Director of Culture and Citizen Services

Director of Culture and Citizen Services

Do you want to lead one of Aarhus Municipality's most visible magistrate departments – and help set the direction for a city where culture, sports, communities and good citizen service must play an even larger role?

Culture and Citizen Services is about to enter a new chapter. A new city council has set a clear direction for Aarhus, and with new ambitious benchmarks we will bring culture, sport, leisure, democracy and coherent citizen- and business-service even more into play in the development of the city.

As our new director you will therefore have a unique opportunity to make a mark on the city's culture and leisure life and to help develop the communities that make Aarhus a living cultural city and an attractive place to be for both Aarhusians and the many people who visit the smile city every year.

Tasks - what you will do with us

As director you will have overall responsibility for management, operation and development of a magistrate department with a broad contact surface and great significance for many Aarhus residents' lives. Together with the alderman you will set a clear strategic direction and translate the new benchmarks into concrete actions with room for new ideas and solutions, while ensuring that the high ambitions are realized through an inclusive and safe implementation.

You will be the alderman's closest administrative sparring partner and must deliver safe, solution-oriented advice with a view to both the political room for maneuver and the organizational consequences. At the same time you must build trust across the city council and be a strong partner in the municipality's executive group.

With a view to the organization's needs you should contribute to bringing Culture and Citizen Services into the joint agendas and show how Culture and Citizen Services can make a real difference to Aarhus residents' well-being, health and everyday life in collaboration with the other magistrate departments.

Internally you must unite Culture and Citizen Services around a common direction and implement upcoming organizational decisions safely. You must create clarity about responsibility and priorities and have the courage to challenge existing structures and workflows when they hinder the ambitions we have for Aarhus, and further develop a strong service culture so that citizens, businesses and partners are always met by an accessible and solution-oriented municipality that takes responsibility to help them on their way.

At the same time you must lead a more outward-facing and proactive Culture and Citizen Services and be close to the people and environments that create Aarhus. Together with the city's strong cultural institutions, the vibrant growth layer and the extensive association life, you will gather local cultural actors around our shared ambitions and strengthen the relationships with both business and civil society and thereby help shape the next narrative of Aarhus as a strong and international cultural city

The profile - what we expect of you

We are looking for an experienced senior leader who stands confidently at the crossroads between the political level, administration and the outside world. You have solid director-level experience from a larger politically led organization, have worked closely with political decision-makers and know what it takes to translate political decisions into a concrete direction that leaders and employees can act on.

You have experience with leading other leaders and solid experience with organizational development and financial management. You have a genuine interest in culture, sports, leisure and democracy and understand their importance for Aarhus.

You have a knack for cross-cutting task solving and the ability to balance the many considerations, interests and opportunities that arise with a clear and realistic prioritization of the organization's resources. You have political acuity and approach political sparring with great integrity, calm and good judgment. You are clear, solution-oriented and daring to challenge constructively when you feel the organization needs it.

As director you are inclusive and have the execution power needed to translate political decisions and strategic ambitions into concrete results. You create clarity about direction, responsibility and progress and follow decisions through to the end with clear and transparent communication. At the same time you meet others with genuine interest and naturally command followership through a trust-building and inclusive leadership style and personal impact.

Read more about the position

You can read more about Aarhus Municipality, Culture and Citizen Services and the position in the more detailed job and competence profile:

https://muusmann.career.emply.com/api/integration/v2/files/70b3d7d9-56fc-48f4-9d0e-9c82d92df44c/content

Expected start date : February 1, 2027

Application deadline: Sunday, October 25, 2026

For further information and questions you are welcome to contact Chief Executive Carsten Lysdahl Søgaard at MUUSMANN on telephone 30 30 28 81.

Apply for the position here

Director of Culture and Citizen Services in Aarhus Municipality

About Culture and Citizen Services – We move Aarhus with SMILE

Culture and Citizen Services creates, in collaboration with Aarhus’s citizens, the framework for a good city. We focus on making the good cultural and leisure life accessible and inclusive for all, and we stand firm when the foundation for democracy is built. It strengthens the community and increases citizens’ well-being, education and quality of life.

We move Aarhus, and we have given each other a commitment to do it with SMILE - Cooperation, Courage, Inspiration and Joy of Life - our shared values.

About Aarhus Municipality

Aarhus Municipality is the largest workplace in Jutland where 28,000 professional and passionate colleagues work every day to turn visions into reality and create value for citizens and the surrounding society. We are a workplace that places high value on professionalism and collaboration and we believe that our differences help make Aarhus a good city for all.

Together we work for a sustainable and inclusive city where employees, citizens, businesses and nature can thrive and flourish. We have ambitions for the city – and for you. Come and be part of it!

Application deadline

25-10-2026

Start date

01-02-2027

Weekly working hours

Job category

Management

Workplace

Rådhuspladsen 2, 8000 Aarhus

Contact