CEO Rochester-Bern Executive Programs (100%)

About the job

Are you looking for a role that combines entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and education? If you have already borne entrepreneurial responsibility, lead participatively, shape change with joy, enjoy working with people and have a network spanning from business to academia – then we are looking for you as CEO and personality to lead Rochester-Bern Executive Programs with courage and heart into the future from 1 October 2027.

Rochester-Bern Executive Programs (RoBe) is a university-level business school based in Bern. Since 1994, we have offered modular continuing education for executives and board members – from compact seminars to CAS, DAS and MAS courses for individuals and companies, up to the international Executive MBA. Our programmes lead to recognised degrees from our partner universities, the University of Rochester (USA) and the University of Bern (Switzerland).

As a self-financed Swiss foundation, we work with professors from world-leading business schools as well as experienced personalities from business and practice. They represent current knowledge from economic research, many years of leadership or consulting experience and didactic excellence.

Your tasks

• You bear overall operational responsibility for Rochester-Bern and ensure smooth operation at all levels.
• You support the Board of Trustees in developing the strategy and are responsible for its consistent implementation.
• You secure the financial and personnel resources of the organisation, create effective processes and structures, thus laying a solid foundation for the future.
• You lead and develop the management team and promote a culture of collaboration and personal responsibility.
• Together with the Head of Programmes, you ensure the success and quality of the existing continuing education offerings and ensure their continuous development.
• Together with the Head of Business Development, you develop new continuing education offerings for companies and the target group of executives and board members.
• Together with the Head of Marketing & Alumni, you steer marketing focus and alumni work at a strategic level.
• Together with the Head of Business Excellence, you drive digital transformation and the further development of processes.
• You report regularly to the delegate of the Board of Trustees, with whom you also cooperate closely, and ensure transparent information about the organisation’s development and results.
• You maintain contacts with the Board of Trustees as well as the universities of Rochester and Bern.
• You represent Rochester-Bern externally towards authorities, partner organisations, media and the public; at the same time, you maintain relationships with key stakeholders in business and continuously expand them.

Your profile

• You bring entrepreneurial experience and have already borne responsibility for a business result, either through P&L responsibility or through concrete sales successes.
• You are a participative leadership personality with many years of experience in an SME.
• You have many years of management experience, including digital competence and experience in change processes.
• You think strategically and tackle innovation with joy. You possess good strategic AI judgement and can set meaningful ethical guidelines.
• You have completed a university degree; a doctorate ideally rounds off your profile.
• You have good access to the education sector and bring at least intrinsic interest from a user perspective.
• You have a network in business and academia.
• You appear confident and authentic and convince through strong communication at all levels.
• You speak perfect German and English, both business fluent, and have international experience (especially USA).

We offer

• a demanding leadership role in a changing industry,
• collaboration with a committed, professionally qualified team in Bern,
• an inspiring network of university lecturers and practice experts,
• great scope for shaping the future of Rochester-Bern,
• a working environment at the interface of university, business and people,
• modern employment conditions.

Do you feel addressed?

The Board of Trustees of Rochester-Bern Executive Programs looks forward to your application. Please send your application dossier (max. 10 MB) by e-mail by 15 November 2026.

Any questions will be answered by Petra Joerg, current CEO. Please contact her by e-mail.

Job advertisement as PDF.