Department Manager, Social Services

This is your job

As a department manager, you will have overall responsibility for the Social Foundation Department, including its budget. Guided by Utrecht’s vision for healthy urban living, you will work with dedicated colleagues and partners across the city to further define what the Social Foundation means for Utrecht. Our city offers a wide range of activities and facilities. These help people meet and support one another, develop themselves, and relax, so that everyone can live together and participate. Especially in these turbulent times and in a context of scarcity, it is even more important that these efforts reinforce one another. The department carries out this work through three teams.

In recent years, we have been developing policy documents on all these topics and establishing a new organizational structure, in which teams within the departments are led by team managers. The role of department manager is a new position that helps ensure the residents of Utrecht see these ambitions reflected in their daily lives. As a Social Services Department Manager at the City of Utrecht, you can make a difference. You bridge the gap between strategic issues and their translation into policy and implementation. You build bridges between colleagues in the teams, partners, administrators, and senior management, and make a direct contribution to the city’s inclusive and forward-looking ambitions.

Your main responsibilities: 

• Translating the city’s/region’s challenges and the administration’s strategic objectives into visions, policy plans, and implementation programs. You ensure that these plans are fully integrated into your department’s work and that they align with the municipal administration’s agenda.
• Chairing regular staff meetings with the aldermen, ensuring a thorough process, clear advice (timely, well-reasoned, and actionable), and decision-making.
• Provide coaching and guidance to team managers, strategists, and administrative advisors. You will help them develop their skills and support them in achieving tactical and operational goals.
• Guide the department through change processes, particularly within the dynamic political environment. You will ensure that the department adapts flexibly to social and policy changes, at the local, regional, and international levels.
• Encourage and facilitate collaboration between various departments within the municipality and external parties such as interest groups, businesses, and government agencies. You serve as an ambassador for the community and identify opportunities for new partnerships, innovative ideas, and funding options. You ensure that policy aligns with the needs of the community. You maintain a balance between different interests and promote effective collaboration.
• Member of the Social Development Management Team. In this role, you will coordinate content and processes with your colleagues on the Social Development Management Team and advocate for the grassroots perspective and the interests of your department.

This is your workspace

The City of Utrecht welcomes everyone. We view talent as the foundation and diversity as the driving force for achieving better results together. There is a place for you in the Social Services Department. The Social Services Department is part of the Social Development Division (approximately 270 FTEs). Together with residents and civil society organizations, this unit develops policy for the social sector and often acts as the commissioning party for implementation, as well as a supporter, partner, or catalyst. At Social Development, we offer you an inspiring, collegial work environment. Healthcare, youth services, education, asylum, integration, inclusion, sports, and community are our focus areas, and we work on these together with our partners in the city.

Under the new organizational structure, each department has its own area of focus: education, youth services, basic social services, community support, operations, and oversight. The department managers and the executive secretary together form the executive team. The director leads this team. Together with your team managers, you will ensure that the new department runs smoothly and that colleagues enjoy working together.

There is a strong sense of commitment to the city, its residents, communities, and partners—as well as to one another. An open and accessible work environment is therefore the norm. The Social Services Department consists of about 55 dedicated professionals who are committed to social services: asylum and integration, civic integration, an inclusive society, sports policy, sports facilities, community centers, volunteer work, informal care, and accessibility.

We want to be an open, learning organization that is driven by the needs of the city and its residents. We focus on possibilities and opportunities, not on problems.

Utrecht welcomes you!

As the City of Utrecht, we believe that a diverse organization fosters greater innovation, creativity, and better collaboration. For this reason, we strive to be as inclusive an organization as possible. So it doesn’t matter to us where you were born, whether you have a disability, what you believe in, or whom you love—what matters is whether you are socially engaged. We recognize, value, and make the most of our differences. Are you curious about how we do that? Read more onthis page. 

