Team Leader, Urban Planning

The position

Amsterdam is growing! The number of residents, businesses, and visitors is on the rise. And the more people there are in the city, the greater the impact of construction projects in public spaces. The Urban Planning Team is the gateway to a better-planned and sustainable future for our city. We plan both short- and long-term projects in public spaces. Every aspect, from paving to green projects and traffic improvements, is carefully planned and executed. We aim to minimize disruption to residents, businesses, and visitors. By intelligently coordinating various construction projects in an area, we prevent unnecessary disruption and keep the city livable and accessible.

We plan not only to minimize disruption, but also to enable the city to address major social challenges. These include the energy transition, greening initiatives, addressing the backlog of maintenance on bridges and quay walls, and power supply. This is only possible through effective collaboration among all stakeholders. We also coordinate this collaboration.

You will lead an independent team consisting of approximately 25 professionals. These employees liaise with departments within the municipality and external organizations, such as KPN, Vattenfall, and Liander, to coordinate work schedules. Your team is also responsible for ensuring that each project is properly prepared to obtain the necessary permits for implementation. In addition, the team develops proposals for the planning of various projects. This includes, for example, how we handle large-scale fiber-optic installation or the placement of utility boxes on the street.

We have recently adopted an area-based approach. This requires our employees and external partners to adopt a new way of working. Together, we are learning to think and plan further ahead from the perspective of the neighborhoods, so that work can be carried out in one neighborhood at a time. You play a key role in fostering collaboration with external partners in the neighborhoods and establishing agreements regarding this collaboration. You help your employees take the lead in this neighborhood-focused collaboration. This means working toward the best solution for all parties involved.

Here's what you do on an average day

• You will lead the team in a coaching capacity. You will hold discussions with team members regarding, among other things, performance and their personal development. You are responsible for achieving the team and department goals agreed upon with you. These goals focus on the “here and now” as well as the department’s long-term ambitions.
• You are a member of the City Coordination management team. As such, you regularly discuss relevant issues with your fellow team managers and work closely with them. 
• You serve as a substantive sounding board for your employees, your fellow team managers across the entire executive team, and the department head. 
• You create a pleasant work environment where your employees can enjoy their work and feel valued by you.
• You will contribute to the ongoing development of the entire Traffic and Public Space Department.
• You will maintain relationships with organizations both within and outside the municipality, such as the Department of Waterways and Public Works and utility companies. In addition, you will participate in or chair meetings within this network.
• You bring different parties together (even in cases of conflict) to reach a mutually agreed-upon solution that enjoys broad support.

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 diversity among our colleagues. All these differences lead to better results for our organization and our city. We aim to build a workforce that reflects Amsterdam’s workforce. So, whoever you are: you’re more than welcome here!

The Traffic and Public Space Department (V&OR) is responsible for accessibility, livability, safety, and the quality of Amsterdam’s public spaces. We are working to create a city that is accessible at all levels: international, national, regional, urban, and local. Traffic and Public Space owns the integrated urban traffic and transportation system (excluding rail), manages the mobility chain, and, on behalf of the administration, owns the city’s properties.

Within V&OR, the Urban Coordination Department ensures that the city can continue to function. We coordinate and plan all flows and activities in the city of Amsterdam—today, tomorrow, and in the future. Your Urban Programming team is part of the Urban Coordination Department. We encourage collaboration with and among all parties within and outside the municipality who work in public spaces to carry out as many projects and social initiatives as possible. The Urban Programming team works closely with other teams, such as District Coordination, Traffic Management, and the administration and policy departments. A sense of camaraderie and a pleasant, informal work atmosphere are hallmarks of our department.

What you bring

For this position as Urban Planning Team Leader, you must have:

• Thinking and working level.
• Experience leading an independent team.
• Experience working at the intersection of policy and implementation.
• Experience working in networks and representing diverse interests.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

You should have the following skills:

• Empathy: You can put yourself in other people’s shoes. When necessary, you adjust your own behavior to take others’ feelings into account.
• Leadership: You lead your team, steer processes toward the intended goals, and monitor progress.
• Persuasiveness: Drawing on your personal strengths, you exert a positive influence on people and situations. You communicate ideas clearly.
• Judgment: By weighing the available information and analyzing a given situation, you arrive at a well-considered and realistic conclusion. You can evaluate actual results against the objectives.
• Vision: You have the ability to view issues from a broader perspective. You can think conceptually and strategically, with a long-term perspective in mind.

What we offer you

As a City Planning Team Leader, you will join our team for 36 hours a week and can expect the following terms of employment.

• A gross monthly salary ranging from €5,561 to €7,325 (pay grade 13) based on a 36-hour workweek. The exact salary will be determined based on your education, knowledge, and experience.
• A 12-month 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
• 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 €3 net per workday that you work from home.
• A monthly contribution toward health insurance.

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 by May 12 at the latest using the“Apply Now”button.
• Please submit a one-page cover letter explaining why you are excited about this position.
• The selection process begins immediately after the application deadline and consists of two rounds.
• If your resume meets the job requirements, we would be happy to invite you for an interview.
• The interviews will take place on May 16. The second round of interviews will take place on May 22. We kindly ask you to keep this in mind.

  We require a recent Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) from every colleague who joins our team.

Do you have any questions about this job opening?

For questions about the position, please contact Gert Oosting, City Director, at G.Oosting@amsterdam.nl or call 0653548476. For questions about the application process, please contact Vera Enklaar, Recruiter, at v.enklaar@amsterdam.nl or 0627174724.