Secretary of the Utrecht Cultural Fund

What will you be doing?

As Secretary of the Utrecht Cultural Fund, you serve as the link between the board, the advisory committee, the secretariat, and the national office of the Cultural Fund. You serve as the point of contact for the Utrecht Cultural Fund, the King’s Commissioner, the relevant members of the consultative bodies, and the provincial official with final responsibility. In addition, you maintain an overview of the department’s operations and ensure that the team collaboratively divides and carries out its tasks.

You will be responsible for:

• Preparing for and attending board and advisory committee meetings (3 and 4 per year, respectively, for each body) and carrying out the resulting tasks.
• Assisting the treasurer and monitoring the budget.
• Contributing to policy development at the provincial level in coordination with the national office.
• Maintaining contact with board and advisory committee members, keeping track of the schedules for appointments and resignations, and coordinating new appointments.
• The implementation of the Utrecht Cultural Fund’s own initiatives.
• Coordination of the consultation rounds.
• Drafting recommendations for the advisory committee meeting.
• The independent allocation of authorized funds.
• Communication with the national office regarding ongoing matters, questions, and current issues.
• Effective coordination within the provincial office.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for someone who is meticulous and conscientious, can easily maintain an overview, and follows through on commitments. You enjoy preparing meeting materials with a constructive, critical eye and, when necessary, coordinating further with colleagues. You have no trouble creating schedules and communicating them to colleagues in a timely manner. It is important that you are able to build and maintain a strong network. Furthermore, you can work well under pressure (stress-resistant) and switch smoothly and decisively between different tasks. You are able to maintain an overview, prioritize, and navigate your way in a complex environment. In addition, you can work well independently and are skilled at coordinating tasks and ensuring alignment within the provincial department, without a hierarchical relationship. Finally, you find it easy to interact with administrators and possess political and administrative sensitivity.

Ideally, you have an affinity for the cultural and natural heritage sectors (in the province) and experience working for a foundation.

Job Requirements

You have/are:

• At least a college-level standard of work and thinking.
• Eager to learn and highly observant.
• You can handle stress well and are known for your perseverance.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in Dutch.
• You have strong analytical skills, work well with others, and maintain a clear overview.
• Several years of work experience, during which you have independently carried out tasks from start to finish.
• You are able to read budgets and formulate recommendations.
• Positive, complaint-focused, constructive, and you can get up to speed quickly.
• Political and administrative sensitivity.

On Mondays, we work as a team in the office. We also hold in-person meetings on other days. We expect you to attend these meetings. If you don’t have any in-person meetings, you can work from home.

What do we offer?

Working for the Province of Utrecht means making a valuable contribution to addressing societal challenges. These challenges require bringing together many different disciplines and interests—primarily outside, but also within the organization. As an employee, you serve as the connecting link. We gather knowledge, share our expertise, and achieve success together. After all, we get further when we work together.

We invest in the development of our employees. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to take the initiative and room to grow. We believe a healthy work-life balance is important. Everyone has the chance to work flexibly and at their own pace. At the Province of Utrecht, we work in a hybrid model. We’ll shape what this looks like together.

The organization is evolving. We are undergoing a process of professionalization and are increasingly adopting a task-oriented approach. If you enjoy taking the lead and want to help shape the future of our organization, we guarantee you an exciting experience.

In addition to challenging work and great coworkers, we offer you:

• A one-year temporary employment contract for 28 hours per week, with the possibility of extension through December 31, 2025. Funding is available through December 31, 2025. We hope to be able to secure funding for this position beyond that date as well; 
• a salary ranging from a minimum of €3,935.54 to a maximum of €5,564.56 gross per month based on a full-time position of 40 hours per week (pay grade 11);
• If you are a suitable candidate but do not yet fully meet all the requirements, we can place you in entry-level pay scale 10 (minimum €3,385.60 based on a 40-hour workweek);
• an Individual Choice Budget of 22.37% on top of your monthly salary, which you can choose when to receive;  
• 18 vacation days plus a generous ATV scheme offering up to 25.5 additional days off based on full-time employment;
• a solid pension plan;
• a personal development budget of €5,000 every five years;
• the opportunity to develop yourself through the courses offered by the UtrechtAcademie.                                                                                                                             

