Chair and two members of the Supervisory Board

The Zaltbommel Cultural Cluster Foundation, formerly known as the "De Poorterij" Social and Cultural Center Foundation, recently changed its name and bylaws to better align with its mission. The foundation’s core mission is clear: to manage and operate cultural venues and facilities in Zaltbommel, including the De Poorterij Social and Cultural Center and, potentially in the future, the historic heritage of St. Martin’s Church. In addition, we strive to promote cultural and socio-cultural life in the community by organizing a diverse range of activities and events, such as theater and cabaret performances, concerts, lectures, exhibitions, and film screenings. However, the foundation’s aspirations extend beyond events alone. We focus on education, creative expression, and recreational development for all residents of Zaltbommel. We provide spaces for meetings, courses, and various gatherings, which are rented out to social, cultural, civic, and religious organizations, associations, and individual users.

As the Zaltbommel Cultural Cluster Foundation, the organization embraces diversity and is deeply rooted in the community. It values independence, transparency, and a critical mindset. It believes in the power of culture to connect, enrich, and inspire communities, and to make a positive impact on Zaltbommel’s cultural heritage.

The Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board and the Board of Directors are closely involved in fulfilling our mission, which is to preserve the cultural heritage of Zaltbommel. With the upcoming departure of the current Supervisory Board, we are seeking a dedicated chairperson and two members who are eager to play an active role in fulfilling this mission.

Our responsibility as the Board of Trustees includes carefully overseeing various aspects of our organization. This involves, among other things, assessing performance and results—not only in financial terms, but also in cultural and social terms. We are actively involved in monitoring and evaluating both cultural and operational activities, making decisions with a particular focus on consistency and balancing competing interests. In addition, we bear the responsibility of ensuring that our services and product offerings seamlessly align with the needs of our target groups, including our valued users and visitors. Another crucial responsibility of the Board of Trustees involves the annual plan and budget. In this regard, we play a leading role in drafting and approving key decisions, such as the multi-year strategy, multi-year projections, and the annual report and financial statements.

In addition, we serve as advisors to the executive director, both upon request and proactively. We ask critical questions and provide candid advice, always with respect for the various roles and responsibilities within the organization. Our goal is to inspire and challenge the executive director in the area of cultural entrepreneurship, enabling us to contribute together to Zaltbommel’s cultural heritage.

Profile of the Supervisory Board

In order to effectively carry out these core tasks, both general and specific requirements are imposed on the Board of Trustees as a collective and on its individual members. The Board of Trustees as a collective must endorse the municipality’s guiding principles and maintain an independent, constructively critical stance. In addition, the Board of Trustees must examine matters of importance to the organization and its mission from a broad perspective and at a high level. Members are expected to have an affinity for the management and operation of the cultural cluster and religious heritage, to be aware of developments in the municipality, to be committed to the well-being of the municipality of Zaltbommel, to support the efforts of volunteers, and to evaluate their own performance annually. The Board of Trustees meets in full session six times a year, with the director-administrator in attendance.

As a collective, the Board of Trustees is expected to possess expertise in areas such as cultural and religious heritage, finance, communications, marketing, architecture, legal matters, and tax issues, and to maintain a good balance and complementarity within the board.

Individual members of the Board of Trustees must be trustworthy, possess integrity, and be independent; they must actively participate in society, have sufficient time available, be willing to develop their professional skills, be able to make independent judgments, and have no conflicts of interest.

The chair plays a key role in safeguarding the cultural richness of our community. We are looking for an experienced administrator—a visionary leader who can set the course and has a firm hand in leading meetings and decision-making processes. The ideal chair brings a wealth of administrative experience and has an extensive network relevant to the foundation.

With regard to compensation, the positions are generally unpaid, with an expense allowance provided for board members. A rotation schedule is established to ensure continuity. Members of the Board of Trustees are appointed with the approval of the Municipal Executive of Zaltbommel. The municipality participates in Board of Trustees meetings as an agenda member and serves in an advisory capacity.

Procedure

The Zaltbommel Cultural Cluster Foundation is being assisted in this process by the executive search firm Colourful People. You can apply by uploading your brief resume and a short cover letter (both in PDF format) as soon as possible via www.colourfulpeople.nl. For direct contact or questions about these positions, please contact René F. Burgler, Esq., senior partner at Colourful People, via r.burgler@colourfulpeople.nl or at 06 28 57 54 36.

We intend to complete the process by November at the latest, with the expectation that supervisors can be appointed as of December 1, 2023.