Champions League participants Borussia Dortmund have appointed Lucien Favre as their head coach. The 60-year-old Swiss tactician has signed a contract until 30 June 2020.

Favre joins from French club OGC Nice, with whom he was competing for the Ligue 1 title for much of the 2016/17 season before ultimately securing a sensational third-place finish. This term, he just missed out on a UEFA Europa League berth with the outsiders.

Favre has become a familiar face in the Bundesliga over the last decade. He guided Hertha BSC to a fourth-place finish in the 2008/09 season, before joining Borussia Mönchengladbach midway through 2011/12. Despite taking over in a precarious position, with the Foals languishing down in 18th, he helped them secure safety via the play-off.

Favre is seen as a fastidious coach, whose major strengths include developing both individual players and whole teams.

BVB Sporting Director Michael Zorc said: “The appointment of Lucien Favre as coach is an important aspect of our fresh sporting start this summer. He’s highly regarded by us for the technical qualities that he demonstrated in impressive style many times throughout his spells with Hertha BSC and Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga, and more recently with Nice.”

Of his new challenge, Lucien Favre said: “Coaching Borussia Dortmund is an exciting task that I’m delighted to take on. I’d like to thank the directors for the faith they’ve shown in me. We’ll now work together on the new team. BVB is one of the most interesting clubs in Europe and I’m looking forward to returning to the Bundesliga, which I know extremely well and always kept an eye on during my two years in Nice.”

During a playing career that saw him capped 24 times by his country, Lucien Favre was voted Swiss Footballer of the Year in 1983 and became a Swiss champion with Servette in 1985. He later became coach at the Geneva-based club, where he won the 2001 Swiss cup, before taking over at FC Zürich, whom he led to two Swiss titles (2006 and 2007) and the 2005 Swiss cup.

Lucien Favre will be unveiled at the beginning of July and will then start to prepare for the 2018/19 season with his new team.