Department Manager

The position

As the Department Manager for Public Space Supervision and Enforcement (THOR), you will work in a dynamic environment to keep the city livable, safe, and clean for everyone who lives, works, and spends their leisure time in Amsterdam. You will lead using an integrated management approach. This means setting strategic goals and working with your colleagues to translate these into tactical plans and operational execution. Your leadership style is characterized by inspiration, coaching, and approachability, with a focus on inclusion and collaboration within the team. In addition, you will manage key performance indicators such as meeting absenteeism standards, conducting MAG interviews, and adhering to integrity agreements. You will switch quickly and simultaneously between various teams across multiple areas. Together with four other department managers and the Deputy Director of Operations, you form the THOR Operations management team. Part of the role involves being on call for one week every six weeks, during which you are on call 24/7 and, if necessary, take part in a crisis response team. Working four days on-site is the standard for this role, with the option to work from home occasionally.

The breakdown of duties is as follows: 15% networking with external parties, 20% internal meetings, 25% projects and work processes, and 40% financial and human resources management.

Here's what you do on an average day

• You are responsible for the department’s operations and budgets, and you report on the results achieved to the executive team.
• You are responsible for a number of broad, organizational, and/or substantive portfolios
• You coordinate a number of projects.
• You will play an active role in strategic workforce planning within the THOR management team: ensuring the right people are in the right places. This involves the effective and efficient deployment of enforcement officers, supervisors, and waterway inspectors based on data and technology.
• Together with the Deputy Director of THOR Operations and four other department managers, you play a key role in the 24/7 operations and the on-call/crisis response team.
• You will be ultimately responsible for helping to run and organize events (such as New Year’s Eve, King’s Day, Pride, and more).
• You will maintain contacts at the tactical level both within and outside the municipal organization. You will also ensure the necessary coordination and alignment with (chain) partners and area managers.

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!

Public Space Surveillance and Enforcement (THOR) works every day to make Amsterdam a more livable, safe, and clean city. The approximately 940 employees of this dynamic department are actively and visibly present in public spaces, on public transportation, and on the water. The employees and management of the Operations unit wear uniforms.

Public Space Surveillance and Enforcement carries out a wide range of tasks, such as enforcement under the General Local Ordinance (APV), enforcement of the Taxi Act, towing vehicles parked in a highly obstructive or dangerous manner, enforcement within public transportation, and comprehensive enforcement at events, for example. To this end, THOR employs enforcement officers who are available for flexible deployment on the streets 24 hours a day and do whatever is necessary wherever the city’s needs require it.

The management team has five core values:

• Working together within the executive board, the municipality, and the city
• Connection in an equal dialogue
• We operate on the basis of trust
• We are open and honest with each other
• We take the initiative and make room for ourselves.

We are looking for a department manager for the Outdoor Specialties Department. This department consists of four teams: the Bicycle Parking Team, the Towing Team, the Public Transportation Safety Team (VOV), and the Nautical Surveillance and Enforcement Team. The department employs approximately 190 staff members. The Bicycle Parking Team ensures safe and accessible public spaces. The bicycle parking enforcement officers are active daily to remind residents, business owners, and visitors of bicycle parking regulations. They act proactively and enforce bicycle parking rules to ensure that available bicycle parking facilities continue to be used optimally. The Towing Team focuses on relocating and/or towing illegally parked vehicles to maintain road and traffic safety. The VOV teams work together with transportation partners to improve both objective and subjective safety in and around public transportation. The VOV is committed to ensuring and improving safety and livability in the vicinity of public transportation. Together with transportation partners, the team ensures that the area remains clean, in good condition, and safe. The Nautical Supervision and Enforcement team ensures smooth and safe shipping traffic and addresses disturbances on the water. They do this by promoting compliance with laws and regulations, so that Amsterdam’s inland waterways remain clean, safe, attractive, and navigable for all residents and visitors.

What you bring

For this position as Department Manager, you must have:

• At least a high school level of work and thinking skills, demonstrated through education and/or relevant work experience.
• At least 5 years of managerial experience in a similar field.
• At least 5 years of experience working in partnerships between government agencies, civil society organizations, and other partners or organizations serving the public interest, involving complex decision-making processes.
• At least 3 years of experience at a comparable management level, with responsibility for operations, human resources, and planning and control.
• A Special Investigating Officer (BOA) certification, or a willingness to obtain it through us.

You should have the following skills:

• Environmental Awareness:Demonstrates a solid understanding of professional, organizational, social, and political developments, as well as other environmental factors, and knows how to effectively apply this knowledge to one’s own role or organization.
• Collaboration:Makes a constructive contribution to a shared outcome, particularly to the atmosphere and relationships within the group or team.
• Coaching:Providing guidance to employees in the performance of their duties and fostering their personal development.
• Results-oriented approach:Setting specific goals as a starting point for one’s own behavior and sticking to them until the goal is achieved.
• Thinking and acting inclusively:Being an inclusive leader in an inclusive organization: thinking and acting inclusively; being reliable and predictable and inspiring trust; creating a socially safe environment; recognizing employees’ talents and fostering talent development.

What we offer you

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

• A gross monthly salary ranging from €6,197 to €8,439 (pay grade 14) 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 through ABP, the pension fund for the public sector and education. We pay 70% of your pension contribution.
• 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 €3.25 net per workday that you work from home.
• A monthly contribution toward health insurance.
• A cell phone and a laptop.

Interested in learning more about our employment terms and conditions? Check out the Municipality of Amsterdam Personnel Regulations(PGA) on the website.

Apply for this job

• If this job opening interests you, please submit your applicationby March 23, 2026, usingthe application formon our website.
• This position was also recently open. Candidates who have previously applied do not need to apply again; their applications were already considered during the previous review and selection process.
• We look forward to receiving your resume and cover letter, in which you explain—in no more than one A4 page—how your work experience and skills align with this position. We would also appreciate it if you could describe your personal leadership style in your cover letter.
• 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.
• The selection process consists of a CV/cover letter review and two rounds of interviews. We have assembled a diverse selection committee and an advisory committee comprising several individuals, including the deputy director, members of the executive team, and an HR advisor or recruiter.
• An assessment and a reference check may be part of the selection process. Interviews will be held at the Daniel Goedkoopstraat in Amsterdam during weeks 13 and 14.
• We require a recent Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG-P) from every colleague who joins our team.

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?

For more information about the position, please contact Peter van Vliet, Deputy Director of Operations at THOR, via email at: peter.van.vliet@amsterdam.nl or by phone 06-28175195.