Technical Maintenance Team Manager

As a manager, do you want to contribute to safe, reliable, and future-proof water management? Are you an experienced leader who knows how to bring people together, guide change, and work with colleagues to build an organisation asset maintenance is firmly embedded in a professional framework? If so, we’re looking for you.

Location

Groningen

Number of hours

36 hours per week

Salary

Scale 13, Minimum 5885, Maximum 8363

Interested?

You can respond until Sunday, August 2, 2026

Apply Now

Is this what you're going to do?

It’s a beautiful fall day. It’s Friday, and things are quiet at the office in Groningen. As you head to the break room to get a cup of coffee, you realize that today marks exactly one year since you joined the company. A year ago, you started as Technical Maintenance Team Manager. You found a team with a high level of expertise, a major maintenance challenge, and an environment that’s constantly changing.

You’ve now noticed that things have become calmer and more structured. Together with the three coordinators, you’ve established clear priorities and defined roles and responsibilities more precisely. You’ve invested in collaboration with the Operations, Strategy, and Planning & Projects teams and contributed to the further development of maintenance and asset management. Clear agreements have been established between the client teams and the Technical Maintenance Team, making work more systematic and predictable. Decisions are increasingly being made based on data and long-term goals. Disruptions and incidents are part of the job, but operational handling is managed where it belongs. You ensure cohesion, set priorities, and provide the right framework conditions.

Looking back, you feel proud of what you’ve achieved together. Not because everything is already finished, but because there is now more control, predictability, and trust. You have a team that’s working together to continue building a professional and future-proof maintenance program. It’s precisely this combination of people, technology, and strategic development that makes you enjoy coming to work every day.

What are you going to do?

You lead and develop people: You lead a team of approximately 40 professionals, including three coordinators. You are fully responsible for the results, employee development, and the continued growth of the Technical Maintenance Team. You create a work environment in which employees take responsibility, collaborate, and can grow professionally. You are visible, approachable, and encourage a sense of ownership and professionalism.
You guide change: You guide change by taking a clear leadership role. You provide structure and clarity, and help the team move forward, step by step, in its development toward professional asset management and data-driven work.
You are helping to build an organisation asset maintenance is firmly embedded in a professional framework: You are responsible for implementing the annual plan and managing the multi-year maintenance program. The Technical Maintenance Team fulfils as a contractor for fulfils among others, the Management and Strategy teams. You ensure clear agreements, priorities, and effective coordination between policy, management, and execution. In this role, you actively contribute to the further development of asset management and a systematic approach to work.
You bring people, teams, and interests together: The water authority multidisciplinary water authority . You ensure effective collaboration and clear expectations so that projects and maintenance activities are carried out in a systematic and effective manner. In doing so, you know how to reconcile different interests and keep the common goal in mind.
You focus on results and quality: You are responsible for the team’s budget and ensure the effective allocation of personnel and resources. You focus on processes, quality, and continuous improvement. In addition, you provide input for the planning and control cycle, asset management, and various reports.

Your Challenge

In this role, you’ll navigate the interests of the team, the organisation the board. You’ll oversee these various interests, bring people together, and keep the organization on track—even when not everyone shares the same perspective. In doing so, you’ll work on the further development of maintenance and asset management, as well as on building a team where collaboration and trust require ongoing attention. You’ll also serve as a key point of contact for senior management and the board, where decisions regarding long-term planning, investments, and multi-year maintenance plans converge. It is precisely this ability to navigate between these levels that makes the role versatile and challenging. The Technical Maintenance Team operates as a contractor within the organisation. You ensure a good balance between the wishes and priorities of client teams—such as Management and Strategy—and your team’s capabilities. You understand that sustainable change takes time and know that not everything has to be perfect right away in order to make progress together.

Here's what we're asking of you

You are an experienced manager who understands the technical aspects of maintenance and, above all, focuses on people, results, and development. You move easily between the interests of operations, organizational development, and management. You know when to provide direction, when to facilitate, and when to drive results from a contractor’s perspective.

