SSO CN Communication Manager

HBO WO | Bonaire | 36 hours| Vacancy number: P&O2025_03_002 | Closing date: 1 April 2025

Job description

As a Communications Manager, you manage the Communications Team and you realise the objectives of the organisation together with other MT members. In your role as a Communications Manager, you fulfil a bridging function with the ministries in The Hague.

Job responsibilities

• Participation in MT;
• You provide integral advice and implementation;
• You implement SSO-wide tasks, e.g. in the areas of services and leadership.
• You promote the communications culture and you set a good example.

Integral management

• You are responsible for the results and development of the department;
• You are responsible for the preparation and realisation of an annual communications plan;
• You allocate the deployment of people and resources and ensure effective and efficient staffing;
• You monitor and manage the quality of the services of the Communications team and you report to the head of the Shared Service Organisation;
• You are responsible for the departmental budgets;
• You hold interviews as part of the HR cycle;
• You coach, support, motivate, and encourage employees and you conduct structural work meetings;
• You develop a vision, new ideas and/or concepts and you coordinate them with the stakeholders.

Bridging function

• You exert influence on the development of national policy in view of the local feasibility and you create support for this; You independently maintain contacts with the ministries at management level, including the Communications departments of the various ministries.

Networking

• You act as a representative, mediator, and negotiator;
• You build and maintain a network with the Communications departments of the ministries, local and regional media, and other relevant parties.

Th​e organisation

The Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland (RCN) is the link between the executive services of the Ministries present on the islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. Each Ministry is itself substantively responsible for the introduction and implementation of policies of its own Ministry. SSO CN is a Shared Service Organisation and provides business operations and support in the areas of Human Resources Management (HRM), Procurement, Facility Management, ICT, Finance, and Communication for all active departments in the Caribbean Netherlands.

The department

The Communications department provides substantiated advice and professional support in the area of communications to the services and departments operating in the Caribbean Netherlands. The team has a relevant local, regional, and Hague network and also ensures that the services and departments, as well as the ministries in The Hague, know exactly what is going on in public opinion. Our objective is the realisation of a communication approach that effectively reaches target group(s) in the Caribbean Netherlands, improves the interaction with the surroundings or enables better policy creation. We do this by providing solicited and unsolicited advice and developing targeted communication products.

Competencies

• Organisational sensitivity;
• Governance sensitivity;
• Situational awareness;
• Networking;
• Steering;
• Development of employees;
• Reflection.

Job requirements

• Your intellectual and professional ability is at the level of Higher Professional Education (HBO) / University Education (WO);
• You have management experience, preferably within the (semi) government sector;
• You are able to create relevant networks within and outside the Central Government.
• You have an understanding of political processes and administrative relationships;
• You have the ability to analyse communication challenges and you come up with effective solutions;
• You have excellent oral and written communication skills in Papiamento, Dutch, and English.

If you do not yet meet all the job requirements, then this is not a problem. We use a selection interview and development assessment to determine whether you can fulfil the job requirements within one to two years, under supervision. You are offered a development programme and coaching pathway from a substantive coach that you can mirror yourself to.

What do we offer?

• An appointment in accordance with the Rechtspositiebesluit ambtenaren BES (Legal Status Decree on Civil Servants BES);

• A competitive salary in initial salary scale 12 and job salary scale 13, monthly of at least $ 4.801,- and at most $ 6.785,- in case of a 36-hour working week. Assignment to a pay scale based on knowledge and experience;

• Holiday pay (8.33% of remuneration);
• A end of year bonus (8.33% of remuneration);
• Vitality allowance;
• A pension provision placed with Pensioenfonds Caribisch Nederland (PCN);
• 182 holiday hours for a working week of 36 hours per week;
• A temporary appointment of one year, with the prospect of a permanent appointment for good performance and a positive assessment result;
• A relocation scheme for candidates who respond from outside the island.

Procedure

An assessment, case and/or reference check may be part of the procedure.
The following order is taken into account in the selection:

• Official RCN staff on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (internal);
• Residents of the Caribbean part of the Netherlands (external);
• Other candidates (external);

Appointment requirements

• A Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG);
• A medical examination for admission to the pension fund;
• Dutch citizenship.

Good to know for those interested outside the Caribbean Netherlands

• The salary is in US dollars which is the official currency in the Caribbean Netherlands;
• The Caribbean Netherlands has its own tax regulations. Income above the tax-free allowance of $21.373,- in 2025 is taxed in the first bracket, up to an income of $51,250, at 30.4%; In the second bracket, a tax rate of 35.4% applies.
• You are or will become a resident of the Caribbean Netherlands.

More information?

For information about the vacancy you can contact Ingrid Sealy, Head of Department SSO-CN, telephone number +599 795 4919

Digital application

You can send your Curriculum Vitae accompanied by a motivation to: vacature@rijksdienstCN.com