Strategic Policy Advisor for Sports Facility Operations

The position

As a Strategic Policy Advisor for Sports Facility Operations, you will ensure that the quality of our sports facilities—which include swimming pools, sports parks, indoor arenas, and gyms—remains up to standard. At the same time, you ensure that we are and remain financially sound. This is also your biggest challenge: we want to offer our facilities at affordable rates to sports clubs so that our residents can participate in sports as much as possible, while also offsetting costs through commercial use. You will find the right balance in this. 

Together with your fellow policy advisors, you will be responsible for refining and updating policies related to the management and operation of our sports facilities. In doing so, you will bring an outside perspective into the organization and vice versa. What do sports providers and users want and expect? And what can and do we want to deliver? How do we optimize rates and costs to strike the right balance between social and financial returns? What is the best operational strategy for existing and new sports facilities? These are the kinds of questions you’ll be asking and answering.

You consistently strike a balance between our social and economic goals, and you engage stakeholders at the senior management and board levels—as well as in government and strategy—in your vision. You translate our governance ambitions into concrete policies. In this way, you create optimal sports facilities, ensure maximum financial control, and build an Amsterdam where everyone can participate in sports as they wish.

Here's what you do on an average day

• You regularly visit our sports facilities so you can see for yourself what’s going on there. Of course, you’ll also talk with your colleagues in operations and management.
• You’ll consult with colleagues at Sportpunt who handle the rental of our sports facilities. Among other things, you’ll identify areas where operations can be improved to ensure that no venues remain unnecessarily vacant.
• You’ll work closely with colleagues from the legal and finance departments to ensure that your policy recommendations align with the agreed-upon guidelines. You’ll also maintain close contact with colleagues from the data team to ensure that the right information products and reports are available and that your recommendations are backed by facts.
• You will speak with the alderman and discuss their needs. You will then determine whether and how we can address these needs within our policy framework.
• Based on your findings, identify and prioritize the most significant opportunities for further developing the operations of our sports facilities. You will document these in clear policy letters, memos, and other administrative documents.
• You ensure that (administrative) objectives align directly with the budgets of various departments, and you ensure that these objectives are further embedded within our organization.

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!

You’ll be based in the new Sports Policy and Development department, where you’ll work alongside knowledgeable and dedicated colleagues. You’ll also interact frequently with colleagues who manage the day-to-day operations of our swimming pools, sports halls, and sports parks, and you’ll collaborate with colleagues from various departments, such as Community Services, Land and Development, and Municipal Real Estate. What characterizes the team atmosphere? We support one another and work together to achieve our goal of making and keeping our sports facilities safe, clean, affordable, and accessible.

What you bring

For this position as Strategic Policy Advisor for Sports Facility Operations, you must have:

• Work and cognitive level;
• Demonstrable analytical thinking and numerical insight: you can immediately distinguish between what’s important and what’s not, easily get to the heart of the matter, and keep the big picture in mind at the same time;
• An innovative perspective and creative ideas;
• At least 5 years of experience with programmatic work;
• Strong consulting skills and a way with words;
• A collaborative attitude: you involve the right people at the right time;
• Your experience means you have no trouble getting others on board with your plans and ideas.

What we offer you

As a strategic policy advisor for sports facility operations, you will join our team for 36 hours per week and can expect the following terms of employment.

• A gross monthly salary of up to €6,616 (pay grade 13) 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, up to a 45-kilometer one-way commute, for the number of days you work in the office, and/or a work-from-home allowance of €2 net per workday that you work from home.
• A monthly contribution toward health insurance.
• Hybrid work: In this role, you can work partly from home and partly in the office. We provide the necessary equipment to help you set up a safe and healthy workspace at home.
• A cell phone and/or laptop.
• An office space in downtown Amsterdam, overlooking the canals.

Want to know more about our employment terms and conditions? Check out theCity of Amsterdam Personnel Regulations(PGA).

Apply for this job

• If this job opening interests you, please submit your application byApril 24, 2023, using the “Apply Now” button.
• 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 up to two rounds of selection.
• If your resume meets the job requirements, we would be happy to invite you for an interview.
• The interviews will take place in person at Jodenbreestraat 25 in Amsterdam.
• We require a recent Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) from every colleague who joins our team.