Strategic Advisor

In short

• As a strategy consultant, you will share responsibility for the implementation of one or more projects addressing issues such as the energy transition, urbanization, polarization, digitalization, and inequality. We are specifically looking for a consultant who has strong expertise at the intersection of democracy and the rule of law in relation to digitalization.
• You work systematically and transparently toward the desired outcome and are able to engage your team and broader stakeholders in the process. You tackle complex issues that may have implications for various departments within the organization and are therefore attuned to both the political and administrative environment and the dynamics within the organization.

This is how you contribute to the City of Amsterdam
Your role involves identifying issues, putting them on the agenda, and providing advice. This means not only working on the basis of thorough analyses but also keeping an eye on relevant (external) stakeholders and how to engage them. Every product serves a purpose, and you are able to approach the issue from different perspectives, connect different viewpoints, distinguish between main and secondary issues to ensure decisions are made at the right level, and get things moving. You will work closely with the project and program leaders in the team and serve as a full-fledged sparring partner within your projects.

This is what you do on an average workday
You will be part of the Strategy Team’s flexible workforce, which means you will be seconded to the team or work on an annual contract. In this way, we aim to strengthen collaboration with management while simultaneously teaching you a strategic approach on the job.

• Identifying developments that are of strategic importance to the City of Amsterdam as a whole and that affect multiple clusters within the municipal organization;
• Helping to draft proposals for projects that address municipal challenges and developing an action plan for these;
• Working on both content and process within project teams composed of members of the City Strategy Team and/or other parts of the organization;
• Organizing the appropriate content and overseeing discussion papers and policy proposals in close collaboration with the project and program leaders and the head of the Urban Strategy Team;
• Keeping project and program leaders, the head of the Strategy Team, and the key stakeholders of these projects informed and coordinating with them;
• Presenting and explaining these documents through clear communication and visuals.

Close to the people of Amsterdam
Working for Amsterdam means working for over 850,000 Amsterdammers. We ensure that Amsterdam is and remains an attractive capital city—a place where it’s pleasant to live, work, and go to school, with room for entrepreneurs and visitors. We work for Amsterdam alongside some 19,000 colleagues who continually challenge themselves and grow, working together with the people of Amsterdam to do what’s best for the city. Together, with pride, and above all, with a passion for the city.

The City of Amsterdam’s organization consists of: Administration and Organization, the clusters of Spatial Planning and Economy, Social Affairs, Services and Information, Operations, and seven city districts.
Administration and Organization is a strategic, flexible, professional, and results-oriented unit that primarily focuses its advisory and support services on the Executive Board, the mayor, the City Council, the City Clerk, and the Municipal Management Team (GMT). Administration and Organization consists of six departments and a staff unit.

The Administration and Management Advisory Department (BMA, approximately 130 FTE) comprises the Administrative Advisory, Public Affairs, and Administrative Projects divisions, the Mayor’s Office, the Urban Strategy Team, the GMT/GS Staff, and the Chief Science Office.
The Urban Strategy Team, together with a strong strategic network, ensures that urban strategic issues are effectively addressed. These issues include:

• That have (potentially) significant social impacts on the city in the medium term (three to ten years);
• Relate to or apply to all or several clusters;
• Attract significant public and/or political and administrative interest. Or, conversely, hardly any at all.

Would you like to learn more about working for the City of Amsterdam? We’d love to hear from our employees: stories from our staff.

What you bring to the table
All our colleagues are different—in their roles, ages, backgrounds, personalities, dreams, and hobbies. We’re proud of that, because all those differences lead to better results for our city. So whoever you are, you’re welcome here at our city government. For this position, we’re also looking for:

• A completed university degree;
• At least 5 years of experience in strategic consulting, preferably at a strategic consulting firm;
• Demonstrable experience in drafting and communicating recommendations;
• Possession of methodological knowledge to develop strategies;
• Experience in developing strategies for a wide range of issues;
• Demonstrable affinity with (administrative) decision-making processes;
• Strong skills in organizing and presenting data;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word);
• Strong communication and writing skills, and a driven attitude.

Good for Amsterdam. Good for you.
As a strategic advisor, you’ll join our team for 32–36 hours a week and can count on:

• A gross monthly salary between €4,447 and €6,103 (pay grade 12) based on a 36-hour workweek;
• A fixed-term employment contract for the duration of the temporary work, if you are not yet employed by the City of Amsterdam or do not have a temporary employment contract. If you are already employed by the City of Amsterdam, you will be offered a temporary assignment contract;
• You will retain your current permanent employment contract with the City of Amsterdam if you are already employed by the City of Amsterdam and have a permanent contract, and you will be assigned to another department under a temporary assignment agreement.

Internal job openings are open to municipal employees and temporary workers who have worked for the City of Amsterdam for at least six consecutive months. Anyone can apply for external job openings.

• Opportunities for professional development and training. With our in-house expertise in general training, customized development programs, and on-the-job coaching, you can 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, up to a 45-kilometer one-way commute, for the number of days you work in the office, and a work-from-home allowance of €2 per day you work from home;
• Flexibility when it comes to your work hours and location. With the Amsterdam Digital Workplace, you can log in wherever and whenever you want.
• A monthly contribution toward health insurance.
• A cell phone and a laptop;
• Hybrid work: The City of Amsterdam has adopted a hybrid work model. For you, this means that, if you wish, you can work partly from home and partly at the office, depending on your job responsibilities. You may request remote work equipment to set up a home office that complies with health and safety standards.

Click here for an overview of all other terms and conditions of employment.

Do you have any questions?
You can direct your questions to Pieter van Gelder, Strategic Advisor, at p.gelder@amsterdam.nl or by calling 06-28025332.

You can apply for this job directly through our application page.

• The selection process begins immediately after the application deadline of April 30, 2022, and takes an average of 3 to 6 weeks;
• If we don't see enough common ground, you will receive an email;
• We prefer to conduct job interviews in person whenever possible. If this is not possible due to the current situation surrounding the coronavirus, interviews will be held online using Microsoft Teams. A second interview may follow;
• An assessment or aptitude test may be part of the process:
• Every new colleague joining our team must submit a recent Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG);
• Would you like to review the job posting again? If so, be sure to save it, because it will no longer be available after the application deadline.
• 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 aim to be a diverse and inclusive organization that welcomes everyone. Diversity is a strength we leverage to achieve better results for the city. We strive to have a workforce that reflects Amsterdam’s working population, in all its diversity. Our job openings are open to everyone, unless otherwise stated in the job description.

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.