ZJCN Senior Medical Advisor

The organisation

ZJCN is the department within the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) responsible for healthcare and youth care in the Caribbean Netherlands. While part of the department is based in The Hague, the vast majority of our staff is located on Bonaire. Through video conferencing and working visits, we strive to operate as a single, unified department despite the distance and time difference. Unlike in the European Netherlands, VWS directly administers health insurance and youth care in the Caribbean Netherlands. Consequently, the department is responsible not only for policy and legislation but also for the actual implementation and execution of these services.

The department

Care and Youth Caribbean Netherlands implements the BES Healthcare Insurance Decree for the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The BES Healthcare Insurance insures residents of the Caribbean Netherlands for medical and long-term care. ZJCN has establishments on the three islands of the Caribbean Netherlands (Saba, St. Eustatius, and Bonaire).

The motto in the Caribbean Netherlands is reliable, fair and accessible.
The Services Insured Persons department focuses the on care for the insured persons. On the one hand, insured persons should receive the care to which they are entitled and, on the other hand, lawfulness and efficiency of care are equally important. Furthermore, the department is responsible for substantive medical advice and quality assurance of care. The department consists of a Head of Services Insured Persons, a Team Leader, two Medical Advisers, and two Medical Assistants. As a Medical Adviser, you assess the entitlements and efficiency of various types of care. Insured persons depend on care in the region and abroad for care that cannot be provided on the islands themselves.

Job description

As a senior medical advisor at ZJCN, you are the link between policy, procurement, and medical care. Your activities are highly diverse and range from the micro level, where you assess the casework of insured individuals, to the meso level, where you are involved in the joint development of quality policy and healthcare procurement for ZJCN.

At the macro level, you may be asked to provide input and contribute ideas regarding policy development in the field of healthcare infrastructure for the residents of the BES islands.

As a senior medical advisor, you have a coordinating and coaching role within the team and coordinate the distribution of operational tasks with the team members.

Availability in the evenings, nights, and weekends as back-up support for the on-call staff is part of the duties. The shifts are distributed among the medical advisors.

Job responsibilities

• You assess applications for provisions (medical, paramedical, and pharmaceutical care) based on legitimacy and efficiency;
• You maintain contact with healthcare providers regarding insured care, applications for provisions, and individual casework;
• You proactively contribute to the development of information systems;
• You provide solicited or unsolicited advice in the field of healthcare procurement;
• You identify new developments in the field of insured care and translate these into concrete recommendations for the management team;
• You advise on and monitor the quality and efficiency of care within our region;
• You work independently and know when to scale up or down;
• You are able to discuss internally the areas for improvement you identify.

Job requirements

• Possession of a completed university degree (WO) in Medicine, preferably registered as a Physician of Society & Health (M&G), or at minimum a profile registration in Policy & Advice (B&A) or Indications & Advice (I&A), and at least 5 years of work experience in a comparable position;
• Knowledge of healthcare developments;
• Experience in translating a vision into practical policy proposals; 
• Knowledge of relevant (local) legislation and regulations, or willing to acquire this knowledge; 
• Affinity with financial-economic issues in the healthcare sector and working with and analysing statistical data; 
• Excellent communication and social skills;
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in Dutch and English;
• Good communication skills in Papiamento and Spanish is preferred.

Competencies

• Cooperation
• flexibility
• Customer focus
• Accuracy
• Integrity
• Empathy
• Formation of an opinion
• Independence and decisiveness

What we offer

• An appointment in accordance with the BES Civil Servants Legal Status Decree;
• A competitive salary in initial salary scale 12/ job salary scale 13, ranging from a minimum of $5,066 to a maximum of $7,159 per month (based on a 36-hour work week).. Assignment to a pay scale based on knowledge and experience;
• Holiday pay (8.33% of the annual income);
• A thirteenth month (8.33% of the annual income)
• A vitality allowance;
• A pension provision placed with Pensioenfonds Caribisch Nederland (PCN);
• 182 holiday hours with a 36-hour working 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.
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.

Good to know for those interested 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?

For information about the vacancy you can contact Melissa Arias, Head of Care and Services ZJCN, via mr.arias@minvws.nl or Melissa.Arias@zorgverzekeringskantoor.nl.

Digital applications

You can send your Curriculum Vitae and letter of application to: vacature@rijksdienstcn.com.