Head of the CIO Office

Job Description

The Senate cannot function without effective information management. For instance, our website has an excellent reputation among everyone involved in the legislative process. We also ensure that members of the Senate receive optimal support, both technically and in terms of user-friendliness. In addition, we make sure that citizens can quickly find relevant information on their own or receive assistance from us when requesting further details. Furthermore, we must continually improve our defenses against attacks on our information systems. Compromising these systems can have major consequences for the democratic process, so high quality standards apply to our information security.

To ensure that we can continue to perform the above tasks effectively in the future, a decision was recently made to consolidate all IT information provision and security functions into a single department: the CIO Office. Within this department of approximately 12 colleagues, you will be responsible for managing the help desk staff, (senior) IT consultants, programmers, DIV colleagues, a CISO, and a privacy officer. Some of these roles are already well-established within the organization, but a significant portion of them are new. This gives you a unique opportunity to build this new department from the ground up and forge it into a professional and collaborative team. 

As Head of the CIO Office, you serve as the CIO’s primary (strategic) advisor. Within the Senate, this role falls under the purview of the Director of Organization. You ensure that the CIO has access to the right management information, assess the quality of services and make adjustments where necessary, prepare investment decisions, and formulate a sustainable vision for information provision. In doing so, you can draw on the extensive expertise available within the office. Your added value lies primarily in synthesizing this knowledge into consistent and well-considered advice. To this end, you encourage your team to incorporate external developments into their work and foster a proactive and collaborative organizational culture. In addition, you will challenge and inspire the Clerk and other MT members in your field and ensure the smooth implementation of established policies.

Job Requirements

You can’t wait to build and shape the CIO Office. You oversee the entire IT domain and know how to motivate your team to stay up to date. You thrive in a fast-paced environment and easily get others on board with these changes. You’re a strong negotiator with a keen eye for building relationships. You understand the dynamics of a small organization and drive progress in a positive way. Thanks to your persuasiveness, you can clearly explain why something is important. Additionally, you have:

• At least 10 years of work experience in the field of information management, including several years in a similar position
• Extensive management experience (preferably including some within the federal government)
• Extensive IT knowledge (preferably in various subfields)
• Enough focus to maintain a strategic perspective while working in a hands-on service environment
• An adaptable personality with a good balance between a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach and a focus on relationships
• An interest in political decision-making processes

Terms of Employment

• Pay grade: 14
• Monthly salary: Min. €5,279 – Max. €7,718 (gross)
• Employment status: Fixed-term employment contract with the possibility of conversion to a permanent contract
• Contract duration: 1 year
• Maximum number of hours per week: 36

Other terms and conditions of employment

In addition to your salary, you will receive a flexible benefits package (IKB). The IKB consists of monetary benefits (16.37% of your gross annual salary) and time off. With the IKB, you can make choices that suit you and customize part of your employment benefits. For example, you can choose to have a portion of your monthly income paid out whenever you wish. You can also convert this budget into leave and vice versa, or spend it on tax-friendly purposes. The Dutch government is strongly committed to personal growth and career development and offers numerous opportunities for this. The fringe benefits include various study facilities, company fitness programs, full reimbursement of your public transportation costs for commuting, and partially paid parental leave.

Details

• We’d like to give you a clear and comprehensive picture of the role, your colleagues, and the context of our organization. That’s why we’re organizing two in-person interviews at our office, where you’ll have the chance to talk with teammates, the management team, and HR, and get a feel for the atmosphere yourself.
• Naturally, we also hope to get as complete a picture of you as possible. As part of this process, an assessment and reference check will be included in the selection procedure.
• The position of Head of the CIO Office at the Senate is not a 9-to-5 job. In that regard, we count on your flexibility (within reasonable limits). Conversely, you can also expect flexibility from us when it comes to balancing your work and personal life, and it is common practice within the organization to work partly from home, for example.
• Do you have any questions about the position? Please contact Kim Nagtzaam, Director of Organization, at 06 28403583.
• Do you have any questions about the procedure? Please contact Roel Joosten, Senior Operations Advisor, at 06 11750372.
• Interested in applying? Please email your cover letter and resume to sollicitaties.eerstekamer@rijksoverheid.nl by Friday, September 15 at the latest.

Apply

Are you interested in this position? If so, we warmly invite you to apply. Please submit your resume and cover letter via our application page.