The SEZO Foundation is dedicated to supporting residents of Amsterdam’s Nieuw-West neighborhood who could use a helping hand. Through neighborhood teams, social counseling, and debt counseling, SEZO works every day to strengthen self-reliance and enable people to continue participating in society. The organization does this locally, in an accessible manner, and in close collaboration with partners in the neighborhood.
SEZO operates in an urban context where issues related to poverty, debt, health, participation, and inequality converge. It is precisely in this complexity that the organization’s strength lies: by taking a holistic approach and bridging formal and informal networks, the barrier to receiving support is lowered, enabling Amsterdammers to receive help sooner and more effectively. A defining feature is the constant focus on whether the support actually contributes to the lives of residents in Nieuw-West.
The organization is deeply rooted in the neighborhood and reaches a large and diverse group of Amsterdam residents every year through neighborhood teams, WegWijsSalons, and specialized support services, among other initiatives. With over 300 staff members and a large group of volunteers, SEZO plays a vital role in the social sector of Amsterdam Nieuw-West.
The Supervisory Board
The Supervisory Board oversees the organization’s social mission, the quality of its services, and its continuity. In addition, the board serves as a sounding board for the executive director and as an ambassador within the network. The Board operates based on a supervisory philosophy centered on trust, critical reflection, and social responsibility, in which the relationship with the Executive Director is characterized by openness and continuous dialogue.In recent months, the Supervisory Board has made a conscious effort to further professionalize its operations and reflect on its own performance. The recent self-evaluation shows that the foundation is solid, with an open culture and good interpersonal relationships, and that at the same time there is room to further deepen oversight. In particular, discussions regarding strategy, quality, and risk management could be conducted more emphatically, and the role of the Quality Committee also requires further strengthening.
In light of this development, there is an opening for a new member of the Supervisory Board who will contribute specifically to strengthening quality oversight and the organizational development of the organization. The new supervisory board member will join at a time when the organization is continuing to evolve and when it is important to effectively align practice, policy, and leadership. The new member will also be asked to be available in the future for further division of responsibilities within the Supervisory Board.
The assignment
The challenge lies in strengthening the dialogue on service quality across the entire social sector. This means focusing on quality as a learning system, on the role of data and information in management, and on bringing to light dilemmas surrounding accessibility, scarcity, and inequality. At the same time, the role requires further deepening oversight of strategy and risks, and contributing to the structural embedding of diversity and inclusion within the organization.The role calls for a supervisor who is comfortable navigating a complex social context and who understands how policy, implementation, and everyday life intersect. Someone with substantive knowledge of the social sector and experience with quality issues in implementation practices, who is able to maintain a degree of objectivity while remaining engaged with what is happening within the organization. The new supervisor knows how to ask incisive questions, brings together different perspectives, and contributes to an open and reflective dialogue within the board.
This position offers the opportunity to contribute at a strategic level to an organization that is at the heart of the community and has a direct impact on the daily lives of thousands of Amsterdammers. The Supervisory Board is a dedicated and diverse team that is actively working to further develop sound, thorough, and inclusive oversight.
Interested?
SEZO is being assisted in this process by the executive search firm Colourful People. If you have any questions about this paid position or the process, please contact René F. Burgler, Esq., Partner at Colourful People, at r.burgler@colourfulpeople.nl or via 06 28 57 54 36. You can apply by submitting your resume and cover letter (both in PDF format) to be uploaded by May 10 at the latest via the application form on the Colourful People website.Cover letter
Based on your resume, we expect to get a good sense of your background and relevant experience. In your cover letter, we are therefore particularly interested in:- What appeals to you about SEZO’s social mission and the role that effective oversight plays in ensuring equal opportunities for residents of Amsterdam’s Nieuw-West neighborhood?
- What is your perspective on the quality of services in the social sector, and as a regulator, how do you view the connection between practice, data, and policy guidance?
- What do you bring to the table as a supervisory board member in the dynamic between the CEO and the Supervisory Board, and how do you fulfill your role as a critical and engaged sparring partner?
