Chief Financial Officer

DUWO, a student housing provider is looking for an entrepreneurial, strategic, and hands-on Director of Finance. With students as our clients, approximately 200 DUWO employees work every day to support an important step in these young people’s lives: moving out of their parents’ homes and standing on their own two feet. Our clients are in a special and exciting phase of life and expect a lot from us. To support their student experience, customer satisfaction is a key priority, and given our young target audience, we are a leader in digital services within the housing sector. Our students are also very aware of the need to combat climate change. DUWO has therefore set itself a major sustainability challenge that will demand a great deal from the organization in the coming years.

In short, if you enjoy a fast-paced environment, digitalization, working with young people, and (sustainable) real estate, and if you recognize yourself in the profile below, then DUWO is looking for you as

• CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

About DUWO

DUWO is a housing association dedicated to providing housing for students from all over the world. DUWO achieves this by building, renting out, and managing student housing in a sustainable manner—homes where every student feels at home at an affordable rent. This includes both large and small student apartments and houses in Amsterdam, Delft, The Hague, Leiden, Amstelveen, Haarlem, Deventer, and Wageningen. The approximately 34,000 DUWO housing units, often in unique locations, have a high turnover rate (after all, studying is a temporary endeavor). This target group, combined with a major digitization and sustainability initiative for our portfolio, brings a high level of dynamism to our company.

DUWO consists of a central office and four branch offices: in Leiden, Delft, The Hague, and Amsterdam. DUWO’s central body supports the branches with policy and advice, oversees reporting, ensures a uniform approach to operations, and carries out central activities. DUWO has a two-member executive board, which leads a management team comprising the four branch directors and the staff directors. The supervisory board oversees these activities.

Chief Financial Officer

What will you be doing?

DUWO operates in a highly dynamic market that demands continuous development of the organization and its financial models. You see it as a rewarding challenge to facilitate these developments financially or, conversely, to flag any impracticalities. As director, you serve as a key enabler for the board and the organization in achieving their goals.

The focus of the finance function is shifting increasingly from retrospective financial accountability to the responsible forecasting of both financial and non-financial results. This makes data analysis increasingly important. As a result, DUWO can respond more quickly to new developments. As the new Chief Financial Officer, you therefore have an affinity for these developments and, consequently, for the digitization and automation of financial and business processes. In this role, you will take a proactive approach toward the Board of Directors and department heads to provide insight and offer actionable perspectives.

At DUWO, we are committed to making progress in the areas of sustainability, corporate social responsibility, transparency, and integrity; therefore, we expect our Chief Financial Officer to engage in these areas and demonstrate leadership—by taking an active role and adopting a perspective that extends beyond finance alone.

DUWO excels in project development and faces a major challenge in making its operations more sustainable. This requires significant investments, and the Chief Financial Officer advises on the options and monitors the financial frameworks.

The Director of Finance is responsible for ensuring sound financial management and reporting. She/he leads a department of 12 employees and is a skilled people manager who positions the Finance Department as a central hub within DUWO. The Business Control Team and Project Control Team support the organization in implementing financial policy through their sharp yet collaborative and proactive approach. In the same collaborative spirit, the Director is in constant dialogue with the Executive Board, the four branch directors, and other staff directors.

The Director of Finance is a member of the Management Team, reports directly to the Board of Directors, and attends all Supervisory Board meetings in an advisory capacity. In addition, the Director serves on the Treasury Committee and the Tax Steering Group, as well as on the Project Development Audit Committee and the Finance Audit Committee. The Director of Finance also serves as the direct point of contact for the WSW.

In summary, the new Director of Finance at DUWO fulfills five roles: a champion of integrity, a leader and connector within the department and the Management Team, a co-pilot to the Board, a change architect, and an enabler forthe organization.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for a director who:

• Fortunately, the idea of helping to ensure a pleasant, affordable, and sustainable college experience for our tenants;
• Embraces innovation, sustainability, and inclusion and is eager to work for a socially responsible, values-driven organization;
• I enjoy the financial aspects of real estate management and development;
• Has experience as a financial manager and strategic advisor;
• A true leader is someone who brings people together, acts as a coach, has a keen sense of what is going on within the organization, and shows empathy toward employees at all levels;
• Enjoys working with others and proactively reaches out to colleagues to encourage collaboration;
• Is results-oriented and enjoys working on both strategy and operations;
• A sharp and analytical sparring partner for the Management Team and the Board of Directors.
• Works accurately and conscientiously and expects the same from those around them;
• Is self-motivated and eager to seize every opportunity to develop both themselves and the organization;
• A good communicator is someone who can express themselves concisely and provide colleagues, the Executive Board, and the Supervisory Board with clear updates;
• Zin is committed to helping our organization meet the challenges of sustainability and further digitalization.

What do we offer?

We are offering you a position for 36 hours per week. Initially, this will be a one-year contract, but with the intention of extending it or converting it into a permanent contract. We offer a salary in accordance with salary scale O of the Collective Labor Agreement for Housing Services (€6,578 – €9,391 effective January 1, 2023).

Interested?

For this recruitment and selection process, we are being assisted by the executive search firm Colourful People. For more information, please contact senior partner Naima Azough at 06-43449717 or n.azough@colourfulpeople.nl.

You can express your interest by sending your resume and cover letter to Colourful People via the “Apply” button at the bottom of this page. The application deadline is Sunday, October 9, 2022. Interviews with the DUWO selection committee will take place in weeks 42 and 43.