Organizational Development Strategist

Utrecht is an attractive city to live, work, study, and enjoy leisure activities. Utrecht inspires, connects, develops smart solutions, and offers people and organizations opportunities to grow. The city is growing rapidly. We believe it is important that this growth does not come at the expense of the city’s character, and we strive to strike the right balance between growth and quality of life. We are working toward “healthy urban living for everyone.” The City of Utrecht takes a task-oriented approach by prioritizing the city’s social challenges.

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!

The People and Organization (P&O) division consists of the HRM and Facilities & Housing units. HRM comprises four departments: Services, Recruitment, HR Business Partners, and the Center of Expertise. In addition, there is a staff department called Group Support. HRM advises the organization on staffing Utrecht’s initiatives by identifying and retaining the necessary talent and prioritizing the sustainable employability of employees in all their diversity. HRM fosters a healthy and inclusive work environment where employees can perform at their best. Together with the business units, it ensures that task-oriented work is recognized and embraced as a guiding organizational principle and that actions are taken accordingly.

As an Organizational Development Strategist, you will advise the municipal secretary, the executive board, senior management, and the M&O Group Manager. Your team, Group Support, consists of four strategists who report directly to the M&O Group Manager. The City of Utrecht has an open atmosphere, and colleagues are approachable and always willing to contribute their ideas. There is a focus on personal connection, and we connect with one another through (online) coffee breaks. There is plenty of room for initiative and ideas, and every employee’s voice is heard. Additionally, all employees stay engaged with developments through M&O meetings where new projects are shared.

This is your role
As an Organizational Development Strategist, you are responsible for keeping our vision for organizational development up to date and for developing the strategy to implement it. You translate our vision into concrete programs and activities that further professionalize the organization. You know how to convey the vision in a clear and compelling narrative so that employees can relate to it and ensure it aligns with the strategic priorities of the City of Utrecht. In addition, you involve internal stakeholders in the process and measure whether the organization is actually making progress. This requires that you can pick up on signals from within the organization and translate them into policies and programs. Making your results and successes visible internally is also an important part of your work. Those involved recognize and notice the effects of organizational development.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing strategic advice to the municipal secretary, the executive board, and senior management, and preparing the groundwork for decision-making regarding organizational development;
• You will build a network of strategists and organizational consultants, among others, whom you will engage to ensure that our vision for organizational development remains up to date;
• You will develop an annual organizational development plan and oversee its implementation;
• You will monitor the progress and results of the implementation of the initiatives;
• You are responsible for developing a communication strategy for the organization regarding its organizational development goals and programs.

Here’s what we offer you
We want you to enjoy coming to work. That enjoyment comes from great colleagues, a pleasant work environment, and a job with meaningful work in one of the most attractive cities in the Netherlands. Together with you, we ensure that all residents of Utrecht can live, work, and participate in a pleasant and healthy way. You’ll do this by putting your strengths to good use.

Below is our selection:

• A 36-hour workweek with a gross monthly salary ranging from €5,151 to €7,098 based on 36 hours (pay scale 14). The exact amount will be determined based on your knowledge and experience. Placement on the temporary entry-level pay scale is a possibility;
• A one-year fixed-term employment contract with the possibility of conversion to a permanent employment contract;
• Excellent leave policies;
• An Individual Choice Budget (ICB) equal to 17.05% of your salary. You decide how to use this budget. For example, you can use it to buy extra time off, receive vacation pay, get a year-end bonus, or have everything paid out once a year;
• Plenty of opportunities for personal development and a variety of courses and training programs;
• Click here for an overview of all other employment conditions, such as travel expense reimbursement.
  In addition, working for the City of Utrecht offers many other benefits, such as exercising (online) with colleagues and participating in various networks and activities.

Here’s what we ask of you

• Work and intellectual level: preferably a degree in public administration, business administration, or political science;
• At least 10 years of work experience; experience as an organizational consultant in the public sector or at a consulting firm is preferred;
• Thanks to your experience in organizational development, you are able to successfully implement major organizational development initiatives.
• You are a strong negotiator and possess the necessary flexibility (in approach) to achieve your goals. You achieve these goals without formal authority. This means that, on the one hand, you take well-considered actions and, on the other hand, you are willing to deviate from established practices or procedures when necessary.
• In change management initiatives, you bring together various stakeholders and foster connections around content, process, and relationships. You ensure that concrete goals are established and that the desired results are achieved.
• Your broad perspective allows you to translate trends and developments into relevant organizational development strategies for the City of Utrecht.
• You advise the Executive Board and the relevant aldermen at the strategic level by drawing on your understanding of the political and administrative context.

Good to know:
Ifyou’re excited about the opportunity to work as a strategic organizational development advisor for the City of Utrecht, apply now. If you have any questions about the position, please contact Klaske de Jonge, Group Manager M&O, at 06 – 43 39 65 81. If you have questions about the application process, please contact Mieke van der Vlis, Recruiter, at 06 – 48 19 23 32.