Director of Staff and Expertise at Nidos

Seeking a dynamic, visionary, and inspiring Director of Staff and Expertise for Nidos!

Unaccompanied minor refugees and refugee children with parents must, after what is often a long journey, grow into independent adults in an environment that is completely new to them. Their socio-cultural uprooting, the frequent lack of family support, and their uncertain legal status as refugees make these young people vulnerable. This calls for careful guidance.

About Nidos

Nidos is the independent guardianship agency designated by the Dutch government under the law to provide guardianship and care for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers. These youth protection measures are carried out by professionals who, with respect for the young people’s cultural backgrounds, a sense of commitment, and specialized expertise, prioritize the best interests of each individual young person.

Together, the following core concepts form the mission of Nidos:

• Advocacy and legal representation;
• Self-sufficiency at age 18;
• Supporting individuals toward a future path (integration or return).

This stems from the belief that unaccompanied minor refugees, as well as refugee children with parents, must continue to develop into independent adults after what is often a long journey into a social and cultural environment that is entirely new to them. This requires guidance based on respect, safety, and protection, with a focus on the future. Nidos bases its approach on the resilience and autonomy of these young people. So, rather than focusing on problems, we aim to normalize their situation under the motto: “There is nothing wrong with them, but they are missing something.” This means, first and foremost, providing education, integration, and guidance toward independence, and only when necessary, offering (youth) assistance and protection. Central to this is the development of self-reliance, with Nidos intervening when this development threatens to stall.

After all, an understanding of cultural differences and the impact of displacement on a child’s upbringing and development form an important foundation for providing support. In addition, Nidos’s many years of experience show that family-based care and small-scale care work best for children and young people. The actual support for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers is provided by youth protection workers from one of the 16 regional offices in collaboration with care facility staff and foster parents. Children under the age of 15 are placed in Nidos host families, and young people aged 15 and older are transferred from the COA to small-scale care facilities under Nidos’s responsibility.

Organizational developments

In recent years, Nidos has seen the number of unaccompanied minor foreign nationals it supports and houses nearly triple. After all, rarely have so many children and young people arrived in the Netherlands alone from various war zones. This has also had a major impact on the organization, with staff growing from 416 FTEs in 2021 to 811 FTEs today. This growth is likely to reach approximately 1,200 FTEs. In addition, Nidos faces the complex challenge of securing sufficient foster parents and, together with its contract partners, must achieve massive growth in small-scale shelter facilities. Beyond rapid organizational growth, this also means that Nidos must fundamentally restructure itself to ensure it can continue to responsibly fulfill its legal mandate in the coming years. Nidos is funded by grants from the Ministry of Justice and Security (J&V) and project grants, including European grants. Annual revenue has risen in recent years from €65 million in 2021 to €250 million this year. The Utrecht office, spread across two locations, houses the board, executive management, operations, staff, and care services.

Nidos is a distinctive knowledge organization, one of a kind, as it has developed specialized expertise specifically addressing the issues involved in the protection, support, and care of refugee minors. After all, understanding cultural differences and the impact of fleeing on growing up and upbringing form an important foundation for support. This has led to a consciously culturally sensitive approach and to the development of specific methodologies tailored to these children and young people. Development and research are thus in Nidos’s DNA, as the needs of the diverse groups of young people constantly give rise to new and specific questions, challenges, and needs. Responding to these and building on our vision leads to substantive expertise that is of great importance for maintaining a high standard of care and support for the children and young people entrusted to Nidos. But this specialized expertise can certainly also be of use and interest to other parties.

Director of Staff and Expertise

Change in the composition of the executive team

In addition to the CEO, the current management team consists of three directors: the directors of Youth Protection, Shelter Services, and Operations. Under the current structure, the CEO is responsible for leading the tactical Staff team, which includes the Policy and European Cooperation, Behavioral Scientists, Intercultural Mediators, Family Reunification, and Legal Affairs departments. Given the organization’s growth, the director of Nidos will focus on managing the organization as a whole, and a new Director of Staff and Expertise will lead the Tactical Staff Team. The Director of Staff and Expertise will be responsible for the Policy and European Cooperation, Behavioral Scientists, Intercultural Mediation, Family Reunification, and Legal Affairs departments.

What will you be doing?

As Director, you will provide leadership and guidance to the department heads—and indirectly to approximately 170 employees—in an inspiring and coaching manner. As Director of Staff and Expertise, you will ensure that the departments under your responsibility maintain close communication and collaborate seamlessly. As director, you ensure clear coherence in the substantive expertise—ranging from legal and cultural to behavioral science—that the various departments contribute. Drawing on your own substantive expertise, you help ensure that managers and employees are more aware of the potential connections in expertise and are motivated to achieve their results and objectives effectively and efficiently within clear frameworks.

