Head of Department for Unemployment Benefits and Flex Jobs

At JobKolding we are so fortunate that our skilled department head has received a new challenge as center manager for Job and Development. Therefore we are seeking a new department head who can set a direction, stand firm when necessary, and at the same time be curious about whether we can solve the task better.

About the task

You will be responsible for a department with 28 employees who work with unemployment benefit recipients, public unemployment benefit recipients, and retention of flex jobs.

The employment area is changing and it requires leadership that can create direction when the framework changes. As department head, you must be able to translate new requirements and decisions into a practice that the employees can work after, and you must be able to create an overview, prioritize between tasks, and make decisions when needed.

At the same time, we expect you to be curious whether we can solve our tasks in other ways. We would like a leader who has the courage to challenge existing practice and test new and innovative solutions when it makes sense. It could be a new way to organize a task, another way of collaborating, or an idea that deserves to be tried in practice. The important thing is not that the solution is new, but that you can see the possibilities, assess them professionally and organizationally, and follow up on whether they actually work.

We do not expect you to come with a finished model for how the department should develop. We expect you to be curious about the possibilities, involve the employees' knowledge, and have the courage to try new solutions when there is a professional or organizational basis for it.

About the employees and the department

It is a department with an experienced group of employees, strong professional competencies, and a good work culture. Therefore the task is not to come in and change everything. The task is to take responsibility for what works and at the same time have an eye for what can be done better.

The employees have great professional experience, and there are professional coordinators who support the professional task solving. We also work with reflective practice, where the employees use each other for professional sparring and to qualify their assessments.

Therefore you do not need to be the one who has all the professional answers. You should be the one who creates the framework for professional expertise to come into play, and who can ask the questions that make the decisions better.

We also place emphasis on employees feeling psychologically safe. They must be able to bring forth doubt, mistakes, professional disagreements, and new ideas. This requires a leader who listens and creates space, but also a leader who dares to have difficult conversations, handle conflicts and make decisions.

You must be able to be clear without closing dialogue and stand firm without being rigid.

Citizen at the center

At JobKolding we work with the Citizen's Center and the approach of Self-worth and Coherence. As a leader you must be able to translate the approach into practice and support a culture where employees are curious about the citizen's perspective, challenge their own assumptions, and use their professionalism to create solutions that make sense.

This also requires that you can look beyond your own profession and department and involve others when necessary.

Read more about Self-worth and Coherence here .

About the leadership team

You report to the center director for Job and Retention and become part of the leadership team in the area. Here it is expected that you take responsibility for your own department and contribute to the overall task solving.

We prioritize the leaders' own development and allocate time and resources to leadership professional upskilling.

Who are you?

You have solid leadership experience with professional employees and want to take responsibility for both people, operations, and development. We would like you to have completed a transformation where not everyone agreed from the start.

In addition, you must be able to understand professionally complex areas, be curious about different perspectives, and ask the questions that get employees to professionally justify their assessments.

We envision that you are clear in your expectations, curious about others' perspectives, and willing to change course when you become wiser. You have the courage to challenge existing practice and can translate good ideas into something that can be tested in reality.

You must be able to create a working environment where employees dare to express their opinions, while knowing where the decisions are made. And you must be able to see the connection between employees' well-being, professional quality, and the task we are set to solve.

How we see you as a leader

We have chosen not to fill the advertisement with a long list of personal qualities. Instead we send a separate case attachment with four situations that you may encounter as a department head.

You choose one of the four situations and describe how you would think and act. In addition, we ask you to describe one concrete leadership decision from your own professional life that you still think about.

We do not have a correct answer to the case. We are interested in what you notice, which questions you would ask, which considerations you would weigh against each other, and what could make you change your mind.

It gives us a better insight into how you think and lead in practice than an application that only describes that you are clear, inclusive, and good at relationships.

Read the case attachment and make it part of your application.

About the use of AI

You may use AI in your application work and in your case response. We use the technology ourselves and would like to have a leader who is curious about its possibilities.

In the case attachment you can read more about how we relate to the use of AI in the application process.

Application

Send your application with relevant attachments so that we have it no later than 18 October 2026 .

In the application we ask you to relate to one of the four situations and also describe one concrete leadership decision from your own professional life.

We will hold the first interview on 23 October 2026 and the second interview on 29 October 2026 , where a case will be included.

Between the two interviews we will conduct a personality profile test, for which you will receive personal feedback. We will obtain references by agreement prior to the second interview.

We expect you to be able to start as our new department head no later than 1 December 2026 .

The practical

In the Labour Market area we operate with a flexible Friday model, where Friday is generally a home-working day. The position is also covered by the ongoing experimental framework until 31 December 2027, where employees and managers by agreement can participate in a four-day workweek.

Work location: Dieselvej 6, 6000 Kolding

Salary framework: Salary and employment terms in accordance with the applicable collective agreement

Weekly norm: 37 hours per week

The salary will be determined according to the principles of local wage formation based on the function of the position and the candidate's qualifications.

If you are interested and would like more information, please contact

Center Director Thomas Kjærgaard. Tel.: 24 97 99 58. Email: [email protected]

Prior to employment, Kolding Municipality will obtain a criminal record certificate/child-safety certificate when required by law or when the position justifies it.

All positions are full-time unless otherwise stated. Kolding Municipality encourages all interested parties regardless of age, gender, disability, religion and ethnic origin to apply for the position. Prior to employment, Kolding Municipality will obtain a criminal record certificate/child-safety certificate when required by law or when the position justifies it.

Considering moving to Kolding Municipality? Read more about the possibilities of living in Kolding Municipality at www.komtilkolding.dk