Head of Department for Business Service & Unemployment Benefits

Department Head for Business Services and Unemployment Benefits

Do you want to lead a new department and help develop the future employer-focused effort? Are you passionate about stable operations, shared professional leadership, citizen involvement, and the development of a common employer-oriented culture across a job center? Then you could be our new Department Head for Business Services and Unemployment Benefits.

A new department with an important task

At Job Center Varde we believe that businesses are a crucial part of the solution to the challenges of the labor market. Therefore one of our guiding principles in Job Center Varde is to be a strong partner for companies, where workforce and education are central elements in Varde Municipality's growth strategy. We therefore see great strength in bringing together the business-oriented service within one department in connection with the job center's new organization.

The job center has about 120 employees spread across six operating departments and a staff function. You report to the head of the labor market and become part of the job center's management team, contributing with high ambitions for the future and the realization of the job center's Vision for 2030.

The department will consist of about 6 employees, and among other things will be responsible for ensuring there is a single entry point to businesses via Hotline, recruitment and international recruitment, upskilling, Nordjobb, the disability compensating schemes, various cross-cutting business-oriented initiatives, IPS and Job Development. In this context you will play a central role in ensuring that the regulatory framework in the employment area is translated into practice.

You must also be able to support the authority advisers in translating the legal requirements into a consistent and professionally grounded effort.

As department head you will help create the organizational framework that enables staff to assist citizens to new opportunities in the labor market and create solutions that deliver value for both the individual citizen, the businesses and the local community.

You will also have an important task to create a common professional direction for the employer-focused effort across Job Center Varde. This requires you to build buy-in through relationships, clear professional direction and cooperation – also where you do not have formal managerial staff oversight.

A department in development

The department, the work with citizen involvement and the employer-focused effort must be developed in step with the employment reform, Vision 2030 and our experiences. You will therefore have the opportunity to shape the department's tasks, collaboration interfaces and professional methods. You must be able to create calm and direction in daily operations, and at the same time be curious about how the task can be solved more effectively in the future.

Your key tasks include, among others,

• Contribute to Job Center Varde's Vision 2030 and ensure stable operations, high professional quality and good results.
• Execute clear, hands-on people management and create a shared identity in the new department.
• Translate legal requirements into practice and support the authority advisers in exercising a consistent professionally grounded effort.
• Create a common professional direction for the employer-focused efforts across the job center.
• Lead and further develop the cross-cutting business group.
• Have management responsibility for IPS, contribute to the professional development and implementation of e.g. Job Development.
• Strengthen cooperation with local companies and Job Center Varde's role as a visible and proactive partner.
• Contribute to actively embedding the citizen perspective and citizen involvement in the collaboration with businesses and the development of new initiatives.
• Support common methods, registration practices and data usage.

We are looking for a leader who

• Has management experience, preferably from the employment sector or a politically governed organization.
• Has experience and can balance people management, professional leadership, operations, development and strategy.
• Is strong in relationships and can create a common professional direction and unite staff across the organization.
• Understands the needs of businesses and the interplay between employment, education and business development.
• Translates visions and strategies into practice and works systematically with quality, data and results.
• Is clear, decisive and inclusive.
• Thrives in developing a new department and can navigate safely in a politically governed organization.

Experience with business services, unemployment benefits area, the disability compensation schemes, IPS or Job Development is an advantage, but the most important thing is that you can create direction, development and results in your own department and across the job center.

Vision 2030 and CUBB

Job Center Varde works purposefully with Vision 2030 “ from what works today to what reaches further ” and has since 2022 collaborated with CUBB at Aalborg University as part of our work with citizen involvement. As department head you will become part of its continued development and the Future Job Center. You can read more about our vision here Vision 2030 - The Future Job Center 2030 and about CUBB here: Center for Development of Citizen-Involving Employment Initiatives (CUBB) - Aalborg University.

Salary and terms of employment

The position is 37 hours per week with expected commencement January 1, 2027 .

Salary and terms of employment are set according to the current collective agreement and the principles of local salary formation.

The workplace is currently Frisvadvej 35, 6800 Varde

Want to know more?

If you have questions about the position, you are welcome to contact the head of the labor market Kim Olesen at telephone 24910655 .

Application deadline is November 12, 2026

Two employment interviews will be held for the position.

The first interview will be held on November 19, 2026 .

If you proceed to the 2nd interview, it will take place on November 25, 2026 .

You will receive a test between the first and second interview

Department: Job Center

Application deadline: November 12, 2026

Location: Frisvadvej 35, 6800, Varde