Executive Chief Procurement Officer

The position

In the role of Executive CPO, you will work alongside the Director of Finance and Procurement—who also serves as the CPO for the City of Amsterdam—to play a pivotal role in strengthening Socially Responsible Contracting and Procurement (SRCP) across the municipality. The City of Amsterdam has a procurement volume of approximately €2.8 billion. This procurement volume has enormous potential to be used as a “lever” for achieving policy objectives. Procurement with impact! The value of procurement as a strategic management tool is increasingly recognized. At the same time, much remains to be done in terms of agenda-setting and “positioning” procurement within complex, multidisciplinary, and cross-organizational challenges, such as the creation of zero-emission environmental zones. There is also much work to be done in further refining and structuring the procurement system within the municipal organization so that the potential of this leverage can be fully realized. The guiding principle is commissioning and procurement with influence: to make the city of Amsterdam and its organization more sustainable, more social, more innovative, and more inclusive.

As Executive CPO, you are the face of the City of Amsterdam in the area of procurement, and you are a leading authority in the field for both your own organization and external parties, including industry associations, other government agencies, and businesses. You have a broad network of contacts, which gives you unparalleled insight into developments within the field and the market.

You will advise and report to the CPO and the Alderman for Procurement, and you will consult regularly with the Lead Buyer directors, category owners at the executive level, and commissioning directors. The City of Amsterdam operates a coordinated procurement system that includes four Lead Buyer procurement organizations (Physical, ICT, Social, and Operations). You will work side by side with the CPO and play an indispensable role in the day-to-day execution of the tasks and responsibilities associated with the CPO’s position of ultimate responsibility. On behalf of the CPO, you will provide functional guidance to parties collaborating within the system. You will work closely with the department manager within the F&I management team who is responsible for steering the policy cycle for procurement and financial implementation policy. Where necessary, you will initiate the reorientation, adjustment, or evaluation of procurement policy in response to developments in the (policy) environment.

Here's what you do on an average day

• Leading the development of vision and strategy for category management, procurement, contract and supplier management, and topics such as Socially Responsible Contracting and Procurement (SRCP).
• Responding to national and international political, social, and/or significant organizational developments and fundamental issues, and providing strategic advice on these matters to senior civil servants and administrators.
• Point of contact and advisor to the Municipal Management Team, the Municipal Executive, and the City Council. Provides advice, both upon request and proactively, to the Municipal Executive and the management of the City of Amsterdam on procurement in the broadest sense, and specifically regarding procurement policy, framework development and oversight, market developments, and changes in laws and regulations related to procurement and contract management policy.
• Provide advice on urban strategic initiatives in which procurement plays or could play a role, but which are not yet part of the category management framework.
• Initiate the agenda, prepare for, and provide advice to the Lead Buyer meeting chaired by the CPO.
• Establishing and implementing a strategic program management framework for socially responsible contracting and procurement.
• Identifying procurement-related media coverage and reporting it to the alderman for procurement, the city council, and management, and providing advice on the matter.
• Initiating and maintaining networks and co-creation with parties both within and outside the organization that can contribute, in the short and/or long term, to achieving objectives (such as G4, the Dutch government, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), markets, and European buyer groups) and the multi-year strategy.

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!

The CPO Office is part of the Finance and Procurement Department, reporting directly to the Director of Finance and Procurement, who also serves as the CPO of the City of Amsterdam. The department consists of various divisions that provide financial and procurement services to budget holders, management, and the board, as well as a division focused on procurement and financial implementation policy and strategic financial advisory services. The CPO Office is a small organizational unit that works on multidimensional, cross-organizational procurement tasks, strategy development, and setting the agenda for procurement policy, working closely with the policy department. The goal of the CPO Office is to use strategic planning to work toward a situation in which the City of Amsterdam makes maximum use of the market to achieve political, social, and organizational goals.

What you bring

For this position as Executive Chief Procurement Officer, you must have:

• Leadership responsibility for transformations in large organizations, preferably in the public or quasi-public sector
• Experience in bridging the strategic gap between implementation, research, and policy, and in linking Procurement with other areas. You are able to translate national developments into internal policy.
• Expertise in procurement and contract management, in-depth procurement knowledge, and a clear vision of and solid experience with the procurement field and related services.

You should have the following skills:

• Providing direction: You are able to develop a vision and think conceptually and strategically with a long-term perspective. You take a firm stance based on your personal and professional authority. You know how to provide guidance and achieve results in a complex political and administrative environment. In collaboration with partners both within and outside the organization. You engage stakeholders in change processes and maintain communication, even in the face of resistance, while actively driving performance, learning, and improvement.
• Fostering innovation: You can quickly adapt to a changing environment and take effective action on issues that require managerial intervention. You maintain an overview, set the agenda, organize, and encourage and inspire innovation. You are able to think outside the box and approach challenges from new perspectives. Focus on innovation, process optimization, and service improvement.
• Collaboration: You are a unifying figure who fosters collaboration. You have an excellent understanding of administrative and political relationships and processes, and are able to navigate conflicting interests.
• Inclusive thinking and action: You think and act inclusively. You value a diverse Amsterdam and a work environment that includes people from different cultures and religions. You help create a socially safe environment. You are approachable, reliable, predictable, and inspire trust. You recognize employees’ talents and are committed to talent development.

What we offer you

As Executive Chief Procurement Officer, you will join our team for 36 hours a week and can expect the following terms of employment.

• A gross monthly salary ranging from €6,439 to €9,178 (pay grade 16) 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 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 €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 the City of Amsterdam Personnel Regulations (PGA).

Apply for this job

• If this job opening interests you, please submit your application by January 14, 2024, using the “Apply Now” button.
• The selection process consists of a CV/cover letter review, an interview, and an assessment.

• If your resume meets the job requirements, we would be happy to invite you for an interview. Interviews will be held in person at our office in Amsterdam.
• The municipality has a preference policy for positions at pay grade 15 and above. This means that, for all positions at pay grade 15 and above, candidates with a non-Western immigrant background will be given preference if they are equally qualified.
• We require a recent Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) from every colleague who joins our team.

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.