● Developing Innovative Policies: Create and implement policies that ensure the diversity and sustainability of economic space in Amsterdam. This contributes to a vibrant and inclusive urban economy.
● Data-Driven Approach: Collect and analyze data to respond quickly to trends and changes. Turn these insights into strategic initiatives that strengthen the urban economy and make it more sustainable.
● Collaboration and Networking: Works with internal and external partners to achieve shared goals. Brings together diverse interests and fosters effective collaboration to ensure successful policy implementation.
The position
As an experienced policy advisor, you will be responsible for developing and implementing forward-looking spatial economic policy for Amsterdam. You will focus on strategic and tactical issues within the "Preserving Space for Work and Amenities" initiative. Within this initiative, you will focus on preserving and creating sufficient space for work in the city, both for offices and for commercial activities. A key task is to maintain the diversity of the urban economy by both protecting small-scale commercial spaces and intensifying and making industrial parks more sustainable. This approach is crucial for ensuring the prosperity of all Amsterdammers and creating an inclusive and sustainable labor market. But you also ensure that there remains sufficient space for a wide variety of businesses, from traditional craft enterprises to innovative startups.
You are aware of recent developments in the economic sphere, actively interpret them, and have your own perspective on them. You translate this into relevant recommendations and policies. Among other things, you actively contribute to translating established policy into zoning plans, but you also draft concrete recommendations for various projects. You are capable of playing a role in different phases of policy development within and outside the Department of Economic Affairs and Culture. You provide input from an economic perspective and relevant economic policy frameworks. In addition to implementing policy, you may also be involved in policy development—ranging from hospitality and retail to commercial activities in public spaces. The scope of this position is therefore very broad: you will advise on land-use changes at the address level while simultaneously working on a strategic spatial-economic vision for the circular economy in the region.
Here's what you do on an average day
● Policy Development and Implementation: Develops and implements strategic policies to preserve and create space for work and amenities, including policy plans and implementation strategies. Makes tactical decisions regarding how policies should be implemented and which projects should be prioritized.
● Research and Analysis: Collects and analyzes data to support policy initiatives and evaluates the effectiveness of existing policies.
● Coordination and Project Management: Coordinates policy initiatives and projects, and provides advice on transformation and redevelopment projects with a focus on spatial and economic planning from a holistic perspective.
● Advisory Services and Reporting: Advises management and the board on policy decisions and reports on the progress and results of policy initiatives.
● Stakeholder management: Maintains contact and collaborates with internal and external partners to achieve shared goals and ensure the implementation of policies.
This is where you get started
We strive to be a great employer that ensures all our colleagues feel seen and valued. We embrace the differences among our colleagues; these differences lead to better results for both our organization and our city. We aim to build a workforce that reflects Amsterdam’s diverse population. So, whoever you are, you’re more than welcome here!
The Department of Economic Affairs and Culture (EZC) supports the Amsterdam City Council and the district councils in their efforts to build a sustainable, innovative, and inclusive city and region that offers culture, employment, and a future for everyone. It focuses on all levels of scale: from the neighborhood to the metropolis and from the local to the international.
EZC’s policies and initiatives contribute to strengthening the sector’s long-term viability and fostering a robust cultural sector from the perspective of broad prosperity. EZC does this, among other things, by creating enabling conditions, formulating policies, providing advice on these policies, and ensuring their implementation. In addition, together with IN Amsterdam and Amsterdam Trade & Invest, we carry out a regional mandate to help the economy and society better benefit from international economic developments. In doing so, we strengthen the foundation upon which broad prosperity can develop and work toward sustainable and inclusive development for our city and the region.
In the areas of art and culture, we are working to build a resilient and adaptable cultural sector with a rich array of offerings throughout the city that everyone can relate to. For economic challenges, we are creating opportunities for entrepreneurs who contribute to a robust range of services, entrepreneurship that leads to a sustainable and inclusive city, innovative and impactful ecosystems, a sustainable and inclusive labor market, and sustainability and energy transition. We also contribute to this through our mandate for regional efforts in international acquisition and trade and the facilitation of talent. Within these challenges, we operate at the intersection of current bottlenecks and opportunities, as well as the more cyclical long-term trends we face. We do this in a challenge- and area-specific manner, in coordination with entrepreneurs, institutions, and other stakeholders, and in collaboration with other departments, district organizations, implementing organizations, the MRA, and provincial and national governments.
