
• Strengthen internal controls, reporting accuracy and risk management frameworks.
• Ensure transparent communication with Group leadership and provide reliable performance insights.

Candidate Profile

Background & Experience

• Senior executive with
  10–15+ years of leadership experience
  , including a proven track record as Managing Director, Country Manager, COO, or BU leader.
• Solid background in
  services
  ,
  operations-intensive industries
  , or multi-site organisations.
• Demonstrated success in
  turnaround
  ,
  restructuring
  or
  organisational recovery
  situations.
• Strong exposure to the Swiss market; knowledge of Swiss regulatory, HR and operational frameworks is essential.
• Experience managing teams of 200+ people across multiple locations.

Leadership & Behavioural Competencies

• Strong crisis-management maturity and ability to stabilise organisations facing operational or financial challenges.
• Highly hands-on, grounded and pragmatic; able to move quickly from strategy to execution.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to create alignment and restore confidence across diverse teams.
• Transparent, resilient, firm yet fair leadership style.
• Strong client orientation, business acumen and ability to rebuild customer trust.
• Capable of operating in a culturally diverse, multilingual environment.

Languages

• Fluent English
  required.
• German
  &
  French
  strongly preferred; Swiss German is a significant advantage.

Why this role is strategic

• Lead the recovery of a country organisation at a pivotal moment.
• High visibility role with direct reporting to the Group CEO.
• Strong autonomy to redesign, stabilise and relaunch the business.
• Opportunity to deliver a transformation with concrete, measurable impact across 300 employees and multiple sites.