Client Support Specialist for Asylum Seekers

The position

As a Client Support Specialist for Status Holders, you will guide newcomers toward successful and sustainable integration and participation in the city of Amsterdam. You are sensitive to the vulnerability of status holders and help empower them. Drawing on your knowledge of available options, you will navigate the legal framework of the Integration Act and the Participation Act to find the right balance that unlocks the client’s full potential. You work closely with various (chain) partners such as the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), language providers, and neighborhood teams. You will work with (up to) 60 clients to support their progress in the integration and participation process. You listen attentively to the challenges and proactively engage your extensive network to remove obstacles. You monitor and guide ongoing activities and ensure smooth and accurate administrative processing.

Your success is a self-reliant client who, after successfully integrating into society, can begin a suitable educational program, volunteer in the community, or find a job to shape their future in Amsterdam.

This position offers opportunities for professional growth and deeper engagement in working with asylum seekers.

Here's what you do on an average workday

We’d like to give you an idea of what your work as a Client Support Specialist for Status Holders might entail:

• You start the day with an intake interview with a Syrian newcomer who is eager to apply his skills in the Dutch job market. You discuss his previous work experience as a technician, the integration program, and make clear agreements with each other.
• An ambitious Eritrean newcomer is determined to work full-time to provide financial support to her family, who still live in Eritrea. However, she is finding it difficult to balance her responsibilities related to the integration program with her desire to support her family abroad. Being the creative person you are, you team up with the Dutch Council for Refugees to explore possible solutions.
• After each meeting, you set aside time to handle your administrative tasks. You understand that this is crucial to achieving results, so you record every interaction and follow-up action in the various systems used within the department.
• At the office, you approach a colleague, and together you discuss the next steps in a difficult case.

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 Work, Participation, and Employment (WPI) Department aims to enable every Amsterdam resident to participate in society, each according to their own abilities. This is also the goal of the Integration & Language Department, where you will focus on the target group of status holders. The department is constantly evolving and developing. Within your future team, there is a strong emphasis on collaboration and mutual support.

What you bring

For this position as Client Support Specialist for Status Holders, you must have:

• At least 2 years of work experience in a managerial and/or supervisory role, during which you interacted with various stakeholders and were responsible for ensuring the process moved forward smoothly. Please highlight this in your resume.
• At least 2 years of experience managing your own caseload, in which you handle at least 10 cases or issues simultaneously. Please demonstrate this in your resume.
• At least 2 years of experience recording and/or reporting your actions and/or decisions in one or more digital systems, including monitoring the follow-up steps. Please include this information in your resume.

You should have the following skills:

• Planning and organizing: You bring structure to your work and handle a heavy workload efficiently. With up to 60 clients, you prioritize requests and always maintain a clear overview. You carefully plan who you assist and when, and quickly assess which matters are urgent. By using systems, you always have a clear picture of your clients and efficiently guide them through their integration process.
• Judgment: You use information and analysis of a given situation to form a well-considered and realistic judgment. When necessary, you involve others in the decision-making process at the appropriate time.
• Learning and Growth: You are open to feedback and use it to drive targeted growth. You take the initiative to tackle new learning opportunities, such as developing skills or improving work processes. By regularly reflecting on your own performance and actions, you translate insights into concrete improvements. You take responsibility for your own development and immediately apply new knowledge to your work.
• Results-oriented: You set specific goals as the basis for your own actions and stay committed to them until the goal is achieved. With your solution-oriented approach and perseverance, you ensure that the coaching process is successful, meets the set deadlines, and maintains a focus on quality.
• Empathy: You look beyond your own perspective and actively consider different points of view. By asking open-ended questions and exploring multiple perspectives, you contribute to a balanced and effective collaboration.
• Mentally resilient: you can put difficult situations, incidents, or conversations into perspective, allowing you to move forward professionally.

What we offer you

As a Client Support Specialist for Asylum Seekers, 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.

• A gross monthly salary ranging from €3,359 to €4,908 (scale 9) based on a 36-hour workweek. The exact salary will be determined based on your education, knowledge, and experience.
• A 12-month fixed-term employment contract, if you currently do not have an employment contract with the City of Amsterdam or have only a temporary one, with the possibility of renewal.
• If you already have a permanent employment contract with the City of Amsterdam, you will retain it and be seconded under a temporary assignment agreement for a period of one year.
• 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 through ABP, the pension fund for the public sector and education. We pay 70% of your pension contribution.
• 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 that you work from home.
• A monthly contribution toward health insurance.
• In this role, we primarily work in the office. You have the option to work from home one day a week, provided that your workload allows it.
• A cell phone and a laptop.
• An (electric) rental bike that lets you travel between work locations in a sustainable and healthy way.

Interested in learning more about our employment terms and conditions? Check out the Municipality of Amsterdam Personnel Regulations (PGA) on the website.

Apply for this job

• If this job opening interests you, please submit your applicationby July 22, 2025, usingthe application formon our website.
• Our selection process begins immediately after the application deadline and consists of three steps:

First round – resume and online games

In this first round, we’ll review your resume to assess whether you meet the requirements. You can find these under the heading “What You Bring to the Table.” You’ll also play some online games. These four games are designed to assess your competencies. After you’ve played them, you’ll receive a brain profile that shows what your brain is naturally good at. The games are not an intelligence test, and there are no right or wrong answers. They are used solely to determine if you’re a good fit for the role. We focus purely on the match between the job and your brain’s natural talents. Each game takes about 10 minutes, so the total time required is approximately 45 minutes.

Play the games here: www.neurolympics.nl/gemeente-amsterdam-klantbegeleider-statushouders.

Please note! We can only consider your application if:

• You submitted your resume using the application form on the website.
• And if you've played the gamesbefore July 22, 2025.

If you've played the game before and would like to have your account reset, please contact Brainsfirst at support@brainsfirst.com.

Second round – interview

• Do the results of the assessment and your resume align with the requirements for this position? If so, we’ll invite you for an interview. During the interview, we’ll ask you a question about specific examples from your work experience for each competency. We use a scoring sheet to ensure everyone is evaluated fairly and objectively.

Third round - assessment

Following a successful interview, there will be an assessment consisting of a personality test, an interview, and a role-play.

• The selection committee consists of a manager and two employees from the department.
• The interviews will take place in weeks 32 and 33 of 2025 at our office located at Jan van Galenstraat 323 in Amsterdam.
• The assessment and discussion of employment terms will take place during weeks 34 through 38 of 2025.
• This job opening is being advertised internally and externally at the same time. Employees of the City of Amsterdam will be given priority in the hiring process.
• 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?

If you'd like more information about the various services we offer, please visit our website

• Welcome, Status Holders
• Amsterdam Approach to Status Holders
• Amsterdam Approach to Status Holders (Employer)

If you have any questions, please contact Audrey Grootfaam, Team Manager of the Status Holders Team, at 06-52446913 on July 11, 2025, between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., or on Friday, July 18, 2025, between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

We do not appreciate unsolicited solicitation by recruitment agencies, and it 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 consider these resumes.