Head of Department to launch the residential care home Ask – a rare opportunity

Do you want to lead the establishment of a completely new residential facility for adults with autism and comorbidity?

And are you motivated by having a large leadership space, setting a direction and building both a staff group, professionalism, structure and culture from day one?

Then the position as department head for Ask might be right for you.

Ask opens 1 March 2027 , and as department head you will play a central role even before the opening. You will have the overall leadership responsibility for the establishment, startup and subsequent operation of the offering.

This is a position for someone who can build up, set clear direction and create buy-in , and who thrives with a large autonomous leadership space combined with a close leadership community.

Your first big task: To create Ask

Your first task will not be to take over an existing department. You will help to create Ask from the ground up.

In the run-up to the opening on 1 March 2027 you will among other things be responsible for:

• planning and carrying out the establishment and startup of Ask
• recruiting and assembling a cross-disciplinary staff group of about 18 employees
• following the application for Social Supervision's approval of Ask to the door
• creating the framework for a safe and professional relocation for the citizens
• developing the professional foundation together with the staff group
• establishing clear structures, workflows and areas of responsibility
• creating a strong professional culture focused on quality, collaboration and the working environment.

Put differently, you will have the opportunity to make a clear mark on Ask from the very beginning.

About Ask

Ask will be a long-term residential facility with 15 places spread over two houses and run under the Act on Social Services § 105, paragraph 1 and SL § 85.

The target group is adults aged 18-67 with autism spectrum disorders and comorbidity, such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, self-harm or other psychiatric issues. The citizens have a cognitive functional level within the normal range.

Ask must create good frames for citizens with complex challenges while also having a clear development perspective.

We shall work with each individual citizen to specifically target

• stability and well-being in daily life
• life mastery and the greatest possible independence
• opportunities to eventually live in a smaller, less intrusive offering
• participation in employment, education or meaningful activities
• participation in meaningful communities , both in and outside Ask
• a holistic and coordinated effort
• a high degree of citizen involvement.

Ask is staffed around the clock, and there will be overnight sleep shifts.

The location is at Nygårdsvej 43, 8270 Højbjerg,

Your leadership responsibility

As department head you have the overall responsibility for Ask. This means that you must be both professional leader, people manager, work environment leader and operations manager .

When Ask is established, your central leadership tasks will among other things be to

Professional leadership and quality

• set a clear professional direction for the offering
• support high pedagogical quality and systematization
• ensure that professional methods and strategic goals are translated into practice
• ensure systematic documentation, follow-up and learning
• support progression and development for the individual citizen.

Staff leadership and work environment

• take care of the daily staff leadership
• create clarity about goals, roles and expectations
• ensure professional sparring and development
• create buy-in and involve the employees in the development of Ask
• work systematically with well-being and the work environment
• develop a culture characterized by professionalism, safety, responsibility and collaboration.

Operations and strategic leadership

• have responsibility for budget and resource management
• ensure stable and sustainable operations
• work with tariffs, capacity and flow
• translate political decisions and strategies in the administration of Disability, Life Mastery and Communities into concrete practice
• create coherence with the organization's other efforts, including employment- and education-oriented offerings
• collaborate with authorities, relatives and relevant internal and external partners.

You report to the center director in the Center for Development and Autism and you will receive administrative and professional support from central support functions in areas such as finance, payroll and personnel, quality and professional development.

We are looking for a clear and experienced leader who can stand on their own while also seeing themselves as an active part of a shared leadership responsibility.

You must be able to create direction in an organization where not everything is given in advance. You must have a view for both people, professionalism and operations, and be able to hold to the direction even when the task is complex.

We place particular emphasis on the following

• have a relevant social-work or health-care education
• have management experience, preferably from the specialized adult sector
• have knowledge of autism and comorbidity
• have experience with structured pedagogical approaches
• can set clear direction and create buy-in
• thrive with change, development and complex problems
• can stand firmly in personnel leadership, even when difficult decisions must be made
• can collaborate across disciplines and organizational boundaries.

You succeed in balancing

• High professionalism and systematic work
• Clear leadership and involvement of the employees
• Operational reliability and development.

About the leadership community

As department head you will become part of a newly established leadership group in the Center for Development and Autism. The center was established on August 1, and we are therefore in an exciting phase, where together we shall create the framework for our cooperation, culture and common direction.

We believe that skilled leaders should have real room to lead. Therefore you as department head will have great freedom to make decisions, exercise leadership and leave your mark on both the professional development and the culture at Ask. At the same time we emphasize that we as leaders take joint responsibility for the center's overall development and contribute actively to the shared decisions and goals.

We therefore seek a leader who is comfortable in the leader role, has leadership experience and thrives with substantial responsibility. You must be able to work independently and at the same time want to join a close leadership community where we use each other actively for sparring, development and joint task solving.

As a new leader with us you will become part of a leadership group that is still being built. It provides a rare opportunity to help shape both the collaboration form, culture and ambitions for the leadership community in the center of the future. We value open dialogue, different perspectives and a constructive approach to collaboration, while standing together for the common direction.

What you get with us

• a rare opportunity to build a new specialized residential offer from the ground up
• a large and real leadership space
• opportunity to put your own professional and leadership imprint on
• a central role in the development of a new offering and a new organization in development
• a close leadership community with the possibility of professional and leadership sparring
• an organization focused on quality, progression and holistic solutions
• focus on citizens' opportunities to master their own life and participate in meaningful communities
• attention to the workload and well-being of department heads
• access to administrative and professional support.

Salary and terms of employment

Salary and terms of employment are set in accordance with the applicable collective agreement between the Danish Association of Local Government and the negotiating organization.

Employment from 1 December 2026.

Weekly working hours: Full-time.

The position is at all times contingent on a satisfactory criminal record check.

Want to know more?

If you have questions about the position, the leadership task or Ask, you are very welcome to contact: Center Director Jeppe L. Iversen at telephone 41856798 or by email: [email protected]

Application

Applications for positions in Aarhus Municipality are submitted electronically. Click on 'Search for the position' to fill out and send your application. All fields marked with * must be completed. Only when you have received an email confirmation have we received your application.

The application deadline is 19 October .

First interview on: 22 October.

Second interview on: 27 October.

The appointment committee consists of employees, upcoming department head colleagues, a representative for the relatives and the center director.

About us

Center for Development and Autism (CUA) is part of Disability, Life Mastery and Communities in Aarhus Municipality. We take pride in involving citizens, employees and the surrounding society when we develop new interventions and offers. The pedagogical methodological basis includes KRAP, ASK and LA2U.