North Jutland Region seeks an experienced Head of Office for Soil and Water

Are you going to help influence the environment in North Jutland in a sustainable direction?

Do you want to lead an office with engaged employees?

We have a very exciting opportunity for you right now. We are looking for an office head for Soil and Water, which is part of the Department of Environment, Mobility and Education.

The task and the role as office head

As the office head for Soil and Water you will lead an area with political and strategic attention both internally in the region and externally. The office performs a wide range of statutory tasks under the Soil Contamination Act. The tasks range from mapping potential contaminations to contamination investigations to cleanup of contaminations. We focus on developing the field, on creating good cooperation with the municipalities and on ensuring good citizen service. The task solving takes place in close contact with affected landowners and actors in the field, e.g., other authorities, advisors and contractors.

You will be responsible for leadership, planning and organizing the office's tasks - including operations and development within the frameworks set annually by the Regional Council and the Directorate. You have independent budget responsibility and are the line manager for the office's employees. The office's tasks are of public interest and attention, so media handling will also be an important element of your work.

Internally in the office you should continue the positive organizational development, and at the same time make your mark on the department's continued development in close cooperation with the staff and the management team.

Excerpt from the task portfolio

• Responsibility, among other things, to translate the groundwater protection strategy into concrete actions and oversee the regulatory authority exercise that applies in the area.
• Responsibility for the tasks the region handles in continuation of the national PFAS action plan.
• Politically, it is your task to ensure that the office provides solid and unifying service to the Regional Council and the Committee for Environment, Mobility and Education.

Your forthcoming immediate supervisor, the director of Environment, Mobility and Education, Maibrit Lykkegaard, puts these words on the task and her expectations for the new office head: -The Soil and Water area is important because the decisions we make today affect both the environment and our drinking water. Therefore I am looking for an office head who can both lead a strong professional area and invest in people, relationships and collaboration.

I value integrity, high professionalism and the courage to think anew. In return you will meet a leadership that is appreciative, values-based and built on trust under responsibility. I believe the best solutions arise when capable leaders get support to succeed.

About you

You have experience in leadership and are so good at collaborating and engaging across the organization that others cannot help but follow you. You are interested in the current societal challenges of safeguarding groundwater and fighting soil contamination, and you have professional insight into the area's complexity. Finally you understand the framework that applies to politically governed organizations.

In managerial terms you are familiar with a broad palette of tools such as network leadership, personnel management, strategic and professional leadership, and political servicing. We want a leader who can fulfil as much as possible of the following:

• You have a relevant education and a strong professional foundation that provides insight into the topics and areas the office works with.
• You can span the office's different tasks from legally mandated authorities to development processes that show new paths.
• You can lead 4 teams through each their coordinator and understand how to build relationships across a broad organization with many disciplines.
• You come across as trustworthy with natural authority and impact.
• You have a flexible and accessible working style and are good at motivating, delegating and leveraging employees' competencies.
• You are good at planning and coordinating, you like networking and participating in national knowledge collaborations with the other regions.

We offer

Soil and Water is organizationally part of the Department of Environment, Mobility and Education. As office head you are responsible for 24 specialized and engaged employees. You report to the Director of Environment, Mobility and Education and are part of the department's management team together with two other heads. You participate in the region's internal management forums and in external cooperation within the circle of regional soil chiefs under Danske Regioner.

We offer an exciting and meaningful job where we work together to solve many different tasks for the benefit of citizens in North Jutland. You will have the opportunity to influence the office's development both professionally and in planning the tasks. In the North Jutland Region we focus on leadership, and there are many opportunities for inspiration and competence development as a leader in the region. When you start, we have organized a targeted onboarding program, and you will be paired with a mentor who will accompany you for the first year.

If you want to know more

You are also very welcome to contact the Director of Environment, Mobility and Education Maibrit Lykkegaard at tel. no. 61 24 69 41. You may send a text message to arrange a time.

Read more about Environment, Mobility and Education

Practical

We need you from January 1, 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter. Salary and employment terms in accordance with the managers' agreement.

The application deadline is November 11, 2026.

First interview will take place Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Second interview will take place Tuesday, November 24, 2026. In connection with the second interview you will receive a case to present to the hiring committee. Candidates progressing to the second interview must participate in a testing process with a recruitment partner from the North Jutland Region.