Team Manager for Compulsory Education

The position

As a Compulsory Education Team Manager, you will support a team of approximately 20 compulsory education officers who are dedicated to ensuring that young people in Amsterdam have the right to an education. You foster a work environment where team members feel heard, share the same core values, and perform their work with pride and energy. In doing so, you establish clear guidelines and prioritize consistency and quality, while also ensuring a tailored approach and giving colleagues the space to grow professionally. 

This is a team in transition. The department is in the midst of change, and that inevitably comes with its share of challenges. We are continuing on our current path with a redefined mission and vision, focusing on the three key roles of the truancy officer.  This brings its own set of challenges, such as finding the right balance between fixed frameworks and flexibility, and engaging colleagues and stakeholders in this change. You play a crucial role in this by providing direction and guidance, recognizing and effectively addressing resistance to foster acceptance and commitment.  With your commitment and leadership, you will take the team to the next level and contribute to equal opportunities for all children in Amsterdam. It is precisely in a city with such diversity and a wide range of challenges that you can truly make a difference. 

As a team manager, you represent, position, and promote your team both within and outside the municipality. In this role, you serve as a key point of contact for partners, such as schools, youth health care providers, the Amsterdam Parent and Child Teams Foundation, and policy staff in the education sector. Your focus is on strengthening collaboration. You are also part of the management team (MT) of the Compulsory Education Department. Together with the department head and fellow team managers, you discuss new developments and establish clear, department-wide agreements. 

Are you a collaborative and steadfast leader who knows how to effectively guide a team through change? Are you an experienced operations manager capable of adapting your leadership style to meet the specific development needs of your team? Do you want to promote equal opportunities and make a difference in the lives of young people in Amsterdam? If so, we look forward to receiving your application. 

Here's what you do on an average day

• You start the day with a development meeting with a truancy officer. Together, you discuss her progress, development, and aspirations. In doing so, you consider how you, as a manager, can provide support to help your colleague reach her full potential. 

• Then another colleague joins you for a chat to vent about a complicated situation at a school. You lend a listening ear and help your colleague get back on track. 

• Later that morning, you’ll have a meeting with an employee and the absence advisor to discuss a difficult return-to-work process. Together, you’ll agree on a plan of action 

• After lunch, it’s time for the management team meeting. During the meeting, the management team members update each other on their collaborations with partners in the city, among other things. 

• In the afternoon, you’ll involve the senior members of your team in a brainstorming session on how you can establish common guidelines to ensure consistency. 

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!

Within the Education Department, you will lead one of our three Compulsory Education Teams—specifically, the team focused on the East and Southeast districts or the North/South districts. In the future, you may also lead one of the other teams. The Support & Assistance and Quality & Information teams round out our department. Together with the approximately 20 colleagues on your team, you will create a safe, open workplace where they can be themselves and give each other constructive feedback. This is also a priority for our management team. We are working on the “Goal-Oriented Approach” program, with the aim of building successful teams together.

What you bring

For this position as Compulsory Education Team Manager, you must have:

• A completed associate's degree; field of study is not specified.

• At least 5 years of experience in a managerial role within a complex organization;
• Demonstrable experience with change initiatives. In your cover letter, explain the specific change initiatives through which you gained this experience, and describe your role in each initiative as much as possible;
• At least 3 years of demonstrable experience in the social sector and/or knowledge of the education sector. Please explain this in your cover letter.

You should have the following skills:

• Leadership and motivation: You provide clear direction to your team and individual employees, ensure efficient and consistent processes, and inspire others.
• Collaboration: You place trust in your team members, bring people together based on shared values and vision, and proactively engage in dialogue with colleagues and community partners.
• Inclusive leadership: You create a safe and equitable work environment, adopt an open and empathetic approach, and foster talent development for everyone.
• Environmental awareness: You ensure that you are well-informed about professional, organizational, social, political, or other environmental factors and know how to capitalize on any opportunities that arise.
• Communication skills: You communicate decisions clearly and promptly, using the right tone and timing. You filter relevant information so that the team understands and implements the decisions.

What we offer you

As a Compulsory Education Team Manager, you will join our team for a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 36 hours per week, and you can expect the following terms of employment.

• We offer a gross monthly salary based on pay scale 12, ranging from a minimum of €5,070 to a maximum of €6,862, based on a 36-hour workweek. Due to the challenges we face in compulsory education and the tight labor market, we can offer a labor market allowance in the coming years. This allowance is the difference between pay scale 12 and pay scale 13, period 11 (up to €548.00) gross per month and can be extended for up to 5 years. 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 for travel by car, €0.15 per kilometer for travel by bicycle, and €0.21 per kilometer for travel by public transportation. This applies to a one-way commute of up to 45 kilometers and for the number of days you work in the office.
• For days you work from home, you will receive 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 byMarch 2, 2025, using the“Apply”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 several rounds. An assessment conducted by an external firm is part of the selection process. The interviews and the assessment will take place during the weeks of November 18 and 25.
• If your resume meets the job requirements, we would be happy to invite you for an interview.
• The interviews will take place at one of our office locations.
• 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 require a recent Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) from every colleague who joins our team.

Contact

Questions about this job opening? For questions about the position, please contact Kim Hoogendijk at k.hoogendijk@amsterdam.nl or call 0610833994. For questions about the application process, please contact Ismahan Massäabi at i.massaabi@amsterdam.nl.