Member of the Board of Supervisors

Waterweg Wonenis located in the heart of a region where the pressures on housing, quality of life, and social cohesion are felt on a daily basis. Based in Vlaardingen and Maassluis, our housing association works on more than just housing: it builds neighborhoods where people can feel seen, connected, and at home. Affordability, sustainability, and quality of life go hand in hand with our ambition to offer residents better prospects in the housing market. What sets Waterweg Wonen apart is the combination of social commitment and administrative ambition. We consciously choose to play an active role as a “community builder” and actively seek collaboration with municipalities, healthcare organizations, resident initiatives, and social partners.

Our strategic direction,“Pushing Boundaries, Staying Close,” thereforefocusesnot only on housing development, but alsoonstrengthening communities, increasing agility, and better understanding the changing needs of residents. And we do this in a complex environment where issues such as the housing shortage, an aging population, sustainability, and neighborhood development all converge. At the same time, our housing association remains firmly rooted in its social mission: to provide sufficient, affordable housing in safe and pleasant living environments, with explicit attention to the perspectives of current and future tenants.

In this context, the Supervisory Board plays a key role as both a supervisory body and a strategic sounding board. The Board operates with a strong commitment to the region and actively contributes to ensuring that the organization stays on course in terms of its social mission. To strengthen this commitment in a sustainable way, we are looking for a

• Member of the Supervisory Board with responsibility for Real Estate and Area Development, appointed upon the recommendation of theTenants’ Council

Governance

The Supervisory Board of Waterweg Wonen serves in a supervisory and advisory capacity to the managing director. The Supervisory Board carries out its duties with a deep commitment to Vlaardingen, Maassluis, and the housing market region. The guiding principle for its actions is to ensure that current and future tenants of Waterweg Wonen are served as well as possible by providing sufficient affordable housing in a safe and pleasant living environment. This is consistent with the organization’s high level of ambition.

Composition of the Supervisory Board

• The Supervisory Board consists of five members.
• Preference is given to having at least two women and at least two men on the Supervisory Board.
• Preferably, two members should reside in the housing market region.
• Preferably, a member should have an immigrant background and/or experience as a public housing tenant.
• Preferably, the goal is to achieve an even distribution across all age groups.
• Preferably, at least two members are still actively working.

What do we do? 

The Board of Directors

• It functions as a body with collective responsibility. This means that all members of the Supervisory Board are collectively responsible for the decisions that are made, even if they were in the minority during the meeting and opposed the substance of the decision.
• Is proactive in carrying out his duties when it comes to social goals.
• Gives significant consideration to the interests of (current and future) tenants in its oversight, advisory work, and decision-making.
• It has set out its vision of its role in society in a Supervisory Framework. This framework outlines, among other things, how the Supervisory Board views its role and responsibilities with regard to strategy development and the various stakeholders.
• Ensures, in various ways, that established social goals are monitored and adjusted as times or perspectives change.
• It is deeply involved in the key issues facing the housing association’s social work sector. All major topics are discussed by the Board of Supervisors, and—where necessary—the executive director is subjected to critical questioning and the board works with him to find solutions.
• It has two committees: the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee. These committees prepare and examine issues in depth for the purpose of providing advice.
• Involves a Values Table. The Values Table examines the values of projects at an early stage from a broad societal perspective.
• Conducts an annual self-assessment in which its own role and that of its individual members are evaluated, and in which it also identifies the areas to which the Supervisory Board wishes to devote greater attention.
• Review each year what continuing education is necessary to perform effectively.
• It meets during the day approximately five times a year, and more often if its supervisory and advisory role requires it. In addition to the regular meetings, there is a thematic meeting with the CEO, the Executive Board, and the Tenants’ Council, as well as various committee meetings; once a year, a member participates in the consultation between the CEO and the Works Council.
• Involves a mix of expertise, taking into account the governance matrix and the organization’s needs. In any case, the following areas of expertise are required: finance and economics, public housing, real estate, and governance.
• On behalf of the Supervisory Board, the Compensation Committee holds annual confidential meetings with, at a minimum, the Works Council, the Tenants’ Council, and two employees from the organization.

