The organisation

Care and Youth Caribbean Netherlands (ZJCN) is a department within the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). The Minister is accountable to the House of Representatives for the organisation’s work. This means that our work includes informing the House of Representatives through letters to parliament or during debates. The department’s staff are located partially in the Hague, but mostly on Bonaire. The management team, of which the head of department is a member, is spread across these two locations, with the director based in The Hague. Despite the distance and time difference, we try our upmost to operate as a single department through the use of video conferences and working visits.

In contrast to the situation in the European Netherlands, VWS is also responsible for health insurance and youth care in the Caribbean Netherlands. As a consequence the department is not only responsible for policy and legislation, but also for implementation.

The department is also the point of contact within VWS for the Caribbean Netherlands, the countries of Curaçao, Aruba and St Maarten and the other ministries, such as the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

The department

The Youth Care department is committed to improving the lives of children on Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius. Our mission is to work together to ensure every child’s long-term safety.

The Youth Care department’s focus is on caring for children whose development is under threat. The point of departure is that children should be able to grow up within their own families as far as possible, and that parents have primary responsibility for them. The focus of this approach is on strengthening the family’s own resilience, in both a voluntary and compulsory framework. The Youth Care department operates in an environment which is characterised by the unique scale of the islands, their diverse cultures and the distinctive social attitudes towards (the raising of) children. The considerable geographical distance between Bonaire and Saba/Statia means that consistently providing high-quality care is a challenge. A total of 28 FTEs work within the department, including youth workers, behavioural scientists and residential support workers.

Job description

As a member of the management team of the Youth Care department, you will also be part of the Care and Youth Caribbean Netherlands (ZJCN) management team within the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). Within the MT you will be responsible for the Youth Care department. The main duties of the Youth Care department can be divided into four sub-areas, namely secondary itinerant care, the implementation of child protection measures and juvenile probation, foster care and an assisted living facility.

You will be responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of the products and services of the Youth Care department, in other words for their implementation. You will guide and manage the organisational development and will be responsible for the quality of the work performed by staff. This may involve improving quality by initiating and monitoring research into the quality of the organisation’s own support services, as well as identifying trends that have an impact on the youth care services being provided and formulating appropriate measures in response, so that the services remain up to date and suitable for the target group. The head of department is also involved in internal quality assurance and is expected to play a proactive role in the collaboration with the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (Inspectie gezondheidszorg en jeugd).

The head of department is responsible for positioning the department within ZJCN as a whole, as well as externally. You will represent ZJCN/the Youth Care Department at the various stakeholder meetings with the heads of department and directors of other organisations and will be responsible for the positioning of the ZJCN Youth Care Department within the wider youth protection chain.

This role involves you optimising the combination of policy and implementation. You will work closely with your social domain colleague on the Management Team on the development of youth policy and the tackling of domestic violence and child abuse. On the one hand, the head of department formulates policy principles in the field of youth care and family supervision. On the other hand, the head of department implements these in the approach and working methods of the Youth Care Department, or in collaboration with other youth care providers. The head of department is also able to address and implement (organisational) changes for ZJCN which are the result of reforms to the care structure on the islands, such as the administrative agreements on youth care (2023).

You will build and maintain a professional network at civil service and management level that is relevant to your work and focused on the department’s area of responsibility. You will also be responsible for initiating, developing and expanding, or maintaining, (strategic) partnerships with stakeholder organisations on the 6 islands and in the Netherlands. It is therefore important to have a feeling for the different cultures that exist on the islands. We would therefore prefer to appoint someone who knows the islands well and/or is actually from one of the islands.

The organisation requires stability and continuity in its leadership and the head of department must not be afraid to take the lead when it comes to upholding our care philosophy and making sure it becomes common practice both internally and externally. They must be capable of working with others as a team within ZJCN in order to deliver results, inspire others and provide long-term direction for the (further) professionalisation of ZJCN and for collaboration with partners in the care sector.

Lastly, the Head of the Youth Care Department acts as chair (back-up) of the Operational Crisis Team on Bonaire and actively contributes to the organisation’s preparedness by taking part in education, training and exercise programmes to ensure effective crisis management.

Job requirements

  • A university education level of professional and intellectual ability.
  • At least 5 years’ experience in a managerial role within a professional (youth) care organisation and a proven track record of successfully managing (multiple) processes and projects.
  • Proof of inspiring leadership skills, with a particular focus on enhancing the learning capacity of the organisation and its staff.
  • A demonstrable affinity with youth issues and knowledge of relevant legislation and regulations.
  • A highly developed ability to find pragmatic solutions would be a definite asset.
  • A command of spoken and written Dutch, Papiamentu and English would be a definite asset, or a willingness to learn these languages within a very short space of time.
  • Skill in maintaining contacts in an operational and dynamic network.
  • A well-developed managerial and organisational sensitivity which enables the individual to operate at a management level within a field of work that is politically and socially significant and sensitive.

Competencies

  • The ability to help staff develop.
  • The ability to manage an organisation.
  • Organisational and managerial sensitivity.
  • Integrity.
  • The ability to think strategically.
  • Decisiveness.
  • Good communication skills.

Job-specific competences

  • Unifying leadership skills.
  • A capacity for analytical thought.
  • The ability to form opinions.
  • A focus on results.
  • Situational awareness.
  • Skills in terms of vision and direction.
  • The ability to implement change.

What do we offer?

  • An appointment in conformity with the Rechstpositiebesluit Ambtenaren BES (BES Legal Status of Civil Servants Decree);
  • A salary in line with the market, in initial salary scale 13 and  job salary scale 14 from a minimum of $5.884,- and a maximum of $8.037,- based on a work week of 36 hours. A pay grade based on knowledge and experience;
  • A holiday pay (8.33% of the annual income);
  • A13th month (8.33% of the annual income);
  • Vitality allowance;
  • A pension plan administered by Pensioenfonds Caribisch Nederland (PCN);
  • 182 holiday hours based on a work week of 36 hours;
  • A temporary appointment of one year with the prospect of a permanent appointment in case of good performance and a positive appraisal;
  • A relocation scheme for applicants not living in the island.

Procedure

An assessment, case and/or reference check may be part of the procedure.
This vacancy is being advertised internally and externally, and the following order will be considered in the selection process:

  • Official RCN staff on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (internal);

  • Residents of the Caribbean part of the Netherlands (external);

  • Other candidates (external);

Terms of appointment

  • A Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG);
  • Medical examination regarding mandatory registration for the pension fund (with a personal contribution);
  • Dutch citizenship.

Important information for interested applicants living outside the Caribbean Netherlands

  • The salary is paid in American dollars, the official currency in the Caribbean Netherlands;
  • The Caribbean Netherlands has its own tax regulations. Income above the tax-free allowance $21,956 in 2026 is taxed at 29.4% in the first bracket (up to an income of $53,198). A tax rate of 38.4% applies to the second bracket;
  • You are or will become a resident of the Caribbean Netherlands.

More information?

  • Want to know more about the position or would you like to introduce yourself to a direct colleague first? Feel free to call Jantine Homan (MT member social domain ZJCN) at +31 6 469 496 75 or send an email to jm.homan@minvws.nl.
  • For more information regarding the application procedure, you can contact Enovita Boekhoudt, HR Advisor, at telephone number: +599 795 5030.

Digital applications

You may send your curriculum vitae with cover letter to: vacature@rijksdienstCN.com.