Legal Policy Advisor for Leasehold & Issuance

The position

Do you want to make an immediate impact within the City of Amsterdam? This is your chance! As a Legal Policy Advisor in the Leasehold and Issuance Department, you’ll have the opportunity to actively contribute to the implementation and further development of Amsterdam’s leasehold system. This dynamic and socially beneficial tool helps create a livable and affordable city.

Within the Leasehold & Issuance department, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment where you are challenged, given the freedom to take initiative, and encouraged to think strategically. You will work closely with professionals from various fields, whose expertise complements one another. You will also be given the time and space to focus on your own personal development.

As a Legal Policy Advisor (internally known as a mid-level policy advisor for leasehold & issuance), you will handle (independently) legal matters related to leasehold and advise on (complex) policy issues. These may include politically sensitive topics, such as the “Repentant Leaseholder Scheme,” which allowed some leaseholders to switch providers after all, or more legal issues such as the statute of limitations.

Within the department, you will play a crucial advisory and guiding role, shaping work procedures and the implementation of ground lease policies. You will serve as the point of contact for ground lease matters for the Land & Development management team.

We’re looking for a new colleague who’s curious! That’s because the Policy Team regularly receives questions that haven’t been asked before. This in-depth knowledge isn’t always available within our own team and sometimes needs to be sought from another municipal department. You’re someone who enjoys gathering information from other colleagues, but you don’t shirk your own responsibilities. The questions and topics vary widely and always have a political/administrative element. A broad range of interests and a natural inclination to look beyond the boundaries of your own department or division are essential. The leasehold policy is part of a larger whole: a livable, social, and sustainable city for all residents and businesses in Amsterdam.

Here's what you do on an average day

• As a Legal Policy Advisor, you will be in charge of a wide range of responsibilities
• You will play a key role in drafting policy proposals and recommendations for the alderman and the municipal council regarding the ground lease system.
• You will advise the Leasehold and Issuance Department, management, the executive team, and other departments on complex leasehold matters.
• You will serve as the point of contact for the Legal Affairs Department and the municipal attorney regarding legal proceedings.
• You will share your legal insights with the aldermen, the Municipal Executive, and the City Council. Your advice will contribute to well-informed decision-making at the highest level.
• You stay up to date on the latest developments in your field by keeping abreast of professional literature and case law. In addition, you actively work to maintain valuable professional networks.

This is where you get started

Leasehold and Land Allocation is part of the Land and Development Division. Within Leasehold and Land Allocation, we place a high priority on being a great employer, and every day we work to build a work culture where all colleagues feel seen, heard, and valued. We are proud of the diversity within our department and how it reflects our organization and the city. Openness, transparency, and learning from one another are central to our approach. Whoever you are: you are warmly welcome here!

Our overarching Land & Development division has the following mission: “To create more value for the city and metropolis of Amsterdam.” We work to build a sustainable and vibrant city for residents and businesses, and we oversee area and real estate development as well as the leasehold system. We grant land under leasehold and manage it, prepare lots for construction, transform and manage real estate, and manage project finances and the leasehold portfolio.

The Leasehold and Issuance Department is responsible for the careful, customer-focused, and transparent implementation and administration of Amsterdam’s leasehold system. The Leasehold and Issuance Department manages over 300,000 leasehold contracts, with annual ground rent revenues exceeding €100 million and a balance sheet total of approximately €8 billion. These contracts are managed administratively, legally, and financially by the department, and are amended as necessary. As a result, the organization has legal, financial, political, and operational aspects.
The department employs 280 staff members divided across 7 teams. As a Policy Advisor, you will be part of the Advice, Policy, and Development team, specifically the Policy sub-team.

The ABO Team (Advice, Policy & Development, approximately 30 people) provides advice, develops policy, and organizes development initiatives related to the ground lease system. The team also facilitates the implementation of innovations and improvements. The Policy Team, as a sub-team (approximately 10 people), is part of the ABO Team. The Policy Team focuses on shaping and monitoring the leasehold system with the goal of keeping the system clear and transparent in the long term. The Policy Team does this primarily by advising on complex leasehold issues and leasehold policy. The team advises, among others, the Leasehold and Issuance Department, the management, and the other departments of Land and Development, as well as the city administration (alderman, Municipal Executive, and City Council). The team also provides information on ground leases to intermediaries such as real estate agents and notaries, assists in responding to press inquiries, and offers substantive support in legal proceedings related to ground leases.

What you bring

For this position as Legal Policy Advisor for Leasehold & Issuance, you must have:

• Academic degree in Dutch law or notarial law. A specialization in private law is required.
• At least 3 years of experience as a private law attorney, preferably with experience advising on property rights and ground lease agreements.
• You have knowledge of and an affinity for the Amsterdam real estate sector, and preferably policy development. Experience as a notary is a plus.
• Knowledge of the Amsterdam leasehold system is required.

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 one’s own role or organization.
• Results-oriented approach: Setting specific goals as a starting point for one’s own behavior and sticking to them until the goal is achieved.
• Analytical skills: Able to distinguish between main and secondary issues, break down a problem into its components, and establish logical connections between the various aspects.
• Persuasiveness: Reaches a well-considered and realistic conclusion based on information and analysis of a given situation.
• Collaboration: Makes a constructive contribution to a shared outcome, particularly to the atmosphere and relationships within the group or team.

What we offer you

As a Legal Policy Officer for Leasehold & Issuance, you will join our team for a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 36 hours per week, and you can expect the following terms of employment.

• Depending on your education and work experience, the salary ranges from a minimum of €4,349 to a maximum of €6,193 gross per month (pay scale 11) based on a 36-hour workweek. A starting pay scale may be offered for a period of 12 months if it appears that not all requirements have yet been met (scale 10A, min. €4,023 and max. €5,805);
• 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. 
• Opportunities for professional development and training. Our in-house training center, the Amsterdam School, offers a variety of training programs, professional development tracks, and on-the-job coaching to help you continue to challenge yourself.
• An individual flexible budget (IKB) equal to 17.05% of your salary, which you can use for things like 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.
• A monthly contribution toward health insurance.
• Hybrid work: In this role, you can work partly from home and partly in the office. We provide work equipment (for home use) to help you set up a safe and healthy workspace. For days you work from home, you will receive a work-from-home allowance of €3 net per workday.
• A cell phone and a laptop.
• A close-knit team, a weekly group lunch, kayaking, and other activities outside the office.
• An office location in downtown Amsterdam.
• An (electric) rental bike that lets you travel between work locations in a sustainable and healthy way.

Want to know more about our employment terms and conditions? Check out theCity of Amsterdam Personnel Regulations(PGA).

Apply for this job

• If this job opening interests you, we look forward to receiving your application by October 20, 2025 via the application form on the website. 
  
• We would like to receive your cover letter, in which you explain, 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 begins immediately after the application deadline and consists of two rounds.
  
• If your resume meets the job requirements, we would be happy to invite you for an interview.
  
• The interviews will take place at our office located at Weesperplein 8 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 Gils, Maartje van, Team Manager for Advice, Policy, and Development, at m.van.gils@amsterdam.nl or call 0623030495. For questions about the application process, please contact Titarsole or Junus at j.titarsole@amsterdam.nl.

We do not appreciate unsolicited solicitation from recruitment agencies, and such actions may result in exclusion from our other recruitment initiatives. We also consider the unsolicited submission of resumes by agencies to our employees to be solicitation. We will not review these resumes.