A member of the Supervisory Board may not be:

• A director of a housing authority;
• A director of partner organizations of Waterweg Wonen within a radius of approximately 30 kilometers;
• A person who is employed by the housing association or who regularly performs work for the housing association;
• A person who is a member of the Provincial Executive, the Municipal Executive, or the regional administrative body, the provincial administrative body, or a borough council or the executive committee of the municipality, administrative region, or city district in which the housing association is established or operates;
• A person who is a member of a body within an organization whose purpose is to represent the interests of the province or municipality.

The following experience requirements apply to each board member:  

• Extensive social experience and commitment;
• Basic knowledge of public housing;
• Independent and impartial;
• Communicative and able to represent the organization externally;
• Places great importance on quality, both in terms of internal organization and external service delivery.

Who are we looking for?

The ideal candidate for the real estate & area development position should have:

• Academic level of thinking and work;
• Solid knowledge and experience in the field of real estate (projects) and urban development;
• Up-to-date and innovative knowledge in the field of construction and housing, including conceptual design, sustainability, circularity, and new forms of community living and housing (including care);
• Knowledge of (urban) development processes and feasibility studies, investment proposals, property management, real estate development and implementation, and sustainability issues related to real estate;
• An understanding of how the housing and real estate market operates, experience in collaborating with and engaging various stakeholders and market participants, and familiarity with the role of a client;
• A demonstrable interest in public housing and the ability to apply knowledge of land-use planning and urban development issues to the strategic and social mission of Waterweg Wonen;
• The ability to keep the organization focused on risks and ensure they are properly managed;
• Preferably, knowledge of relevant laws and regulations, as well as municipal practices regarding land development, project development, and land-use planning procedures;
• Critical thinking and the ability to dare to see things differently and dare to think differently;
• The ability to feel at home in an open culture where substantive dialogue about the essence of a policy or issue is not shied away from.

Appointment, Complementarity, and Compensation

The proposed supervisory board member will be appointed based on a binding recommendation from theTenants’ Counciland will explicitly take the tenants’ perspective into account. In addition, the proposed supervisory board member will become a member of the Supervisory Board’s Audit Committee.

The qualifications required for membership on the Supervisory Board are set forth in Article 19 of the 2015 Decree on Authorized Public Housing Institutions (seelink). In principle, each supervisory board member is appointed for a term of four years, with the possibility of a one-time extension. Remuneration is in accordance with the VTW’s professional code of conduct on Supervisory Board Member Remuneration.

Opinion on Availability and Reliability, Housing Association Authority

In accordance with current regulations, the candidate selected by the Supervisory Board is submitted to the Housing Associations Authority (Aw) for an opinion regarding the candidate’s availability and reliability. You can find more information about this on theAw’s website.

Diversity and Integration on the Supervisory Board

For this position, we are specifically seeking a member whose knowledge, experience, and perspective will provide both depth and breadth compared to the current members, in line with Waterweg Wonen’s strategic objectives. In addition to a broad social representation and a diverse composition drawn from the business community and nonprofit organizations, the goal is also to achieve diversity in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, and experience as a board member.

Interested?

The Supervisory Board of Waterweg Wonen is being assisted in this process by the executive search firm Colourful People. For more information about the Supervisory Board, the organization, this position, or the process, please contact Naima Azough, a partner at Colourful People, starting May 18 at (06-43449717) orn.azough@colourfulpeople.nl. You can express your interest byuploadingyour cover letter and resume (in PDF format)no later than Sunday, June 7, via the “Apply” button on the left side of this page.

Schedule

Interested parties should note that online preliminary interviews will be held as part of the pre-selection process with Colourful People during week 24 (June 9–11), followed by formal in-person interviews with Waterweg Wonen on:

• Monday, June 22, from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., in person at Waterweg Wonen.

We kindly ask that you keep this date and time open.