Head of Policy & Strategic Advice

The position

As a department head, you will have a significant social impact on the city of Amsterdam. Together with your department, you will help lay the foundation for a financially sound municipality that procures goods and services efficiently and in accordance with the law. As the driving force behind the brand-new Policy & Strategic Advice department, you will play a crucial role in Amsterdam’s financial strategy and urban procurement policy. Through the three team managers, you will lead approximately 60 financial professionals and consultants, who are deployed throughout the organization to resolve financial and change-related issues, strengthen financial policy, and shape and implement strategic procurement policy.

As a true people manager, you’ll really shine in this role. Because not only is your department new, but the team managers are too! Together, you’ll build three strong teams that work effectively together to take the municipality’s financial and procurement strategy to the next level. Whether it involves developing financial guidelines or establishing frameworks for socially responsible procurement: you set the course, ensure a holistic approach, and make sure your teams’ results align with the city’s broader social ambitions.

In addition, you will serve as a member of the Management Team for the Procurement and Financial Policy (F&I) department and take on cross-departmental portfolios and initiatives. This includes issues such as the financial integration of partners like Waternet or strengthening F&I’s internal services. You actively seek to build relationships with executives and management teams, and ensure that your department is recognized at the highest level as the strategic partner in the field of financial and procurement policy.

Here's what you do on an average day:

• Setting the direction for your new department. You’ll chart the course and ensure a strong position within the organization.
• Work with the three team managers to ensure that the teams in your department are performing at their best.
• Serving as a strategic partner to executive teams and board members and advising on financial strategy and policy development.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of urban procurement and financial policies. You will work on frameworks and guidelines for lawful, efficient, and socially responsible procurement.
• Constantly balancing the organization’s short- and long-term goals, the administrative agenda, and the development of your own department.

Here's 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!

You will lead the Policy & Strategic Advice department, which is part of the Finance and Procurement (F&I) division. Your department consists of three teams: Procurement and Financial Policy, Strategic Financial Advice, and Specials. Together, we allocate the municipality’s total budget of over €7.6 billion across 53 divisions.

Embedding strategic advice within the organization is essential to improving financial and procurement processes. You ensure that the teams not only excel in their own areas of expertise but also work together holistically to make an impact. The team managers are responsible for the substantive management within their areas of expertise; you ensure cohesion, monitor the strategic direction, and foster the growth and development of your colleagues.

What you'll need:

For this position as Head of Policy & Strategic Advice, you must have:

• A bachelor's degree in a relevant field, such as business administration or economics.
• At least 5 years of experience in indirectly managing large teams of 40 or more strategic and policy advisors within a complex (government) organization, and at least 3 years of experience in managing multiple team leaders.
• Knowledge of procurement policy and operations in a metropolitan context. You understand the strategic role of procurement within (municipal) operations and know how to manage it effectively.
• Experience with stakeholder management at the executive level.

You should have the following skills:

• Inclusive thinking and action: As a colleague and manager, you contribute to an inclusive and socially safe work environment. You are approachable, reliable, inspire trust, and encourage talent development.
• Vision and strategic insight: You think ahead and are able to place policies and recommendations within a broader organizational and administrative context.
• Leadership skills: You provide direction for a department that is still being established, coaching team managers and ensuring that professionals operate effectively. You know how to position a department and communicate this with conviction, even within administrative and political dynamics.
• Environmental Awareness: You understand the complexities of administrative decision-making and know how bureaucratic and political processes work. You can quickly shift your focus between content, process, and stakeholders, and you know how to present complex topics in a clear and accessible way to management and the board.

Here’s what we offer you:

As a Department Manager, you will join our team for a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 36 hours per week, and you can expect the following terms of employment.

• A gross monthly salary ranging from €6,395 to €8,889 (pay scale 15) 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 thereafter, if you do not currently have an employment contract with the City of Amsterdam, or if you have only a temporary one.
• If you already have a permanent employment contract with the City of Amsterdam, you will retain it and be transferred.
• 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 for travel by car, €0.15 per kilometer for travel by bicycle, and €0.21 per kilometer for travel by public transportation. This applies to a one-way commute of up to 45 kilometers and for the number of days you work in the office.
• For days you work from home, you will receive a work-from-home allowance of €3 net per workday that you work from home.
• A monthly contribution toward health insurance.
• Hybrid work: In this role, you can work partly from home and partly in the office. We provide the necessary equipment to help you set up a safe and healthy workspace at home.
• A cell phone and/or laptop.
• An office space in downtown Amsterdam, overlooking the canals.

Curious about all our employment terms and conditions? View the Amsterdam Municipal Personnel Regulations (PGA) at www.amsterdam.nl/pga.

Apply for this job:

• If this job opening interests you, please submit your applicationby March 28 at the latestusingthe application form onour website.
• We would like to receive your cover letter, in which you explain, in no more than one A4 page, why your work experience and skills are a good fit for this position. Your cover letter will be taken into consideration during the selection process.
• The selection process consists of a round of interviews. We have formed a selection committee of three people and an advisory committee of two people.
• The selection assessment is part of this process.
• If your resume meets the job requirements, we’d be happy to invite you for an interview. Interviews are held in person at our office located at Amstel 1 in Amsterdam.
• 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.
• The municipality has a preference policy for positions at pay grade 15 and above. This means that, for all positions at pay grade 15 and above, preference is given to candidates from non-European backgrounds when candidates are equally qualified.

We do not appreciate unsolicited solicitation from 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.

Do you have any questions about this job opening?

If you have any questions regarding the job description, please contact Marlijne Barteling, Head of the Policy & Strategic Advice Department, at m.barteling@amsterdam.nl.

If you have any questions or comments about the application process, please contact Maxime Joost, Senior Recruiter, at 06 - 39 33 45 59 orm.joost@amsterdam.nl.