Board member – Chairperson

About the position

In order to conduct our board deliberations with the necessary professional depth, we are seeking a new chairperson now that the current chairperson has reached the maximum term of office.

The chairperson plays an essential role in steering the aforementioned transition process. Experience leading change processes is a plus. As chair, you are responsible for steering the organization’s course. In this role, you support the board as needed, identify potential bottlenecks, and ensure continuity. You also ensure a balanced and active contribution from board members and maintain a healthy and safe social organization.
Together with other board members, you will maintain contact with grant providers (including the City of Utrecht) and other potential strategic partners.
As chair, you must be able to balance various interests. It is helpful if you have access to and are sensitive to the political and administrative context of the City of Utrecht.

Given the composition of the board, we particularly encourage young candidates to apply. The mission SCN stands for requires people who think and act in an intergenerational, diverse, and inclusive manner. The time commitment for this socially meaningful role is approximately two to four hours per week, with a potentially higher workload during specific phases of development. The board position is for three years and is unpaid. After your first term on the board, you may run for re-election.

Do you recognize yourself in the profile and does the scope of responsibilities appeal to you, but you lack prior experience as a chairperson or do not yet meet all the competencies? No problem. We’d be happy to discuss with you what you need to successfully fulfill this role.

Specific tasks chairperson

• Leading organizational development processes;
• Monitoring the organization’s direction: Ensuring compliance with the governance structure, the strategic plan, and the organization’s social objectives;
• Team leadership: Ensuring an effective division of responsibilities within the board;
• Fostering a healthy work environment: Maintaining an overview and promoting a healthy and socially safe working environment on the board, as well as good employment practices.

General board duties

• Actively taking part in developing strategic questions and our strategy.
• Taking part in (half-)yearly reviews with staff.
• Keeping an eye on developments in our social field.
• Spotting bottlenecks and risks and raising them.
• Providing a supervisory and reviewing role.
• Where needed, being a point of contact for funders and other strategic partners.
• Discussing the progress of projects with our project developers and board members.
• Advising project developers from professional expertise.
• Thinking along and advising on grant applications.
• Looking into developments within the organisation: a board member listens, is people-oriented and can communicate in a connecting way about interests that may conflict.
• Actively taking part in De Voorkamer’s programme, to stay close to our community and what is going on in our organisation.

Competences

Organizational and Political Sensitivity

You understand how the organization works; you have a keen sense of relationships and interests—both internally and in the broader political context—and you know how to respond to and leverage these tactfully. You coordinate matters with the right people at the right time. You anticipate administrative risks and take measures to mitigate them.

An inspiring and constructively empathetic leader

You can guide collective processes in an inspiring way, motivating and inspiring others. You are attuned to what is happening within the organization and act in the best interests of the group. In doing so, you can constructively address bottlenecks and/or areas for improvement.

Setting Boundaries and Building Connections

You are confident and self-assured. You are not afraid to set boundaries when necessary—regarding behavior, expectations, or work practices—but you manage to do so in a way that strengthens, rather than undermines, collaboration and social safety within the organization.

Proactive and results-oriented

You’re also someone who can keep a close eye on the long term. You anticipate bottlenecks, take the initiative, and ensure that things get moving and keep moving forward—without getting bogged down in details or losing sight of the bigger picture.

Dutch and English

You are proficient in both written and spoken Dutch. This is necessary for communicating with Dutch-speaking grant recipients and navigating Dutch legislation, where linguistic nuance is important. In addition, you are proficient in English due to the multilingual nature of the board.

Composition of the board

Our foundation’s board consists of a chair, a treasurer, a general board member, a board member with HR expertise and two board members with expertise in diversity and inclusion. The board meets twelve times a year. Periodically, the board adopts a (multi-year) policy plan, which De Voorkamer’s staff work out in consultation with the board and the funders. The board members oversee its implementation and further development.

• Sytse Koopmans (he/him) – Chair
• Jos Konickx (he/him) – Treasurer
• Zina Mansoor (she/her) – General board member
• Anthony Assaker (he/him) – Board member HR
• Srishagon Abraham (he/him) – Board member diversity & inclusion
• Ekram Jalboutt (she/her) – Board member diversity & inclusion

Board members are unpaid; expenses are reimbursed. Most management tasks currently lie with the Initiative Facilitator, who is also the founder of SCN.