Consultant / Program Manager

The position

BIA is an internal interim and consulting firm of the City of Amsterdam that works on a contract basis for all departments of the City of Amsterdam. BIA strives for a diverse team of consultants (in terms of, for example, life paths, education, work experience, and socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds) in order to perform its work more effectively by drawing on a variety of perspectives and experiences. In our assignments, we help build a strong connection between practical implementation and policy. And we use data and information to devise smart solutions and monitor the effects of those solutions.

As a (senior+) advisor/program manager at BIA, you’ll have a highly varied role that requires a broad perspective and the ability to approach issues from different angles. Your goal is to help colleagues within the municipality—where necessary—achieve their objectives for the city. Together, you’ll work on political and administrative priorities.

Here's how you can contribute to the City of Amsterdam

You will work on an interim basis on various assignments within the municipality, alternating between roles such as program manager, interim manager, process manager, and/or consultant. You will tackle complex issues involving multiple parties both within and outside the municipality. You will deal with a variety of topics, including healthcare, safety, public spaces, the economy, traffic and transportation, and internal services. In short: your work will cover everything Amsterdam needs!

You lead teams to achieve the goals set by the board and oversee processes involving various parties with diverse interests. Your approach is characterized by a focus on energy, commitment, and creativity, which allows for the successful completion of more complex projects with less coordination. You know how to drive results. At the same time, you develop and implement a strategy that ensures the change is sustainable: you leave the organization in a position where it can continue on its own.

All consultants at BIA actively share knowledge and are constantly working to improve their expertise and advance BIA’s professional standing. You play a prominent role in this effort. Drawing on your experience and professional expertise, you develop practical knowledge. You also share this knowledge with fellow consultants and other colleagues within the municipality, for example through coaching, guiding action research, publishing articles, or organizing networking events. You do this both within BIA and more broadly, for example at city-wide networking events.

Here's what you do on an average workday

Here are a few examples of projects our senior+ consultants/program managers have completed:

• Program Manager for Sustainable Industry and Port: Leading the Sustainable Port and Industry Program. Through this program, the municipality is working to achieve its sustainability goals for the Port: CO2 reduction, the development of a hydrogen economy and sustainable fuels, and the reuse of valuable raw materials.
• Interim Team Manager for School Gardens & Nature Education: Overseeing the school garden organization (approximately 70 people) to ensure that all elementary school students in Amsterdam receive nature education at one of the thirteen school gardens.
• Process Manager for the Implementation Agenda for Future-Proof Public Transportation: Developing and implementing the implementation agenda to 1) enable Amsterdammers to travel by public transportation as much as possible by improving its accessibility. 2) Keep the rapidly rising costs of supplementary public transportation (AOV) within limits by restricting AOV to those who truly need it.

This is where you get started

We strive to be a great employer that ensures all our colleagues feel seen and valued. We embrace the differences among our colleagues; these differences lead to better results for both our organization and our city. We aim to build a workforce that reflects Amsterdam’s diverse population. So, whoever you are, you’re more than welcome here!

BIA currently employs around 80 consultants. Colleagues from across the municipality call on BIA for advice and to help design and guide change initiatives, projects, and programs. By carrying out a wide variety of assignments throughout the city, our professionals have become versatile consultants, process facilitators, project and program managers, and change managers. BIA offers a work environment within an organization where everyone has the opportunity to express their individuality, creativity, and sense of responsibility, to grow, and to learn. BIA has a flat organizational structure. This means that consultants have a great deal of personal responsibility: together, we are building the future of our consulting firm. In this way, our organization is shaped by the consultants who work here.

Our consultants have a deep understanding of the municipality, actively share their knowledge, and get up to speed quickly. With a proactive and independent perspective, they bring a sense of fulfillment and enthusiasm to their assignments. Learning, reflecting, developing, and professional growth are essential to doing our work effectively. The emphasis here is on collaborative learning and professional development. BIA provides opportunities for personal development, for example through mentoring, peer review, coaching, and training. In addition, BIA consultants work with buddies (critical sparring partners) to improve the quality of their work.

There are three areas in which our consultants continue to learn and share knowledge about their field:

• Strategic consulting on broad change management, policy, and process-related issues: from analysis to the development of multifaceted solutions;
• Change management and process facilitation: guiding and leading teams through their change and development initiatives, and facilitating processes involving various stakeholders with diverse interests;
• Project, process, and program management: the systematic implementation of tasks in practice.

