Team Leader, Raw Materials and Circular Economy Team

Job Description

Can you help Dutch businesses use raw materials more efficiently? Can you build an expert, diverse, and driven team? If so, we’d love to meet you.

As Team Leader within the Top Sectors and Industrial Policy Directorate, you will set up and lead a new team tasked with further developing and implementing the National Raw Materials Strategy (NGS). The transition to a circular economy plays a key role in this strategy. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ), and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) are jointly implementing the NGS.

The goal of NGS is to enhance the security of supply for critical raw materials, such as lithium and cobalt. Due to geopolitical developments, we can no longer take an uninterrupted supply of raw materials for granted. Yet increasing this security of supply is crucial for a successful energy and digital transition. Increasing the security of supply for raw materials is one of the key areas on which the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy is focusing, alongside climate, energy, and digitalization.

This issue is therefore receiving a great deal of political attention.

We need to use critical raw materials more intelligently. Preserving the value of products and raw materials throughout their lifecycle, as well as promoting reuse, are essential to this. Innovation and creative solutions are indispensable to achieving these goals. This requires joint efforts by businesses, consumers, research institutions, financial institutions, NGOs, and governments. The exact path to these goals is not yet fully clear due to the complexity of these challenges. It requires a combination of continuous thinking and taking concrete steps to move forward, while constantly adjusting course along the way.

You will be working on this with a team of about 10 people. Your responsibilities will focus on circularity and innovation, sustainable European mining and refining, diversification, making international supply chains more sustainable, and knowledge development and monitoring. All of these efforts are aimed at increasing the security of supply for critical raw materials.

As Team Leader for Raw Materials and the Circular Economy, you will play a central role within the Top Sectors and Industrial Policy (TOP) Directorate. You are responsible for the timely implementation of the NGS in close collaboration with other departments; you serve as a sparring partner for the TOP management team and other team leaders; you initiate and facilitate strategic policy discussions, provide them with the necessary policy and economic rationale, and ensure proper agenda setting across various forums.

You will identify and seek connections with other initiatives within TOP, particularly in the areas of economic security, new growth markets, and technologies. In addition, you will collaborate with colleagues within the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) and other ministries, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (including Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation), the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW), and the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport (VWS).

Who are we looking for?

You are a strategist who dares to think creatively, yet also a doer who loves to build things from the ground up. You have a solid understanding of and interest in geopolitical and economic developments. You enjoy establishing and maintaining relationships with the Dutch business community and government agencies. Are you interested in working with them to put the raw materials transition into practice?

You are a motivating person who is focused on achieving results. You are sociable and team-oriented, with a keen eye for your colleagues, your business partners, and Dutch entrepreneurs.

You communicate clearly, have a way with words, and remain calm and meticulous even under time pressure.

The Top Sectors & Industrial Policy Directorate consists of a dedicated group of people with expertise in a wide range of fields.

Do you meet several of the job requirements and want to further your career, but are unsure whether your work experience fully matches what we’re looking for? Even so, we’d love to receive your resume and cover letter.

Job Requirements

• You are results-oriented.
• You are able to collaborate effectively within your team, as well as with people outside of it. You can build and maintain a relevant network, both within and outside the government.
• You have strong analytical skills and are able to come up with creative solutions.
• You have proven leadership skills.
• You have an understanding of and experience with administrative, political, and business processes.
• You have excellent verbal and written communication skills in Dutch and English.
• Experience in interagency collaboration is a plus.

Skills

• Board sensitivity
• Planning and organizing
• Results-oriented
• Environmental awareness
• Networking
• Managing employees
• Motivate
• Creativity
• Strong communication skills

Terms of Employment

• Pay grade: 13, step 14
• Monthly salary: Min. €4,688 – Max. €7,718 (gross)
• Employment status: Permanent employment contract
• Minimum number of hours per week: 32
• Maximum number of hours per week: 36

Other terms and conditions of employment

In addition to your salary, you will receive an Individual Choice Budget (ICB). The ICB consists of money (16.37% of your gross annual salary) and time. With the ICB, you can make choices that suit you and customize part of your employment benefits. For example, you can choose to have a portion of your monthly income paid out whenever you wish. You can also convert this budget into leave and vice versa, or spend it on tax-friendly purposes. The Dutch government is strongly committed to personal growth and career development and offers numerous opportunities for this. Secondary employment conditions include various study facilities, company fitness programs, full reimbursement of your public transportation costs for commuting, and partially paid parental leave.

Details

• The introductory and selection process consists of at least two rounds of interviews and a final discussion regarding terms of employment.
• The first interviews will be conducted in early September.
• Checking references or conducting an assessment may be part of the selection process.
• Colleagues within the central government who are permanent employees may be seconded or transferred while retaining their current employment status.

What else do we offer you:

• A pleasant work environment with excellent facilities, just a short walk from the central station.
• Plenty of opportunities to continue developing your skills and specialize.
• We believe it is important to maintain a good work-life balance. Working hours can be arranged flexibly by mutual agreement.
• If you are hired, hybrid work is an option; you will work partly from home and partly at the office. We believe it is important to have a good home office setup. We therefore offer a subsidy for home office equipment and a work-from-home allowance in accordance with the Central Government Collective Labor Agreement (CAO Rijk).

After the application deadline, the job posting and the employer’s contact information will no longer be visible online. To avoid having to request this information later, we ask that you download and save the job posting.

We do not accept unsolicited applications for our job openings.

Interested in applying?

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy / Directorate-General for Enterprise and Innovation (DGBI) invites you to apply on their website. Click the button below to leave this site and go directly to the application form. The government values a diverse and inclusive organization. Working in diverse teams makes us more effective, more innovative, and makes the work more enjoyable. Everyone is therefore invited to apply.