Senior Policy Officer for Sports

This is your job

The dynamic nature of the sports sector means that no two days are the same. In the role of Senior Policy Officer for Sports at the City of Utrecht, you identify social trends and developments that impact the city, and you work with colleagues, residents, and partners to translate these into concrete needs in the areas of sports and physical activity—both in the present and in the years to come. You’ll make a direct contribution to political and administrative advising alongside colleagues and city partners, enabling us to achieve success together. Living Together & Sports is a team where it’s a pleasure to work. This is confirmed not only by our own colleagues but also by our partners.

As a senior policy officer for sports in the social sector, you will work on major societal challenges across the entire spectrum of the sports sector. Your first assignment focuses on the need for space for sports facilities in a densifying city. Together with colleagues from the Real Estate, Real Estate Exploration, and Spatial Development departments, you will work on a balanced plan for the expansion of facilities based on research and established standards. In addition, you will hold discussions with sports clubs to optimize the utilization of existing facilities.

We do this by following guiding principles such as putting people’s lives at the center, doing what is necessary, and keeping things simple. For us, these are the core values that guide our work for the city. Many of the tasks assigned to the Social Development teams transcend individual teams and departments. Within the municipality, you will collaborate with colleagues from departments such as Education, Youth, Culture, Employment and Income, Public Health, Public Services, and Safety.

About Sports & Society

Utrecht is a unique city that regularly makes the news because we take bold action on challenging issues in the social sector. As a Senior Policy Officer for Sports at the City of Utrecht, you’re joining us at a very interesting time. Read the coalition agreement here. It states that in the coming years, we’ll face far-reaching decisions in the city to address growing inequality, provide sufficient sports facilities, and tackle the climate crisis—all in one of the fastest-growing cities in the Netherlands.

TheSport & Society team develops policies, steers (social) processes, and acts as a client and/or partner to various (sports) organizations, such as Sport Utrecht. The Sport & Society team consists of a total of 33 colleagues who are both strategic thinkers and hands-on doers, capable of both innovative thinking and putting innovation into practice. These are people who set the agenda and stay the course, even when it’s difficult or uncomfortable. We work on new policies and develop new working methods in co-creation with partners in the field and within the municipality, together with colleagues in the social and spatial sectors.

We develop new policies and working methods in collaboration with partners in the field and within the municipality. Strong partnerships and effective relationship management are therefore key priorities—both with internal and external partners. You will represent Utrecht in regional and national consultations. We have a large network of organizations in the city; you will also collaborate with them.

Here's what we offer you

Within your role, you’ll have the opportunity to innovate and make an impact.

A 36-hour workweek with a salary ranging from a minimum of €4,447 to a maximum of €6,103 (pay scale 12). The exact amount will be determined based on your knowledge and experience. A 32-hour workweek is negotiable. A one-year contract with the intention of converting it to a permanent position upon satisfactory performance.

The City of Utrecht is an inclusive organization that welcomes everyone and harnesses the power of its employees’ diversity to achieve better results for the city. Talent as a foundation, diversity as a strength. In addition to your qualities, talents, and motivation, you also bring your age, sexual orientation, background, or disability to the table. You are warmly welcome!

An Individual Choice Budget (ICB). With the ICB, you can tailor your employment conditions to your own circumstances. For example, you could use it to purchase additional leave hours. The Individual Choice Budget (ICB) amounts to 17.05% of your salary.

For an overview of all other terms and conditions of employment, such as travel expense reimbursement, please click here.

This is your input

To succeed in this role, we believe it is important that you possess a college-level or higher level of education and thinking, as well as at least five years of knowledge and experience as a seasoned policy officer in a political/administrative and dynamic environment. Thanks to this experience, you know how to tackle a societal challenge and can contribute to innovation in this area. A good dose of political and administrative sensitivity is also important, as you serve as a link between the organization and the administration/politics.

In addition to educational background and work experience, we place great value on skills. We are therefore interested in hearing from candidates who possess the following skills. We encourage you to highlight these in your cover letter.

• Collaborating with colleagues and partners comes naturally to you;
  
• You have strong analytical skills and know, for example, how to use data (and financial information) to monitor and steer the business;
  
• Experience in the development of sports facilities, community amenities, or urban development projects is a plus.
  

This is good to know

Are you interested in joining the City of Utrecht as a Policy Advisor for Social Development? Apply now. We will review applications on an ongoing basis and conduct interviews, and the position will be closed once it is filled.

If you have any questions about the job opening, please contact Slaus van Dam, Manager, at 06 517 965 58. Please use WhatsApp to schedule a call. For any questions about the hiring process or the City of Utrecht, please call Charlie Sett, Senior Recruiter, at 06 485 758 64.