Managing Director

1. Brief profile

At the General Education Union (AOb), everything revolves around a single mission: standing strong together for education professionals, quality education, and a just society. We are looking for an Executive Director who understands, embraces, and reinforces this guiding principle. Someone who will further professionalize the organization while deepening the connection with the union, the board, the members, and the staff. Always with the understanding that the AOb is a single entity: a powerful union and a professional organization that together make a difference for everyone who works or has worked in education.

You translate the AOb’s strategic direction into concrete decisions, clear priorities, and tangible results within the organization. You ensure that policy, service delivery, advocacy, communication, operations, and association support collectively contribute to the AOb’s social mission. In doing so, you bring stability, clarity, and continuity, without losing sight of the need for change.

We are looking for an experienced executive director who combines strategic insight with collaborative leadership, administrative acumen, and change management skills. Someone who can provide direction to an organization in transition, strengthen internal processes, help the management team grow further as a unit, and clarify the collaboration between the working organization, the board, and the association. You are visible, approachable, and steadfast; you build trust, a sense of social safety, and a culture in which people take responsibility, hold each other accountable, and work together toward a single strong, future-proof AOb.

2. About the General Education Union

The General Education Union (AOb) works every day to foster strong education professionals, good working conditions, professional autonomy, and high-quality education and research. As the largest education union in the Netherlands, the AOb represents everyone who works or has worked in education: from elementary school through higher education, from teachers and educational support staff to researchers, school leaders, and retired members. The AOb is affiliated with the FNV and works to promote professionalization, employment conditions, labor relations, and employee participation based on the values of solidarity and justice.

The AOb’s social mission is twofold. The union advocates for the interests of education workers and for the quality of education and research. It is precisely this connection that lies at the heart of the AOb: quality education is created by strong education professionals, with room for expertise, professional autonomy, good working conditions, and a safe work environment. The AOb therefore aims to remain an excellent employee organization and to continue developing as a powerful professional organization.

The AOb is a democratic association of, for, and by education professionals. Members, sectors, regions, consultants, the executive board, the executive committee, and the general assembly work together to set the union’s course. This grassroots foundation is what makes the AOb unique: the union is not only an advocate for education professionals, but above all a collective movement of education professionals.

In the coming years, the AOb faces major challenges. In the field of education, urgent issues include the teacher shortage, high workloads, lagging pay, erosion of professional autonomy, increased flexibility, privatization, and a lack of structural investment. The AOb intends to take a strong stance on these issues, organize education professionals, and influence policymakers, employers, and society. This requires a union that is both steadfast and agile: steadfast in its fight for strong education professionals and quality education, and agile in the way it responds to societal developments, current political events, and the needs of its members.

3. About the Work Organization

The professional working organization supports the union in fulfilling its social and labor policy mission. It serves as the operational and advisory foundation for the union’s work and ensures that members, board members, consultants, and sectors receive expert support. 

The organization consists of approximately 150 employees, with a headquarters in Utrecht and several regional offices. It is structured around various substantive and support areas, including collective advocacy, individual services, policy, communications and marketing, training, association support, and operations. Under the leadership of the Executive Director, the Management Team guides the collaboration between these areas and is jointly responsible for the direction, prioritization, and development of the organization.

The AOb has a unique dynamic, as the professional labor organization works closely with a democratic association that has elected officers and active members. The association sets the course, represents the members, and is directly involved in implementation; the labor organization advises, supports, and carries out the work. This is precisely why clear agreements are needed regarding roles, responsibilities, decision-making, and implementation. The AOb’s strength lies in the effective interaction between the association and the labor organization.

Professional Development Through the Roadmap

Internally, the AOb is using the Roadmap to further professionalize its operations following a turbulent period. The focus is on restoring trust, establishing clear roles and responsibilities, strengthening leadership, improving governance, updating the job classification system, defining clear values and standards of conduct, and better translating strategy into action. In doing so, the strategic direction is translated into multi-year plans, annual work plans, departmental goals, and a renewed planning and control cycle, making it clearer what the priorities are, what is feasible, and where the AOb makes the biggest difference for members and colleagues.

The organization therefore faces a dual challenge: to continue delivering results for members, board members, and the association on a daily basis, while also evolving into a professional, predictable, agile, and cohesive organization. This requires leadership that is recognizable and unifying, as well as a socially safe, inclusive, and appreciative culture. The new Executive Director, together with the Management Team and the Executive Board, plays a key role in this: staying the course, setting priorities, fostering connections, and ensuring that the development efforts are reflected in behavior, collaboration, and results. 

4. Profile of the new CEO

The new Executive Director is an experienced, unifying, and strong leader who understands the AOb’s social significance and will help further professionalize the organization. You share the AOb’s values: strong education professionals, good working conditions, professional autonomy, quality education, and a just society. You do not necessarily need to come from the education sector or the labor union world, but you must be able to quickly grasp what makes an association like the AOb unique: a professional labor organization that serves a democratic association, with elected board members, active members, consultants, sectors, and regions.