This is your input

At the City of Utrecht, we believe it’s important for you to be yourself. That’s why we’re curious to learn more about who you are. To perform this role effectively, you’ll need the following skills:

• Networking: You can build, expand, and maintain a network. You are proactive in identifying new partnerships and funding opportunities. You quickly gain insight into the city’s partners and communities. You move easily between different networks, from small-scale resident initiatives to large corporations. You can engage and connect at all these levels.
• Resilience:You are adept at navigating the complex political and social dynamics involved in these issues, including in relation to national developments. You bounce back quickly from setbacks, stress, or difficult circumstances. You adapt easily to change, actively seek out new opportunities, and support your team in doing so.
• Environmental awareness:You look beyond the interests of your own department. You are aware of the interests, perspectives, and feelings of various stakeholders, partners, and communities in the city. You understand and are aware of the relationship between the municipality and the federal government. You take these interests into account in your daily work and know how to respond to them appropriately.
• Organizational sensitivity:You are aware of and attentive to the dynamics, culture, interests, and needs within an organization. You understand the political dynamics and can anticipate how people within the organization will react. You ensure that other departments are committed to the issues and groups within your department.
• Coaching leadership:You are someone who quickly identifies talents, opportunities, needs, and challenges within teams and knows how to effectively connect and leverage them to tackle overarching tasks.

In addition to these skills, we believe it is important that you place a special emphasis on inclusive leadership. You create an environment in which all employees feel valued, respected, and engaged—regardless of their background, identity, or perspectives.

In addition, we believe it is important for your resume to include the following:

• You must be capable of working and thinking at the university level. A degree is not required.
• At least 5 years of experience in a leadership role in the social sector at a large municipality, a federal agency, or a similarly dynamic setting.  
• You have a clear vision of the social sector and experience with or an interest in topics such as asylum and integration, civic integration, inclusion, and sports (policy, outreach, and facilities). You also have experience with or an interest in community initiatives such as community centers, volunteer work, and informal care.
• Significant contributions to one or more of these topics are a plus

Here's what we offer you

With us, you’ll work on your personal development, taking on challenging responsibilities in an environment with dedicated colleagues. You won’t just be working for the city—you’ll be serving the more than 370,000 residents of our beautiful city. All of this takes place at our city hall, with a view of the city you’re working to serve.

Of course, this comes with a competitive salary. Below is what we have to offer:

• A workweek of at least 32 and no more than 36 hours, with a gross monthly salary ranging from €5,965 to €8,889 (Pay Grade 14/15) based on a 36-hour workweek. We will determine the exact amount based on your knowledge and experience.
• A one-year fixed-term employment contract, with the intention of converting it to a permanent employment contract.
• An Individual Choice Budget (ICB). The ICB allows you to tailor your employment conditions to your own circumstances. For example, you could use it to purchase additional leave hours. The Individual Choice Budget (ICB) amounts to 17.05% of your salary.
• Opportunities for personal development, as well as a variety of courses and training programs. You’ll have unlimited access to GoodHabitz.
• Your home base is the Utrecht City Hall, the most accessible municipal office in the Netherlands, where we value both professional and personal needs and beliefs. At the city office, you’ll find, among other things, several lactation rooms and a quiet room for anyone who wishes to practice their faith or simply needs a moment of quiet. We also provide support for your professional needs, even if you work from home. For example, we offer a well-equipped workstation on loan so you can work optimally from home.
• View the infographic about our employment terms and conditions here. For a complete description of all other employment terms and conditions, visit this page.

At the time of this job posting, the pay grade for this position has not yet been determined. It will be determined within the specified salary range.

This is good to know

Are you interested in working as a Social Services Department Manager for the City of Utrecht? Apply now, no later than March 1, 2025. The first round of interviews will take place on Monday, March 10, and Thursday, March 13, 2025. If we are impressed by your application, we may invite you for a second interview on Monday, March 17, 2025. 

Would you like more information about the job description first, or are you curious about what this role entails in practice? Please send your application to Hans Uneken, Director of Social Development. For questions regarding the job content, please contact Bas Martens, Education Department Manager, atbas.martens@utrecht.nlor 06 – 41 55 41 64. For any questions regarding the application process, please call Elisa Langezaal, Recruitment Coordinator, at 06 – 20 50 42 19. If you can’t get through, please send a text message! 

If you come in for an interview, we will use a list of standard questions. We ask all candidates the same questions. This allows us to compare the results more fairly and ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity. 

An assessment is part of the application process. We strive to make the assessment as accessible as possible, ensuring it comprehensively evaluates your potential for growth within the context of the team. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Acquisition

Recruitment agencies are asked to refrain from contacting us regarding this job opening.

We are recruiting our new colleague directly through this job posting. Therefore, sales calls from recruitment agencies are not necessary. Clickhereto register on our Marktplein platform for our temporary staffing assignments.