We aim to be a diverse and inclusive organization that welcomes everyone. Diversity is a strength we leverage to achieve better results for the city. We strive to have a workforce that reflects Amsterdam’s working population, in all its diversity. Our job openings are open to everyone, unless otherwise stated in the job description.

Internal candidates (employees of the City of Amsterdam) can get a sense of the work and experiences of their BIA colleagues by checking out the Tamtam group “De Amsterdamse Praktijk.”

What you bring

All of our colleagues are different—in their roles, ages, backgrounds, personalities, dreams, and hobbies. We’re proud of that, because all those differences lead to better results for our city. So whoever you are, you’re welcome in our municipality and at BIA. For this position, we’re also looking for:

• A completed bachelor’s or master’s degree (from a university of applied sciences or a research university).
• At least 5 years of experience leading project and/or program teams working on complex change initiatives in an administrative/political context.
• (Project/program/line) management experience in various settings, and you have a proven ability to adapt to different management styles.
• A fresh perspective and broad interests, an open-minded attitude, and curiosity about other viewpoints and experiences.
• The ability to view the same issue from multiple perspectives.
• Relevant expertise in the fields of strategic consulting, change management, and project, program, and process management.
• Affinity for and experience with data-driven and information-driven work.
• Experience in the social sector is a plus.

Here's what we offer you

As a Senior+ Consultant/Program Manager, you will join our team for 32–36 hours per week and can expect the following terms of employment:

•  Your salary will range from a minimum of €4,965 to a maximum of €6,616 gross per month (pay scale 13), based on a 36-hour workweek. The exact salary will be determined based on your education, knowledge, and experience.
• A one-year employment contract with the possibility of a permanent contract for external candidates. For internal candidates, your permanent contract will remain in effect. The intended start date is in September 2022.
• Opportunities for professional development and training. Our in-house training center, the Amsterdam School, offers a variety of training programs, professional development tracks, and on-the-job coaching to help you continue to challenge yourself.
• An individual flexible budget (IKB) equal to 17.05% of your salary, which you can use for things like additional pension contributions or extra days off.
• A pension plan with ABP, the pension fund for the public sector and education.
• A travel allowance of €0.10 per kilometer, up to a 45-kilometer one-way commute, for the number of days you work in the office, and/or a work-from-home allowance of €2 net per workday that you work from home.
• A monthly contribution toward health insurance.
• A cell phone and a laptop.

Curious about all our employment terms and conditions? Check out theAmsterdam Municipality Personnel Regulations(PGA).

Do you have any questions?

If you have any questions about the position, please contact one of BIA’s (career) managers: Kitty Sachs k.sachs@amsterdam.nl, 06-1024 9753 or (starting June 9) Darjalha Bourgui d.bourgui@amsterdam.nl, 06-12800419.

Apply for this job

• If this job opening interests you, please submit your application by June 16, 2022, at the latest, using the application form on our website.
• Be sure to address the following points in your cover letter:

1. In your cover letter, please tell us why you want to work for the city of Amsterdam and why you’ve chosen BIA;
2. BIA aims to be an organization that welcomes everyone and harnesses the power of employee diversity to achieve better results for the city. Every consultant or interim manager brings their identity to their work. Your identity is shaped by factors such as your background, culture, religion, life experience, and more. That is why we would like to read in your letter what you, in addition to your educational background and work experience, bring to the table that could add value to the projects you undertake.

• The application review process begins immediately after the application deadline and runs from June 16 through June 23.
• If your resume and cover letter are a good fit for the position, we would be happy to invite you for an interview.
• Job interviews will take place at Herengracht 482 during the week of June 27, and discussions regarding terms of employment will take place the following week.
• This job opening is being advertised internally and externally at the same time. Employees of the City of Amsterdam will be given priority in the hiring process.
• We require a recent Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) from every colleague who joins our team.
• Tip: Want to review this job posting later? Be sure to save it right away, because once the application deadline has passed, the posting will no longer be available.

We do not appreciate unsolicited solicitation by recruitment agencies, and such actions may result in exclusion from our other recruitment initiatives. We also consider the unsolicited submission of resumes by agencies to our employees to be solicitation. We will not review these resumes.