Director of Neighborhoods

About the City of Utrecht

Utrecht places a high priority on citizen involvement, initiative, and participation. Connection is what defines the city. The city highly values the input and influence of citizens, civil society organizations, businesses, and institutions on its policies, direction, and growth. We achieve this through, among other things, online and in-person meetings between the administration, policymakers, and the residents of Utrecht. The Neighborhoods division plays a central role in this mission. The city of Utrecht consists of ten neighborhoods, each with its own character. In nearly every neighborhood, there is a neighborhood office from which a large portion of the 80 employees of Neighborhoods work. The Neighborhoods urban team operates primarily from the City Office. With a focus on the future, further professionalization, and strengthening management, the ten neighborhoods are organized into four areas, each led by a manager.

About the Wijken Organization

The neighborhood offices serve as the municipality’s point of contact in the neighborhood and district; residents can turn to the neighborhood office with questions about municipal activities or projects in the neighborhood and district, or with ideas or initiatives to benefit their own neighborhood or district. Utrecht supports initiatives in which people work together for one another and for their living environment. Staff members know the neighborhood and district well and maintain an extensive network. The staff at the neighborhood offices connect the municipality with partners in the neighborhood and district, coordinate collaboration and cohesion at the neighborhood and district level, and give meaning to information about and from the community. Based on this knowledge, they advise colleagues throughout the organization and the administration. The urban team contributes to the development of policy on participation and initiative and on the neighborhood and district approach, advises and supports the portfolio holders on these issues, and ensures planning and oversight. When new challenges arise, the organization must be able to respond strategically, quickly, transparently, and effectively. To achieve this, you will work in close coordination with all other municipal departments.

In its current work, Wijken distinguishes three roles: working based on neighborhood agendas, strengthening participation in the Utrecht way, and supporting initiatives.

Neighborhood Calendars

Gathering, preserving, and keeping neighborhood knowledge up to date is essential. Neighborhood agendas are developed based on this knowledge to ensure alignment between the goals of the city, organizations, and the administration, and the needs of neighborhoods and districts.

Participation

Participation is for and by the entire organization. Everyone carries out participation projects in accordance with the “Building the City Together, the Utrecht Way” action plan. The role of Neighborhoods in participation includes contributing neighborhood and district knowledge, supporting citywide knowledge sharing, contributing to the renewal of citywide participation policy and new tools such as citizen deliberation, fostering and organizing ownership among all organizational units, and serving as the account manager for neighborhood platforms.

Initiative

The entire organization approaches initiatives with a focus on possibilities and opportunities. We harness the city’s potential by encouraging and supporting initiatives. We contribute creative and innovative ideas to socially valuable initiatives to increase their chances of success. The role of Wijken in initiatives includes, among other things, developing policy and administering the Initiatives Fund, organizing and improving the citywide green wave for initiatives, and identifying and implementing developments in the field of initiatives to renew the existing repertoire of actions, such as the right to challenge.

What does your work involve?

In your role as Director of Neighborhoods, you will lead efforts to innovate neighborhood-focused work, further develop neighborhood agendas, strengthen the role of neighborhood aldermen, promote neighborhood participation, and establish an appropriate strategic positioning for Neighborhoods within the municipal organization. You will actively oversee policy implementation through the management team. You will also collaborate with other directors to firmly establish our vision of “neighborhood leadership” in order to further strengthen the connection and trust between the city and its administration. In addition, you will work closely with the program director of Samen Stad Maken, take initiative, and be creative in developing new forms of collaboration between the municipality and residents. You will continuously build sustainable relationships with the surrounding community (locally, regionally, and nationally) so that the municipality has a clear understanding of what is happening in the city. You will then translate this into what it means for the work of the Municipality of Utrecht.

As Director, you are responsible for managing, directing, and maintaining the operational management and work processes (human resources, information and process management, finance) of Wijken in a transparent, efficient, and socially responsible manner. You are also jointly responsible for employee participation. You take employee participation seriously, promote and facilitate employee involvement, actively encourage employees to join the Works Council, and are open to constructive dialogue and collaboration. Among other things, strategic visions and policy documents are presented to the Executive Board, as well as dilemmas that require consideration beyond Wijken. The Executive Board may serve as your client for specific programs or projects.

The City of Utrecht expects its employees to work (together) in accordance with its core values of “Open, agile, focused, and reliable.” Specifically for the Neighborhoods department, given the new developments regarding neighborhood-focused work, the focus of change is on further developing the organization to adapt to this new challenge.

Who are you?

• As Neighborhood Director, you adopt a coaching leadership style with the members of your team. You actively involve employees in developing visions, planning initiatives, and making day-to-day decisions. By leading by example, you inspire employees and managers and help them thrive both as individuals and as a team.
• Team Wijken is part of the City of Utrecht. In your work, it is essential that you demonstrate perseverance and take decisive action toward the rest of the organization. When conflicting interests arise, you speak up and ensure that decisions are made.
• Thanks to your experience in local public administration, you know better than anyone how to enable citizens in the neighborhoods to provide input, participate, and exercise their right of initiative in a democratic manner. Through the neighborhood agendas, you gather knowledge and connect it with the rest of the municipal organization. You share this knowledge as widely as possible to increase the participation of Utrecht residents (see also the section “neighborhood organization”).
• With your vision, you are able to rise above the details and see the impact of the major challenges. You recognize the various goals within the organization regarding the city and can formulate a strategic perspective on them. You are able to translate the broader picture of the public interest into strategies for the Neighborhoods division.

Here's what we offer you

We want you to enjoy coming to work. That enjoyment comes from having great colleagues, a pleasant work environment, and a job that’s both meaningful and interesting in one of the most attractive cities in the Netherlands. Together with you, we’ll ensure that all residents of Utrecht can live, work, and participate in the community in a pleasant and healthy way.

Below is our selection:

• A 36-hour workweek with a gross monthly salary ranging from €5,843 to €8,426 based on 36 hours (pay grade 16). We will determine the exact amount based on your knowledge and experience.
• A permanent employment contract, which may be preceded by a temporary contract; in both cases, there is a probationary period.
• Appointment to the position of Director of Neighborhoods for a term of four years.
• Excellent leave policies.
• An Individual Choice Budget (ICB) equal to 17.05% of your salary. You decide how to use this budget. For example, you can use it to buy extra time off, receive vacation pay, get a year-end bonus, or have everything paid out once a year.
• Click here for an overview of all otheremployment benefits, such as travel allowance.

How can you respond?

If you’re interested in joining the City of Utrecht as Director of Neighborhoods, apply now. If you have any questions about the position, please contact Ronald Venderbosch, Group Director, at ronald.venderbosch@utrecht.nl. For questions about the application process, please contact Jan Willem de Boer, Senior Recruiter, at 06 - 1829 1753.

The procedure will follow the schedule below:

• First round of interviews: March 20, 11:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
• Second round of discussions: March 23, 12:30–5:00 p.m.
• Option: Assessment: March 30 or 31
• Third round of discussions: April 4, 2:30–5:00 p.m.

We look forward to hearing from you!