Task-Oriented Work
At the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Culture (EZC), we take a task-oriented approach. This means we respond to social issues in a flexible and agile manner. As a Senior Policy Advisor, you will be part of a task pool that focuses on various initiatives, depending on current needs and priorities. You may work on multiple tasks, and your responsibilities will be aligned with the priorities and work agreements you establish with your manager.
What you bring
For this position as an Experienced Spatial Economic Policy Advisor, you must have:
● Bachelor’s degree level: Preferably in Social Geography or a related field.
● Experience: At least 4 years of experience providing policy advice in a complex, political environment or similar setting, including policy development and collaboration with various levels of government.
● Network: an existing network within the spatial economic sector, or the ability to quickly build such a network.
● You have strong organizational and communication skills (at all levels and with all stakeholders). You are capable of making strategic business decisions, but you are also comfortable taking a practical and pragmatic approach.
● You are skilled at handling conflicts of interest, and diligence is your top priority.
You should have the following skills:
● Environmental awareness: Demonstrates a solid understanding of professional, organizational, social, and political developments, as well as other environmental factors, and knows how to effectively apply this knowledge to their own role or organization.
● Initiative: Takes action independently. Identifies opportunities and turns them into initiatives for improvement and innovation that contribute to better organizational performance.
● Focus on results: Using specific goals as a starting point for one’s own behavior and sticking to them until the goal is achieved.
● Persuasiveness: Uses personal influence to shape people and situations, with a focus on gaining acceptance and overcoming resistance. Communicates ideas clearly and confidently.
What we offer you
As an experienced spatial economic policy advisor, you will join our team for 36 hours per week and can expect the following terms of employment.
● A gross monthly salary ranging from €5,008 to €6,777 (pay grade 12) based on a 36-hour workweek. The exact salary will be determined based on your education, knowledge, and experience.
● A one-year employment contract, with the possibility of a permanent contract thereafter if you do not currently have an employment contract with the City of Amsterdam, or if you have only a temporary one.
● If you already have a permanent employment contract with the City of Amsterdam, you will retain it and be transferred
● Development and training opportunities. Our in-house training center, the Amsterdam School, offers a variety of training courses, development programs, and on-the-job coaching to help you continue to challenge yourself.
● An individual choice budget (ICB) equal to 17.05% of your salary, which you can use for purposes such as additional pension contributions or extra days off.
● A pension plan with ABP, the pension fund for the public sector and education.
● A travel allowance of €0.10 per kilometer for travel by car, €0.15 per kilometer for travel by bicycle, and €0.21 per kilometer for travel by public transportation. This applies to a one-way commute of up to 45 kilometers and for the number of days you work in the office.
● For days you work from home, you will receive a work-from-home allowance of €3 net per workday.
● A monthly contribution toward health insurance.
● A cell phone and/or laptop.
● Hybrid work: In this role, you can work partly from home and partly in the office. We provide the necessary equipment to help you set up a safe and healthy workspace at home.
Want to know more about our employment terms and conditions? Check out the Amsterdam Municipal Personnel Regulations (PGA).
Apply for this job
● If this job opening interests you, please submit your application by September 15 at the latest using the “Apply Now” button.
● Please submit a cover letter explaining, in no more than one A4 page, why your work experience and skills are a good fit for this position. Your cover letter will be taken into consideration during the selection process
● The selection process includes an initial review of resumes and cover letters, followed by up to two rounds of interviews, depending on the number of applications.
● If your resume meets the job requirements, we’d be happy to invite you for an interview.
● The interviews will take place in person at our office located at Amstel 1 in Amsterdam.
● We require a recent Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) from every colleague who joins our team.
Do you have any questions about this job opening?
For questions about the position, please contact Jalal Loutfi, MT Member for Economic and Physical Sustainability, at J.Loutfi@amsterdam.nl or call 06-19265518. For questions about the application process, please contact Melanie Nooij, Recruiter, at m.nooij@amsterdam.nl.
