Clerk

Are you the linchpin who keeps an eye on the internal dynamics between the council, the executive board, and the administrative organization?
As a clerk, you are the linchpin between the council, the executive board, and the administrative organization. You ensure that everyone understands and fulfills their role within the processes. This collaboration is essential for realizing the priorities set by the city council.

For example, the city council considers it important to involve residents and local organizations in municipal policy. The administrative agreement “Working Together” therefore includes as a priority the creation of a collaboration agenda that the entire city council, the executive board, and the city will work on. In addition, work will be done on a participation vision and ordinance in which agreements are laid down and the preconditions for effective participation are guaranteed.

To contribute to this, the city clerk, acting from an independent role, has a highly varied set of responsibilities:

• Advising and supporting the city council
• You will advise and coach the city council, council committees, and their members on a wide range of topics, both when asked and on your own initiative. This includes matters such as the council’s role and (strategic) positioning, its working methods, and the implications of its decisions. In doing so, you will keep the city council’s policy-setting and oversight responsibilities in mind.
• You provide advice on the appropriate use of political and administrative tools.
• You will submit proposals to the meeting of party leaders, the agenda committee, and the city council regarding the development of the cooperation agenda, both in terms of structure and culture. You will communicate these proposals to the executive board and the city administration.
• Through collaboration between the city council, the mayor, and the city administration, improvement initiatives are being launched to drive administrative reform. This is where you come in.
• You identify and apply (social) trends and developments to your own area of work and the municipal council’s purview.
• You are ultimately responsible for documenting meetings, decisions, recommendations, and other relevant information related to them.
• You will raise strategic, procedural, and substantive issues concerning the council within the local tripartite body (mayor, municipal clerk, and town clerk).
• You will assist the Agenda Committee and the Conference of Party Leaders in preparing the agenda and ensuring that meetings run smoothly.
• Networking
• You will ensure that the council and the clerk’s office are clearly visible to residents, businesses, institutions, and the organization, among others.
• You will develop and maintain a network of contacts and initiate and foster collaboration with external organizations and parties.
• You will guide, coordinate, and advise the city council—together with the council advisor—on the implementation of public engagement initiatives with residents.
• You will maintain and manage contacts with parties and stakeholders, as well as council communications.
• Leadership
• You are responsible for the court clerk’s office and ensure it operates at peak performance (while respecting and valuing the strengths of each employee), achieve the agreed-upon goals, and manage the budget.
• You will ensure optimal coordination, collaboration, and information sharing between the administrative organization, the executive board, and the city council. As the council clerk, you will serve as a sparring partner and confidant who can help the council reflect on its working methods. Drawing on your experience, tact, and diplomacy, you know how to deal with different people and interests.
• You will continue to follow the course set out in the registry plan. In doing so, you will contribute to the development of the council and the registry in its role as an advisor to the council. You have clear ideas about this.

This is where you’ll be working:
You’ll be part of a small team of hardworking, loyal, and no-nonsense professionals with big ambitions. With you on board, this team will consist of a council advisor/deputy clerk and two support staff members. Together, you’ll support, advise, and encourage the council and its committees in carrying out all their duties.

The Culemborg City Council consists of 21 council members divided into 9 political groups. Go to www.culemborg.nl/raadsleden-en-politieke-partijen for more information.

Keywords that describe the council are: committed and collegial.

The municipal council meets every two weeks on Thursday evenings. On the other Thursday evenings and on Monday evenings, there is time for informational meetings, the political group leaders’ meeting, the audit committee, and the agenda committee. As clerk, you are usually present at these meetings.

What you get

• A salary of up to €6,616 gross (Job Grade 13 under the Municipal Collective Bargaining Agreement) based on a 36-hour workweek and commuting expenses.
• An Individual Choice Budget (ICB), amounting to approximately 17% of your gross salary. You can use this amount as you see fit to purchase additional days off or supplement your salary so you can enjoy a nice meal out or take that wonderful trip on your bucket list.
• There are plenty of opportunities to set your own workdays and hours, taking the meeting schedule into account. Working from home is also an option. This makes it easy to balance work and personal life.
• A fun, challenging, and varied position with social significance, initially for a one-year term. Subject to satisfactory performance, the employment contract will be converted to a permanent position after one year.
• Pension accrual with ABP.

What to bring

• An academic or equivalent level of education and experience in a similar position at a municipal clerk’s office.
• An independent mindset, keen observational skills, and the ability to listen objectively form the foundation for the decisions you make and the advice you give. You articulate your advice clearly and are able to convince the person you’re speaking with of its merits.
• You are creative, you can set priorities, and you are able to initiate and oversee new processes.
• You also identify with the following key traits: connecting, inspiring, goal-oriented and tenacious, communicative, and collaborative.

Our organization
The municipality of Culemborg is a manageable size. It employs approximately 175 staff members. In addition, we collaborate with other municipalities in our region on various topics (finance, HR, IT).

The municipality of Culemborg is a beautiful historic town on the move. Various developments in society call for a shift in roles and greater flexibility. As a small town surrounded by nature, near major cities such as Utrecht and ’s-Hertogenbosch, we have a lot to offer. To get a sense of this municipality, watch the video: player.vimeo.com/video/316246079.

Is this position a perfect fit for you?
Are you the driven clerk we’re looking for? Tell us your story about why you’re the ideal candidate for this position and how you hold your own in a political-administrative environment.

We’re eager to hear your story! Send it, along with your resume, no later than August 28, 2022, via the application form on our website.

Do you have any questions or would you like to know more about the position? Please contact Machid el Boustati, chair of the employer committee, at 06-42026862 (via WhatsApp during the holiday period).

Would you like more information about the process? Please contact Anke Mars, Strategic Business Partner HR, at 06-31 63 26 86 or a.mars@bvowb.nl.

The first interviews are scheduled for the week of September 12, 2022.

The position is being advertised internally and externally simultaneously. In the event of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be given preference.

The municipality of Culemborg aims to be an organization where everyone matters and where people feel welcome. We believe it is important to have employees of many different ages, qualities, and backgrounds in our teams. With all these different perspectives, we can do our work better and stay in step with developments in society. Do you recognize yourself in the profile above and are you enthusiastic about the position? Then please feel free to apply.

Recruitment agencies are not welcome.