3 members of the Supervisory Board, including a chairperson

Introduction

Gouda’s iconic City Hall will be restored, made more sustainable, and redesigned in the coming years. The city’s beautiful downtown currently still feels somewhat like an “island,” surrounded by various residential neighborhoods. The city council has stated that the historic city hall must serve as a link between the neighborhoods and the city center. To this end, the city hall will be transformed into a vibrant hub where every resident and visitor to Gouda is welcome, feels at home, and is an active participant in the community. The city hall must also become part of the cultural-historical axis that connects Gouda’s various cultural-historical sites (including De Waag, the City Hall, Museum Gouda, and St. John’s Church).

This iconic landmark, standing alone in the center of the Markt, looks very promising from the outside. Gouda City Hall is one of the most beautiful historic buildings in the Netherlands. It was built in the fifteenth century and stands in the heart of Gouda’s charming, historic city center. The repurposing of the city hall aims to fulfill that promise from the inside out: it is to become a place where all residents of and visitors to Gouda can meet, be inspired, and celebrate. The new concept is designed to make the people of Gouda take the city hall to their hearts and foster a sense of connection. Central to the concept is the theme of “living together with a unique spirit,” inspired by the phrase above the town hall’s entrance: “audite et alteram partem,” or “listen to the other side as well.”

Gouda City Hall

The renovated city hall will combine three functions, centered around the themes of celebration, inspiration, and community:

Inspire
The city hall offers space for cultural and educational installations and programs centered on the themes of community life and citizenship. In addition, a narrative route through the building also connects it to other locations along Gouda’s cultural-historical axis.

Meeting
The city hall will feature a restaurant or café in the civic hall. In addition, there will be co-working spaces and room rentals for local entrepreneurs, associations, and initiatives in Gouda. The foundation may outsource these meeting-related functions to an operator.

Celebrate
City Hall remains the venue for official ceremonies and events, including weddings.

To shape and implement these ambitions, a foundation is being established with a Supervisory Board, which will recruit and appoint an executive director later this year. This executive director will lead the foundation under the supervision of the Supervisory Board. For the lead-up period leading to the opening of the renovated city hall—scheduled for January 2027—a sum has been allocated to cover the foundation’s start-up costs.

Foundation's objectives

• Further developing and implementing the concept of “unique community life” at the town hall on the market square in Gouda, as well as defining the associated user functions: “inspire” (culture and education), “meet” (hospitality, coworking, venue rental), and “celebrate” (weddings and other ceremonies).

• Making and keeping City Hall accessible to a diverse audience—that is, all residents of and visitors to Gouda—as an essential part of the city’s cultural heritage.

• To inform and inspire a diverse audience about how people in Gouda lived together in the past, live together in the present, and may live together in the future. This is achieved in part by exploring the history and role of Gouda’s city hall. The project also highlights various perspectives and stories from Gouda’s community.

• Bringing together a diverse audience at City Hall—including residents of Gouda from a variety of backgrounds in terms of ethnicity, age, gender, cultural background, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, educational level, and place of residence—and fostering connections among them. Regarding the latter point: City Hall is open to residents from all neighborhoods in Gouda.

• Developing and carrying out cultural, educational, and commercial activities that support the aforementioned objectives, including facilitating special events at City Hall on behalf of the City of Gouda (such as flagship events, award ceremonies, receptions for delegations, etc.).

Supervisory Board & Managing Director

The Supervisory Board appoints an executive director and ensures that this executive director implements policies in line with the foundation’s objectives. Specific tasks of the Supervisory Board include approving the budget and annual financial statements and selecting an auditor.

In the initial phase, the Supervisory Board will also establish the foundation and adopt the articles of incorporation and bylaws. Draft texts for these have already been formulated. Ultimately, five Board members will be appointed; currently, the first three members—the core Board, including the chair—are being recruited. The core Board will then recruit and appoint an executive director, after which the Board will be expanded by two members later this year.

We are currently seeking three members for the core Board of Trustees based on the following draft profiles:

1. Cultural Practice and Cultural Heritage

Knowledge of cultural heritage and the cultural dimensions of living together from various perspectives, as well as innovative ways in which visitors can experience this. Experience in developing, implementing, and organizing (new) cultural initiatives/organizations, preferably in the context of cultural heritage. In addition, knowledge of cultural trends and developments is desirable.

2. Community Building and Education

Knowledge of and experience in bringing together, connecting, and building communities within society, for example through public engagement and educational programs. An advocate for diversity and inclusion, youth culture, and well-informed about trends and developments in community building and education (i.e., communicating socially relevant themes to young people and students).
Preferably, knowledge of and experience with the various communities in the different neighborhoods of Gouda. This position is also open to a junior Board of Trustees member.

3. Organization, Finance, and Cultural & Social Entrepreneurship

Knowledge and experience in finance, organizational development, operations management, and risk management, with a strong understanding of financial plans, reports, and other financial matters. Ideally, with knowledge and experience in cultural and/or social enterprises that offer commercial services such as hospitality, coworking, and venue rentals.

The job descriptions for the two positions to be filled later this year will cover legal affairs and contract law (position 4) and communications, marketing, and digitalization (position 5).

One of the three members of the core Board of Trustees will serve as chair. Each member of the Board of Trustees has one vote; they complement one another in terms of knowledge, experience, and personality, and together form a collegial team that reflects Gouda’s diversity and dynamism.
The majority of the Board of Trustees members live and/or work in Gouda. Due to the need for sufficient perspectives from outside Gouda, at least one member of the core Board of Trustees (consisting of three members) and at least two members of the Board of Trustees (consisting of five members) live and work elsewhere. The Board of Trustees meets at least four times a year; in the initial phase leading up to the opening, meetings will likely be more frequent: approximately fourto six times a year. An attendance fee per meeting is available for these positions, with a maximum of €2,100 per year. In accordance with the Cultural Governance Code, Board of Trustees members are appointed for a term of four years, with a one-time opportunity for reappointment (maximum term of eight years).

General Qualifications for Members of the Supervisory Board

• An inclusive attitude and the belief that diversity and different perspectives contribute to the quality of oversight.

• Constructive and independent, with no conflict of interest or undesirable entanglement of interests.
  

• A broad interest in social issues, a strong connection to Gouda, and an affinity with the mission, vision, and areas of focus of the new City Hall.

• A good balance of detachment and engagement; confident in the role of supervisor; collegial, alert, and critical when necessary.

• A strong understanding of social and political dynamics, and a network spanning diverse segments of Gouda’s community, the business sector, funding organizations, and the creative sector.

• Able to fulfill their duties, including in their spare time, attend Board of Trustees meetings, and prepare for them. The estimated time commitment is approximately 4 to 6 hours per month for members and 6 to 8 hours per month for the chair.

• Must be available for at least one 4-year term.

• Members have areas of expertise but are also able to think, judge, and act as generalists.

• They adhere to the Cultural Governance Code, the Fair Practice Code, and the Diversity & Inclusion Code.

Procedure

The organization is being assisted in this process by the executive search firm Colourful People. For more information about this position, please call Winfred Voordendag, senior partner at Colourful People, at 06-28284706.

You can express your interest by submitting your cover letter and resume viathe Colourful People website no later than Sunday, April 21. Please indicate in your application which profile(s) you are applying for.

Interviews will be held on Monday, May 6, both during the day and in the evening. Start dateas soon as possible; target date June 1, 2024.