You are joining the organization at a critical juncture: it is undergoing significant transformation. The Roadmap provides a roadmap for further professionalization. The task is not to start from scratch, but to carefully build on what has already been set in motion and to ensure that the progress made is firmly established for the long term.

As Managing Director, you will lead the organization and work closely with the Management Team. You strengthen the Executive Management Team as a unit that not only manages its own departments but also takes joint responsibility for the entire organization. You create cohesion between the various areas, help set priorities, and ensure that the AOb’s strategic direction is translated into realistic annual plans, clear decisions, actionable processes, and tangible results. You focus on progress and quality, always with an eye for people, support, and the professional autonomy of employees.

In your interactions with the executive committee, the board of directors, and the association, you are clear about your role, transparent, and sensitive to governance issues. You understand that the association sets the course and represents the members, while the operational organization advises, supports, and implements. At the same time, you are assertive enough to bring the operational organization’s perspective to the table, monitor the feasibility of ambitions, and offer a counterpoint when necessary. You know when to go with the flow, when to slow things down, and when to take a clear stand. In doing so, you contribute to clear governance and better interaction between the association, the board, and the operational organization.

Your leadership style is recognizable, reliable, and people-oriented. In this way, you ensure that employees feel seen, heard, and taken seriously. You are visible and approachable, a good listener, and a clear communicator. At the same time, you are decisive and steadfast. You provide direction without stifling, address issues without causing harm, and create a culture in which people take responsibility, speak directly to one another, and collaborate based on trust.

You have a strong background in change management and understand that organizational development isn’t just about structures, processes, and plans, but also about behavior, culture, and interpersonal relationships. You bring calm and clarity, but also energy and momentum. You help the organization make choices: what do we do, what don’t we do, what is feasible, and where do we make the biggest difference for members and colleagues? In doing so, you maintain the balance between the day-to-day dynamics of a union and the need to stay on course for the long term.

5. What are you bringing?

What skills do you bring to the table as a professional?

You have extensive experience as a director with final responsibility or a senior manager in a complex social, administrative, or political-administrative environment. You possess an academic level of work and thinking and are accustomed to translating strategic challenges into clear priorities, actionable plans, and concrete results. You have demonstrable experience with organizational development, change processes, leadership development, and strengthening governance, management, collaboration, and operations.

You are confident in your role and have a keen sense of organizational dynamics. You understand how formal and informal relationships work and know how to operate effectively in an environment involving multiple bodies, interests, and decision-making channels. You can firmly advocate for the organization’s perspective, monitor the feasibility of goals, and simultaneously maintain connections with management, the association, the Works Council, and employees. You bring structure without creating bureaucracy, help make decisions without causing division, and drive progress without alienating people.

What do you bring to the table as a person?

You are approachable, accessible, and reliable. You are a good listener, communicate clearly, and act with care and consistency. You know how to build trust by combining genuine attention with clarity regarding direction, expectations, and responsibilities. You are mindful of the organization’s past achievements and know how to guide employees into the next phase of development.

You combine firmness with warmth. You are not afraid to provide direction, make decisions, and challenge others, but you do so with respect, calmness, and a sense of proportion. You are reflective, approachable, and transparent in your actions. You believe in collaboration, professional autonomy, and shared responsibility. With a sense of perspective, humor, and personal commitment, you contribute to a socially safe, open, and proud AOb. 

6. Terms of Employment

We offer you a position of great social significance within an organization that is rapidly evolving, where your work will directly contribute to the standing of education professionals, quality education, and a strong union. You will have the opportunity to work alongside the board, management team, staff, and employee representatives to build a professional, future-ready, and proud AOb.

This is a full-time position. You can expect an attractive benefits package, including a gross monthly salary ranging from €7,214 to €9,415 based on full-time employment, plus an 8.33% vacation allowance and an 8.33% year-end bonus. In addition, the AOb offers a good pension plan through PFZW, with a 75% employer contribution, and a contribution toward the cost of health insurance.

The AOb also offers modern employee benefits, including hybrid work arrangements, a work-from-home allowance, a loaner home office setup, a laptop and phone, and a car lease plan or public transportation pass. As a full-time employee, you are entitled to 196 vacation hours per year, 32 hours of life-stage leave, and the opportunity to accrue 15 ATV days. There are also flexible employment conditions, such as buying or selling leave, a bicycle allowance, a fitness allowance, and reimbursement of union dues. 

7. Follow-up procedure

The General Education Union is being assisted in these proceedings by the executive search firm Colourful People.

For more information, please contact Michiel van Kruijsbergen, a partner at Colourful People, at 06-53476733 orm.van.kruijsbergen@colourfulpeople.nl

You can upload your cover letter and resume via the application form on the Colourful People website. Please submit your application by May 24, 2026.

Job interviews at the Algemene Onderwijsbond will be held on Monday, June 15, from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and on Wednesday, June 24, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.