In addition, in this new role, you will work with the other members of the executive board to shape Nidos’s transformation strategy at the strategic level. The Staff and Expertise team plays a key role in the primary process by supporting and advising staff in Youth Protection and Shelter. Additionally, the team plays a crucial role in maintaining, safeguarding, further developing, and promoting Nidos’s substantive expertise. This involves identifying relevant developments and trends in the support of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers; in other words, Staff and Expertise. This requires a clear vision for the organization’s development as a knowledge organization in collaboration with other comparable knowledge organizations in the fields of asylum, youth services, and youth development. This also requires a vision regarding strategic choices concerning the further development, safeguarding, and ensuring the sustainability of substantive quality standards.

As director, you ensure that decision-making within the Executive Team is informed by a clear understanding of the connection between subject-matter expertise and organizational impact and implementation. You also ensure that this strategic policy is implemented and monitored, and that the objectives formulated for the organizational unit are achieved. You do this during a time of significant pressure and growth. This requires clear, decisive, and empathetic leadership with an eye for internal cohesion and external collaboration.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for an experienced, passionate, results-oriented, and empathetic director. You are an inspiring and self-motivated leader with solid (preferably academic) expertise in policy related to refugees and/or youth protection, as well as recent developments, and an eye for opportunities in substantive collaboration and further knowledge development, both internally and externally. We are looking for someone with a certain level of subject-matter authority to shape the further professionalization and strategic positioning of the departments under Staff and Expertise. You have extensive experience with similar change processes. You are able to conduct sharp analyses and quickly identify bottlenecks while keeping an eye on potential solutions. You have a clear understanding of operational processes and work in a structured manner, without losing sight of the human element. You are decisive, steadfast, and possess strong strategic insight, which you know how to translate to the tactical and operational levels and vice versa. You value diversity and inclusion and champion inclusive leadership. You know how to inspire and motivate people and provide direction naturally. At the same time, you can be assertive when necessary and are a strong discussion partner, both in executive meetings and with external stakeholders. Last but not least, you possess a healthy sense of humor and the ability to keep things in perspective.

The Director of Staff and Expertise has/is:

• A completed relevant degree at the college or university level.
• A strong commitment to issues related to refugee reception, youth services, child welfare, and/or asylum and refugee matters.
• At least five years of management or executive experience in the field of refugee reception, youth care, child welfare, and/or asylum/refugee services.
• Experience in leading change processes, structuring internal work and project organizations, employee development, and professionalizing service delivery.
• Proven experience in large, complex organizations. An affinity for the healthcare and public sectors is highly desirable.
• Views on the role of staff and views on expertise and knowledge development.
• Skilled at translating the vision regarding staff and expertise into programs/projects (project and program management), business processes, and a service-oriented approach.
• Experienced networker with a track record of positioning one’s own (staff) organization internally and maintaining and expanding relationships with external partners and stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Justice and Security.
• With a strong connection to its target audience, Nidos embraces inclusivity and welcomes candidates from all backgrounds and nationalities.

Key competencies and skills:

• Vision, strategic thinking and approach.
• Connecting, collaborative, bringing people together.
• Organizational sensitivity.
• Strong social and communication skills, clear and direct.
• Open and accessible.
• Results-oriented, relationship-oriented, and customer-focused.
• Proactive and decisive.
• People-oriented and coaching-oriented.
• Innovative, thinks in terms of solutions and scenarios.

What do we offer?

Nidos is a vibrant, warm, and social organization that can respond quickly and flexibly to changing circumstances. The actions of Nidos employees are guided by the best interests of the child. Nidos has a culture that is driven, accessible, and social, with a strong sense of loyalty to the organization and its target group. Inclusivity is a top priority; our goal is for all colleagues to feel at home with us, so that diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and insights are reflected in our work. The position is based in Utrecht, though you will, of course, also be regularly present at our other offices.

In addition, we offer you a position with a competitive salary and excellent benefits. Salary placement is based on expertise and experience within scale 14 of the Youth Care Collective Bargaining Agreement (CAO), with a maximum of €8,792.47 gross per month for a 36-hour workweek. This figure does not yet include the salary increase in accordance with the 2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Employee benefits include a year-end bonus, vacation pay, a generous leave policy (200 hours based on a 36-hour workweek), and an excellent travel allowance. You will be provided with a laptop and smartphone so you can work from anywhere. This is initially a one-year employment contract, with the prospect of permanent employment.

Nidos is committed to inclusion and views the diversity of our society as an asset. That is whyNidos strives for a workforce, including at the management level, that is as diverse as Dutch society. Candidates with an immigrant background are therefore strongly encouraged to apply.

Interested?

For the recruitment and selection process for this position, we are being assisted by the executive search firm Colourful People. You can express your interest by uploading your resume and cover letter by January 14, 2024, using the “Apply” button at the bottom of this page. The application process includes a reference check and (possibly) an assessment.

For more information, please contact senior partner Naima Azough at 06-43449717 or n.azough@colourfulpeople.nl. From December 27, 2023, through January 8, 2024, she will be less available by phone, so please email her with any questions.