Head of Department for Reception, Service and the Play Park

Do you want to lead the entrance where many young people meet the Youth Center for the first time?

In the Center for Job and Education we are seeking a department head for Reception, Benefit and the Play Park. You will lead about 20 employees with different professional backgrounds and three different areas of responsibility.

You will play a central role in a department where daily operations must run smoothly while we develop how we solve the task. There is something that needs to be kept well running – and something you will have the opportunity to help shape.

Your task

Reception is the entry to the Youth Center. Here we meet the young people, listen to their situation and together with them determine what the next step should be.

In Reception, employees from several centers work together to give the young person one entry point and create one consolidated plan from the first meeting. This makes coordination an important part of your leadership role.

In Benefit you will have responsibility for employees who, among other things, work with the payout of cash benefits and applications for individual allowances.

In the Play Park you lead four team leaders who use daily operations as part of the employment effort. The conversations with the citizens take their starting point in the Citizen Center, where the citizen's resources and possibilities are in focus.

Concurrently, Play Park also houses a project for citizens covered by the work obligation. A coordinator on the work obligation collaborates daily with the four team leaders.

A department in development

We are in the process of translating the intentions of the employment reform into practice. We work from a potential-based approach, where we start from the young person's resources and possibilities and strengthen the path to companies, jobs, education and meaningful communities. We also collaborate with civil society when it can create new opportunities for the young people.

As a leader you play an important role in translating this direction into practice together with the staff. This is achieved, among other things, through a two-year competence development program with Væksthuset focusing on a more reflective, business-oriented and individual practice. Here you will participate in the key person education and later also in the seven teaching modules together with the staff.

You will also have the opportunity to help further develop Play Park and shape the department's future direction.

Why choose us

You will have a large scope for leadership, skilled and experienced staff, and the opportunity to make your mark.

The staff take responsibility for their tasks, and you should not be involved in everything. Instead, you will have the opportunity to create direction and frameworks around the work and be close when sparring is needed.

You will become part of a smaller management team, which besides you consists of the Center Director, a department head for the Employment Department and an professional coordinator. We have close collaboration and use each other actively in a reflective practice about leadership, solutions and opportunities for development.

And you will have a meaningful leadership task where you help create the framework for young people to find their way to work, education and a more independent adult life.

How you succeed as a leader with us

We imagine you are a clear and trust-based leader who is curious about people and practice.

You do not need to know all the answers in advance. You ask good questions, view an issue from multiple sides and use the knowledge and experience that already exists in the department.

You give employees space to use their professional expertise and make decisions within a clear framework. You must be able to be present without micromanaging and clear without taking over employees' tasks.

When necessary, you take the leadership space, follow up, prioritize and have the difficult conversations. We emphasize an open leadership space where you can talk openly about both what works and what needs to change.

It is an advantage if you have experience working within legal frameworks – preferably from the employment area or another public organization. You do not need to be an expert in the field, but you must be willing to familiarize yourself with the applicable frameworks and know when to draw on the professional knowledge around you.

We are looking for the right person rather than the right professional profile.

About us

The Center for Job and Education is one of four centers in the Youth Area in Kolding Municipality. We work with young people who need guidance and support regarding work, education or finances.

We work based on the Citizen Center and Self-worth and Cohesion .

Read about Self-worth and Cohesion and Kolding Municipality's Leadership Principle .

Practical

If you have questions or would like to hear more about the position, you are welcome to contact the center leader for the Center for Job and Education, Jens Meilandt Langdal Nielsen, at 23 24 76 50.

The application deadline is October 21. We will hold the first interview on October 23, 2026 and the second interview on October 29, 2026 . At the second interview a case will be included. Between the two interviews a personality profile will be conducted with subsequent feedback, and there will be an opportunity for an informal coffee chat with Jens Meilandt Langdal Nielsen.

Salary and employment are in accordance with the applicable collective agreement, Ny Løn principles and in agreement with the negotiating organization.

Kolding Municipality prioritizes a sustainable working life and offers among other things a health scheme, the option to use a fitness center and a vacation fond with holiday homes.

All positions are full-time unless otherwise stated. Kolding Municipality encourages all interested regardless of age, gender, disability, religion and ethnicity to apply for the position. Prior to employment, Kolding Municipality will obtain a criminal record check or child protection clearance when required by law or when the position otherwise warrants it.

Are you considering moving to Kolding Municipality? Read more about the opportunities to live and work in Kolding Municipality at www.komtilkolding.dk