Contact Information

If you have any questions about the job opening and/or the position, we encourage you to call the current secretary of the Culture Fund in advance: Jenny Booms (06 24 87 40 28). She can answer any questions regarding the specifics of the role. For more information about the application process, please contact Henny Willems, Recruitment & Selection and Mobility Advisor, by phone at 06 38 57 32 85 or by email at matchpoint@provincie-utrecht.nl.

Internal candidates are given priority over external candidates.

Apply

Are you interested? If so, please apply by March 25 at the latest via the application button.

Please address your letter to Heleen van Duursen. In your letter, please provide specific examples of 2 to 3 of the competencies listed in this job posting.

In addition to your resume, we would also like to receive a cover letter. We will review resumes on Wednesday, March 27. The first round of interviews will take place on Tuesday, April 2. Please let us know in your cover letter if you are unavailable on Tuesday, April 2. The second round of interviews is scheduled for April 18.

We believe it is important that everyone has the opportunity to work to the best of their ability. In accordance with the Participation Act, we therefore warmly encourage candidates listed in the Target Group Register to apply for this position.                                                   

We require a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) from every new employee. Integrity is a key topic during the job interview.

Who are we?

Utrecht is a province to be proud of. Diverse, vibrant, and steeped in history. It is home to a wide variety of lifestyles, cultures, and personal preferences. Our region is a leading region with an innovative knowledge-based economy.

Our mission is to enhance the appeal of our province and to facilitate growth in a way that preserves the quality of our environment. Together with residents, businesses, organizations, and other government bodies, the provincial government and its staff are working with enthusiasm and determination to create a healthy and sustainable living environment. We want everyone in the province of Utrecht to enjoy a wonderful place to live and work. That is why we strive to maintain a good balance between green spaces and growth.

Utrecht Cultural Fund

Utrecht is a province to be proud of. Diverse, vibrant, and steeped in history. It is home to a wide variety of lifestyles, cultures, and personal preferences. Our region is a leading region with an innovative knowledge-based economy.

The Cultuurfonds is the largest private cultural foundation in the Netherlands and supports projects, activities, and institutions with the aim of promoting culture and nature in the Netherlands. The Cultuurfonds’s areas of focus are divided into: Visual Arts, History & Literature, Monument Preservation & Heritage, Music, Nature, and Theater, Dance & Film. The Cultuurfonds consists of a national office, located in Amsterdam, and 12 provincial branches. The provincial branches are housed within the provinces, and the King’s Commissioners (cvdK) serve, in an ex officio capacity, as chairpersons of the board of their respective provincial branches.

The Utrecht Cultural Fund has an annual budget of approximately €800,000 to allocate to projects and investments in the province of Utrecht. This budget is generated by revenue from lotteries, returns on investments, donations, and private endowments established for specific purposes. On average, around 200 projects are supported each year.

The Utrecht administration is formally responsible for Utrecht’s expenditures, its own initiatives, and projects within the province. In addition, the Utrecht department has an advisory committee composed of experts, each with their own area of expertise. This advisory committee meets four times a year to provide advice on ongoing projects and decide whether to approve or reject funding requests.

In addition to handling requests for support, the Utrecht Cultural Fund also launches a number of its own initiatives. These include projects and collaborations with other organizations aimed at supporting culture and nature in the broadest sense. Some examples include UP:Next, the grant program for pop musicians in Utrecht, and the KIEM scheme, which supports small-scale nature projects.

The board and the advisory committee receive daily support from the secretariat. The secretariat currently consists of a secretary and two part-time advisors. Due to staff turnover and team expansion, we are looking for a secretary and an administrative assistant.

We do not welcome unsolicited sales calls regarding this advertisement.