Department Manager for UngKolding

Experienced HR/people leader with a focus on people, professionalism and opportunities

Do you want to be a leader close to staff and young people, and do you have experience in creating direction, security and good conditions for a group of employees?

Then perhaps you are the one we are seeking as the new department head in UngKolding.

You will be the people leader for 12 teachers and part of a leadership team of five, where we work closely together to create good offerings and opportunities for young people.

A different school form

UngKolding is not a traditional public school. We work with young people who, for various reasons, need other frameworks than the ordinary offers of primary school.

We have the opportunity to think differently and find solutions that fit the individual young person.

Our shared view of children and young people is

Children and young people do the best they can.

It is a professional stance that is ingrained in the way we meet the young people and in our professional discussions. We are flexible and dare to find new paths when that is needed.

You will primarily be a people leader

Your most important task is to lead people. You will have personnel responsibility for 12 teachers and must be a present and clear leader who creates direction, follows up and ensures good conditions for employees to carry out their tasks.

We have a good workplace and a strong culture that we want to take care of. You must therefore help to create a safe and trusting working environment where employees experience clear leadership and have good opportunities to succeed in their tasks.

You must be able to listen and involve, but also be clear, make decisions and have the hard conversations when necessary. You must be able to create followership, handle different perspectives and stand firm when the situation requires it.

You also take responsibility for daily coordination and the administrative tasks that come with the leadership role.

You will have personnel responsibility across different offerings

As department head you will be responsible for UngKolding's daytime teaching, which includes different student groups and teaching offerings.

Nordre School is a specially organized instructional offering for students in 7th, 8th and 9th grade. Here students need different frameworks than the ordinary offers of the public school.

PULS is an offering for late-arriving multilingual youths with different educational backgrounds and very diverse Danish language and academic prerequisites.

The schoolroom at the hospital is an educational offering for children and young people who are admitted to hospital.

The offerings and target groups are different. It requires you as a leader to be able to create coherence and direction across different professional environments and tasks.

You must be able to support staff who handle different tasks, and help create a shared culture where there is room for diversity and a clear common stance.

It is a central part of the leadership task to be the unifying factor for the staff group – even when the staff's daily work and professional tasks vary.

You must be curious about the professionalism

You do not need to be a specialist in all of our areas.

Instead, you should have an interest in the professional and pedagogical practice and be curious about the staff's professionalism. You must be able to ask good questions, support professional development and create the framework for staff to succeed in their tasks.

We imagine that you have a relevant professional background, preferably as a teacher, and a good understanding of school, teaching and the work that the professionals around the young people carry out.

You must be able to see opportunities in children and young people

We are looking for a leader who has experience with children and young people who need other frameworks than the traditional school.

The most important thing is that you can see opportunities and resources in the individual and understand that different children and young people may need different paths to learning, well-being and development.

You are not alone

You will become part of a leadership team of five, where we work closely together, coordinate across and help each other.

UngKolding is a diverse organization with daytime teaching, clubs and leisure education, among others. We collaborate closely with the public schools, the hospital and many other municipal and external partners.

You will become part of a management community where we brainstorm with each other, take joint responsibility and help each other succeed.

As department head, you will therefore have a leadership role with a clear focus on staff management, while also having the opportunity to contribute to professional development, coordination and new solutions.

We imagine that you

• have solid experience in leading staff
• are clear and present as a leader and can create security and direction
• have experience with children and young people who need different settings
• are interested in pedagogy, teaching and professional development
• have a relevant professional background, preferably as a teacher
• can lead staff with different tasks and areas of expertise
• can maintain overview in a complex and changing everyday
• are willing to find flexible solutions and think innovatively

If you are an experienced people leader who wants to make a difference for both staff and young people, we would love to hear from you.

About UngKolding

UngKolding is Kolding Municipality's youth school with activities in several locations within the municipality. We are a flexible school form focusing on creating opportunities for young people who need something other than the traditional educational path.

Read more about UngKolding on our website: www.ungkolding.dk

Application deadline: 18 October

First interview: 21 October

Second interview: 27 October

Start date: expected December 1, 2026.

If you have questions about the position, you are welcome to contact youth school leader Mikkel Villadsen at tel. 24 40 87 44

If you would like a tour, you are welcome to contact Mikkel. He can be reached by phone between 08:30-11:00 on weekdays.

For the second interview, a case is included. Between the two interviews a personality profile will be conducted with subsequent feedback. References will be collected by agreement.

Application deadline: Oct. 18, 2026

Department: C.F. Tietgensvej 7 C 6000 Kolding