Ref. 7802

General Manager Switzerland

An international specialist in in-vitro diagnostics, the world market leader in its core discipline, intends to double its established Swiss business by 2030. The group is highly profitable, earns recurring revenue on every installed platform through long-term reagent contracts, and has decided to run Switzerland as a standalone country organisation going forward. To this end, it is creating a General Manager role with full P&L responsibility and a direct reporting line to the international group leadership – deliberately without organisational pre-decisions, because the new General Manager validates market data and budgets, develops the business case to 2030 from them, and decides on structure and key appointments. The search is for a commercial leader who has demonstrably driven growth in the diagnostics or laboratory field and now wants to take on full entrepreneurial responsibility. Anyone who knows the Swiss laboratory market with its long procurement cycles knows how rarely a starting position like this becomes available.

Your benefit in talking to us:

  • Salary comparison, current salary to market salary
  • Understanding your career options
  • Identification of development and promotion potential
  • 65% of candidates will be making a career move within the next 12 to 24 months

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Why is this opportunity interesting for you? 

The substance of a world market leader

  • Our client leads the world market in its diagnostic core discipline; its systems are regarded as the standard in clinical laboratories and are installed in more than one hundred countries. In Switzerland, you represent a brand that every laboratory director knows.

 

Full entrepreneurial responsibility

  • You own the P&L of the country organisation, validate market data and budgets, and develop the business case to 2030 from them. Structure, locations and key appointments are your decisions.

 

An owner that invests

  • The highly profitable international group has expanded its portfolio in recent years and wants to grow in Switzerland; the doubling target is backed by a genuine willingness to invest.

 

A foundation that carries

  • The Swiss business is established: installed systems and long-term reagent contracts secure recurring revenue and a loyal customer base on which you build your growth.

 

Positioning of our client

  • International specialist in in-vitro diagnostics, world market leader in its core discipline
  • Business model: analytical systems plus consumables, complemented by service and training
  • Highly profitable, with growth-oriented ownership
  • Established Swiss business in the double-digit million range with a well-functioning team
  • Strategy: doubling of Swiss revenue by 2030, development into a standalone country organisation

Main tasks

  • Prio 1: Validate market data and the country budget, build the business case to 2030 and define the growth strategy for Switzerland
  • Prio 2: Set up the country organisation on a standalone basis (e.g. sales, application, customer service)
  • Lead, develop and selectively expand the existing team, including future key positions
  • Drive growth in the core segments and the newer product lines, with hospital laboratories as well as private laboratory groups
  • Win public tenders and framework agreements, shape the interplay of direct sales and partners
  • Represent Switzerland within the international group leadership

 

Requirements profile

  • Commercial growth demonstrably driven in person, as Head of Sales, Head of Marketing, Commercial Director or General Manager
  • Background in in-vitro diagnostics, laboratory diagnostics or adjacent life-sciences fields; equally welcome are candidates who have successfully served the same customer base (hospital laboratories, private laboratory groups, blood transfusion and screening services) from a different product world
  • P&L understanding and entrepreneurial judgement, combined with the ambition to take on full responsibility
  • Leadership experience in lean structures, with personal proximity to customers and team
  • Fluent German, business-fluent English, French an advantage
  • Familiar with tenders, framework agreements and the buying centres of clinical laboratories

 

Role, function and reporting line

  • General Manager Switzerland with full P&L responsibility for the country organisation
  • Direct reporting line to the VP EMEA

 

Framework conditions

  • Place of work: German-speaking Switzerland, close to the customer base; the General Manager helps shape the location concept
  • Permanent position, 100%
  • Package: base salary plus a substantial variable component, disclosed transparently in the first conversation

Application & Contact

Erik Wirz
Erik Wirz
Managing Partner
wirz phone +41 44 515 02 60 wirz email erik.wirz@w-gruppe.com
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Yvonne Thoma
Yvonne Thoma
Partner
wirz phone +41 44 515 02 60 wirz email yvonne.thoma@w-gruppe.com
Book a meeting
*Recruitment process

In an initial interview, we will give you a detailed insight into the role, the company, the corporate culture and your development opportunities.

After an initial exchange with the partner (headhunter), you will receive further information about the role and our client's expectations. If you are interested, please send us your documents. Wirz & Partners will draw up a longlist, which will be discussed with the client. From this longlist, 4-6 candidates are selected for the shortlist.
Zeit bis zum Feedback: 2-3 Wochen

If you make it onto the shortlist, it's on to the next round. In the interview with Wirz & Partners, we get to know you professionally and personally. You will receive further information about the client, the offering, the services, the team and the KPIs. Based on all the interviews and documents, we prepare a complete dossier about you for the client, including an executive summary. These documents form the basis for the structured interview process with the client. We prepare you for the interview.

Duration until the interview with the client: Up to two weeks.

The first meeting with the customer is about getting to know each other as equals and experiencing the gut feeling, the people and the corporate culture. This interview takes place in person at the customer's premises and lasts an average of one hour.

The second interview is about deepening professional expertise and management topics. In this exchange, you get to know the team, the strategy and the operational goals. 

You will then receive a salary proposal and an overview of the entire offer.

Duration until feedback: 1-2 weeks

Following the final meeting, a de-briefing takes place with you and the customer.

We support you in the contract negotiations and clarify further details. The contract is drawn up and we accompany the on-boarding at the customer's premises.

Duration until feedback: Up to one week

*We describe the standard process, which may vary depending on the customer.

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