In addition, you have access to:

HBO+ level of work and thinking.
Extensive management experience in a technical environment, specifically in maintenance.
An interest in asset management, data-driven approaches, and process improvement.
Understanding of administrative decision-making, procurement, and contract management.
Willingness to participate in the on-call rotation.

In addition, you recognize yourself in the following competencies:

Coaching-oriented and people-focused: You build trust, encourage growth, and create an environment where ownership and professionalism are key.
Strategic and forward-thinking: You look ahead and translate the organisation direction organisation concrete goals for the team.
Collaborative and persuasive: You understand administrative and organizational dynamics and know how to reconcile different interests. You encourage collaboration both within and outside the team.
Analytical and results-oriented: You maintain a clear overview, know how to distinguish between what’s important and what’s not, and focus on quality, processes, and results.

Here's what we offer you

A job in a dynamic, socially oriented field at an organisation short lines of communication.
Initially, this is a fixed-term contract (1 year). If you prove to be a good fit, we’d be happy to convert this to a permanent position;
A salary of up to €8,363 gross per month (scale 13) for full-time employment;
In addition to your salary, you will receive a 21% Individual Choice Budget (IKB), which you can use, for example, for additional time off or as a cash payment;
A personal budget of €6,000 (€12,000 for those under 35) for training, plus reimbursement for commuting expenses or a work-from-home allowance.
A good pension plan with the ABP Pension Fund;
Extensive opportunities for training and career development;
Reimbursement for commuting, business travel, and working from home;
Good opportunities to maintain a work-life balance;
Your work location is Groningen. It is easily accessible by car or public transportation.

About the Noorderzijlvest Water Authority

Noorderzijlvest Water Authority waterproofing the future for waterproofing the future, clean and healthy water, and sufficient water in every season across a large part of Groningen, North and Central Drenthe, and a small part of Friesland. For our more than 400 employees, ensuring a healthy and future-proof living and working environment for the approximately 383,000 residents in our region is our top priority. This requires dedicated professionals who excel in their respective fields and are driven by passion.

Will you be our new Technical Maintenance Team Manager?

Are you enthusiastic and do you have the required qualifications? If so, please upload your cover letter and resume using the application button. We would like to receive your cover letter and resume by August 2, 2026, at the latest. Interviews will take place on August 20.

Would you like to know more? Please contact Julia Finkielsztajn, Director of the Wastewater Chain and Digital Information, at 06-83630931.

For more information about the water authority , please visit our website at www.noorderzijlvest.nl.
If you come to work for us, we’ll ask you to submit a Certificate of Good behaviour VOG).

Your future department and organisation

About the Noorderzijlvest Water Authority

The Noorderzijlvest Water Board is located in a unique area where subsidence by natural gas extraction and earthquakes significantly impacts water management. The consequences of these developments, as well as climate change, are affecting the (bin)water system. Rising sea levels, more frequent and longer periods of heavy rain interspersed with prolonged droughts, as well as challenges related to sustainability and new (problematic) substances: these are problems that call for robust solutions. We want our (bin)water system to function as naturally as possible and to be climate-resilient, resilient, and healthy in the long term. This requires us to implement appropriate and affordable measures in a society that wants to have a say in these matters and exert influence over them.

To water authority the challenges facing our water authority , we are implementing organisation so that we are better able to work in a forward-looking and integrated manner. We believe this will lay a solid foundation for strategic thinking, for translating those plans into our day-to-day work, and for carrying out our work as efficiently as possible. And that is becoming increasingly important in a society that is changing and placing high demands on us.

Do you have any questions about the application process for this job opening?

Please contact Esther de Jager-de Brouwer, counsellor and Selection counsellor , at 050 304 89 11 or werven@noorderzijlvest.nl.

Are you excited? Apply now!

Fill out the application form and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Apply now

Dynamic water world

Are you a thinker or a doer? We’d love to meet you. At the water authority , no two days water authority ever the same!

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