Are you the strategic board member who can combine financial strength, entrepreneurship and social ambition? Apply now! 

About Melkweg

Melkweg has been one of Amsterdam's most important cultural meeting places for more than fifty years. As a multidisciplinary cultural venue, each year we bring over half a million visitors into contact with live music, photography, films and documentaries, and club culture. Our programming places a strong emphasis on talent development, social initiatives and new perspectives. 

We believe that the cultural and social significance of Melkweg will continue to grow in the coming years. In a city that is becoming ever more diverse, international and complex, we see an important role for Melkweg as a place where people, (sub)cultures and generations meet. A platform where talent can develop, where there is room for experiment and new makers, and where current themes are made visible and open for discussion across a range of disciplines.  

We expect to realise the growth of our impact on a broad and stable financial foundation. The development of sustainable partnerships, donor programmes and new business models plays an important role in this.  

Melkweg is among the larger pop venues in the Netherlands, with four concert/club halls, a cinema and an exhibition space. The organisation employs around 400 people in a workforce of 140 FTE. In recent years Melkweg has taken important steps in the professionalisation of the organisation. At the same time, there are substantial challenges ahead in the coming years in the areas of financial sustainability, organisational development and realising our artistic and substantive ambitions. Melkweg is seeking a Commercial Director-Board Member who will not only ensure a financially healthy and professionally run organisation, but who will also further strengthen the impact goals and the sustainable funding of Melkweg.

About the role

As Commercial Director-Board Member, you will form the board of Melkweg together with the General Director-Board Member. You are responsible for financial continuity, business operations, organisational development and sustainable growth of the organisation. From that role, you ensure that the social, cultural and strategic ambitions of Melkweg can be realised within a financially healthy, professionally run and future-proof organisation. 

Whereas the General Director-Board Member focuses primarily on strategy, positioning, external relations, partnerships and the social and artistic development of Melkweg, you focus on further strengthening the organisation, financially realising future ambitions and developing new business opportunities. 

You are the board member who brings together financial expertise, entrepreneurship and organisational development. You feel at home in complex financial issues, quickly see connections and know how to translate financial insights into clear strategic choices. You link the financial strategy to the long-term vision of Melkweg, carefully weigh investments and risks, and create the conditions for sustainable value creation and healthy growth. 

At the same time, you look beyond today's budget. You see and seize opportunities to strengthen the financial base of Melkweg by developing new income streams, business partnerships and innovative operating models. You closely follow developments in the cultural, social and economic environment and know how to translate them into plans and actions that contribute to the mission and future of Melkweg.  

In addition, you lead the further development of the organisation. You are responsible for HR, business operations and operational matters. You strengthen leadership, stimulate collaboration and guide complex change and implementation processes. You create a culture in which responsibility, transparency, entrepreneurship and ownership are self-evident.  

For Melkweg, diversity, inclusion and equality are not a separate policy area but a fundamental value. That is why we are looking for a commercial director-board member who visibly champions these values, has experience in building diverse teams, has an eye for accessibility and equal opportunities, and sees inclusive decision-making as a natural part of good leadership. Not because it has to be, but because that conviction is part of who you are as a leader. 

As a board member, you are a strong discussion partner for the Supervisory Board, financiers, subsidy providers, auditors and other stakeholders. You combine entrepreneurship with good governance, are decisive when necessary and actively seek collaboration where it adds value. Together with the General Director-Board Member, you share responsibility for the direction, continuity and social significance of Melkweg. 

What do you bring?

You are a strong leader and sharp analyst who can translate insights into forward-looking choices. You have a strong financial background, but you also understand that figures are never an end in themselves, but a means of enabling social and cultural impact. 

We also ask for:  

• Extensive experience with final financial responsibility, business operations and strategic decision-making;

• Sharp analytical ability and a well-developed business instinct;

• Experience with organisational development, change processes and inclusive leadership;

• Entrepreneurship and demonstrable experience in developing new opportunities, partnerships or income streams;

• Political and administrative sensitivity and the ability to bring together complex interests;

• A connecting leadership style, combined with decisiveness and a sense of responsibility.

What do we offer?

For the position of Commercial Director-Board Member you will receive a salary on pay scale 9 of the cao Nederlandse poppodia en -festivals (cao NPF).

In addition, we offer:

• A one-year contract, with the intention of converting the contract into a permanent one; 

• Holiday allowance of 8% per year;

• Five weeks of paid holiday per year, plus the option to buy an additional week of holiday;

• Participation in a good pension scheme with Zwitserleven;

• Training and development opportunities;

• A friendly, dynamic working environment, a professional team and a vibrant programme;

• The opportunity to further develop and professionalise the organisation from your own experience and knowledge;

• Free access to Melkweg concerts, club nights, films and events, plus access to events of our partners and relations;

• All other employment conditions under the cao NPF.

Apply

Would you like to join us as Commercial Director-Board Member? Then we would like to hear from you by Friday 6 November at the latest. If you have any questions about this vacancy, you can contact David Lauwen (Chair of the Supervisory Board) by email via [contact details removed]

The selection procedure consists of three interview rounds and an assessment. The interviews take place on the following dates:

• First interview: Friday 20 November.

• Second interview: Thursday 26 November.

• Third interview, introductory meeting with the works council: between 30 November and 3 December, to be scheduled in consultation.

• Assessment: between 1 and 10 December, to be scheduled in consultation.

We ask candidates to take these dates into account in their diaries.

Unsolicited approaches in response to this vacancy are not welcome.