Mid-Level Communications Professional – Services

The position

As a communications professional in our organization, you will be responsible for effectively communicating and coordinating various operational challenges and projects within the City of Amsterdam. You will work closely with a team of three colleagues and play a key role in ensuring smooth communication between various stakeholders, both internal and external. Your responsibilities will include managing communications during peak periods, such as the annual influx of 5,000 international students who register with the municipality in the summer to obtain a Citizen Service Number.

In addition, you will ensure an effective communication strategy in crisis situations, such as when a computer malfunction prevents Amsterdam residents from picking up their passports. You will also coordinate communications regarding new processes, such as sending a birth gift that fits in the mailbox to parents who register their child online. Furthermore, you’ll contribute to the rollout of new IT systems for City Service Center staff and ensure they can use them smoothly without resistance. You’ll work closely with project leaders and know how to translate their questions and needs into realistic communication strategies in a short timeframe. You have a keen understanding of the context and can quickly determine the right course of action. In addition to your involvement in internal communication within the Services Department, you never lose sight of external stakeholders. Working on a project basis is no problem for you, and you are passionate about digitizing services, such as in the development of Mijn Amsterdam and the Amsterdam App. In addition, you are involved in issues such as fraud, integrity, and privacy, and you support various projects aimed at improving services for the residents of Amsterdam.

In this multifaceted role, you are both a strategist and a doer, and you are able to effectively switch between providing strategic advice and practical implementation. In this way, you contribute to improving our services through clear and targeted communication.

Here's what you do on an average day

• You will determine the communication strategy for your projects and topics and oversee its implementation.
• You will work closely with your colleagues in communications to achieve the best possible results.
• You will initiate, coordinate, and carry out communication activities or ensure that they are properly assigned.
• You will serve as the point of contact for project leaders regarding your assigned topics and projects.
• You will be part of the communications team and will handle press inquiries and second-line webcare questions in consultation with the spokesperson.
• You will work together to enhance the professionalism of the communications role within the team.

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 Communications Department is a full-service organizational unit. Virtually every aspect of communications is covered: communications consultants, web editors, social media experts, public relations, events, campaign consultants, and copywriters. These are just a few of the areas of expertise represented within the Communications Department. All these professionals work closely together to develop the right communications strategy. Each council term, the priorities and themes are established, and annually, in consultation with clients in the city, the required level of communication capacity is determined. Based on this, the Communications Department can second professionals to the various organizational units.

You will be working in the Communications Department within the Services Division. Amsterdam is continuously improving the quality of its services (8 city service centers, Contact Center Amsterdam/14020, Actie Service Centrum 24/7, webcare, online forms) in an efficient manner. In doing so, we put the residents of Amsterdam first. And we make our services personal, simple, and accessible. Because the city’s services are for everyone in the city. And in this regard, the employees of the Service Department are “the face, the voice, and the image” of the city.

What you bring

For this position as a mid-level communications professional in the Services department, you must have:

• Demonstrable work experience in the service sector, with specific knowledge of data-driven work, online developments, fraud, integrity issues, and managing peak periods such as passport issuance.
• Experience as a communications consultant, particularly in the areas of project communications and internal communications.

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.
• Collaboration: Makes a constructive contribution to a shared outcome, particularly to the atmosphere and relationships within the group or team.
• Relationship Management: Builds, maintains, and leverages personal relationships with customers and other contacts.
• Initiative: Takes independent action. Identifies opportunities and turns them into initiatives for improvement and innovation that contribute to better organizational performance.
• Results-oriented approach: Setting specific goals as a starting point for one’s own behavior and sticking to them until the goal is achieved.
• Persuasiveness: Uses personal authority to influence people and situations, with a focus on gaining acceptance and overcoming resistance. Communicates ideas clearly and confidently.

What we offer you

As a mid-level communications professional in the Services sector, 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 between €3,602 and €5,313 (pay grade 10) based on a 36-hour workweek. The exact salary will be determined based on your education, knowledge, and experience.
• 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.
• 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.

Curious about all our employment terms and conditions? View the Amsterdam Municipal Personnel Regulations (PGA) at www.amsterdam.nl/pga.

Apply for this job

• If this job opening interests you, please submit your applicationby December 4, 2024, usingthe application formon our website.
• 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 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 a CV/cover letter screening and an interview round. An assessment or case study may be part of the selection process.
• If your resume meets the job requirements, we would be happy to invite you for an interview.
• The interviews will take place during the week of December 9 or 16.
• 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 more information about the position, please contact Joost Riesewijk, Senior Capacity Advisor to the Communications Department, at J.Riesewijk@amsterdam.nl or call 06-51301590.

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.