Careers
Our main focus is on the individual and taking pleasure in what we achieve together. Join our team, contribute your ideas and live your dream of independence and flexibility with a lean hierarchy! We provide a dynamic environment for personalities that exhibit courage and creativity.
Working at gae
Participate and have your say. Our company offers plenty of scope for initiative and courage. We are active in the fields of sustainability, acoustics, building physics, energy, pollutant analyses and fire protection. The goal is to further advance our leading role in engineering.
What we offer
Everything we do is geared towards our vision and our claim – “Shaping the future”. This might be on a small scale such as in the choice of materials or on a large scale when advising on a neighbourhood design. Sometimes it’s just a contribution, in other cases it might be an entire concept and the relevant planning. We’re constantly in dialogue, too, always looking for the right working hours model to suit the individual phase of life.
We offer ergonomic workstations and desk-sharing options. IT is a very important tool for us. Our operations are cloud-based. Each workstation is fitted with a high-quality laptop and headset as well as two screens. The option to work remotely goes without saying as far as we are concerned.
Success comes from teamwork. The community provides a home. We know we’re stronger when we work together, and this is a value we actively cultivate. Laughing together, being there to support each other, challenging each other, clashing with each other, talking things through and celebrating together. Commitment on the part of the individual and mutual respect are what make the team come alive.
We have branch offices on site or maintain contacts throughout almost the whole of Switzerland. We build on our network and relationships on the ground. We establish local ties with the relevant people. Changes in one’s life are sometimes followed by a change of location.
Having the freedom to operate independently is an important pillar of personal motivation and also a source of innovation. Based on a shared framework and a structure that requires location-independent and non-simultaneous work, we work independently, autonomously and with the necessary skills.
We are engineers and consultants. We do not rely on hierarchical models to tackle the challenges involved in our work. A career with us can be pursued through team leadership as well as through the challenges of project management and professional development. This even extends to gaining a participating interest in the company. Gartenmann Engineering is half-owned by team members who work in the project business.
In Franziska Hofmann’s interview with Anna Bandurski and Daniel Dick, you can gain an insight into gae as an employer.
Anna Bandurski: GAE offered me an internship in a new field of work, then took me on as a trainee.
Anna Bandurski: The ability to share ideas and experiences at a professional and personal level. I also like the fact that GAE Bern is central, and the flexible working hours.
Daniel Dick: I originally applied for the job of project manager in energy and sustainable construction. After spending a few years in these fields, I wanted to learn more about acoustics and sound insulation, which GAE was good enough to facilitate. I am very grateful for the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity and explore a whole range of disciplines. Staff here are not stopped from changing direction from, say, fire protection to acoustics. Flexibility also applies to the working hours. Over the years, I have been able to reduce my workload from 100 to 85% FTE – and 70% now that I have a family. I really appreciate this flexibility.
Daniel Dick: For me, meaningful means work that I like doing and that benefits society. This applies primarily to the job itself. But my commitment to the company is just as important. If I see a purpose in what I do, it allows me to put up with a bit of stress every now and then, or to work on a project that is not exactly aligned with my aspirations.
Daniel Dick: A great deal. When I started in 2013, GAE employed around 44 people. Today, there are 89. The company has also added to its portfolio of services, such as building contaminant analysis and fire protection consulting. Alongside the company’s growth, it has also invested in digitisation and the overall working environment. GAE has evolved from everyone having a personal workstation with a PC under the desk to desk sharing and mobile working. From “sure, paper plans are helpful” to “thank you, digital plans and building models are fine”. At the moment, the way GAE is managed is changing. The “sole managing director and office manager” structure is making way for a management team. We are now talking about office management teams, where several people are responsible for the management and wellbeing of the staff.
Daniel Dick: In my nearly nine years at GAE, I have rarely thought “Oh, doing the same job as yesterday is so boring.” My role remains professionally interesting and challenging. Over the years I have worked for the company, I have seen the number and size of projects I am working on change. I try to support newcomers professionally and personally to the best of my ability. Many people here see me as an old hand, which is weird. Around two years ago, the company made me an authorised signatory, which meant taking on more responsibility vis-à-vis the company and its customers. The fact that GAE takes staff development seriously makes working here a rewarding proposition, as does the nature of the work itself.
Anna Bandurski: Know-how at GAE is spread across different locations. Newcomers should not shy away from asking questions from different offices.
Anna Bandurski: I hope that the spirit of cooperation will continue to be as respectful and appreciative as I have experienced so far.
