Head of Department for Reception, Service and the Play Park

Do you want to lead the entry point 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 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 running well – and something you will have the opportunity to help shape.

Your task

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

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

In Benefits you will be responsible for employees who, among other things, work with payment of cash benefits and applications for individual benefits.

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

Alongside, Play Park also hosts a project for citizens covered by the obligation to work. A coordinator of 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 view, 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 will have 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 focused 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 future direction of the department.

Why you should choose us

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

Employees take responsibility for their tasks, and you don't have to be involved in everything. Instead you get the opportunity to create direction and framework around the work and be close when sparring is needed.

You will become part of a small management team, consisting of the center director, a department head for the Employment Department and a professional coordinator, in addition to you. We work closely together and use each other actively in a reflective practice about leadership, solutions and development opportunities.

And you will have a meaningful leadership role, helping to create the framework for young people to find their path toward work, education and a more independent adult life.

How to succeed as a leader with us

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

You don't need to know all the answers in advance. You ask good questions, view a matter from several sides and use the knowledge and experience already present in the department.

You give the staff room to use their professionalism and to make decisions within a clear framework. You should be able to be present without micromanaging and clear without taking over the staff's tasks.

When necessary, you take the leadership space, follow up, prioritize and have the difficult conversations. We place emphasis on an open leadership space where people can speak honestly about both what works and what needs to change.

It's an advantage if you have experience working within regulatory frameworks – ideally from the employment sector or another public organization. You don't need to be an expert in the field, but you should be willing to learn 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

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 from the Citizen's Center and Self-worth and Coherence .

Read about Self-worth and Coherence and Kolding Municipality's leadership principles.

Practical

If you have questions or wish to hear more about the position, you are welcome to contact the head of 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, the Ny Løn principles and agreement with the negotiating organization.

Kolding Municipality prioritizes a sustainable working life and offers, among other things, a health scheme, the possibility to use a gym and a holiday fund with holiday homes.

Application deadline: 21 October 2026

Department: Nicolaiplads 6 6000 Kolding