Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
https://www.werkenvoornederland.nl/vacatures/programmaleider-maritieme-archeologie-OCW-2025-7107
Background
: A €6.8 million incentive budget has been made available for maritime archaeology. The challenge is to work with government bodies, volunteers, market players, and knowledge institutions over three years to develop a sustainable model for caring for underwater heritage. The focus is on the Wadden Sea and the Zeeland Delta, but also on strengthening national collaboration, governance, implementation capacity, and addressing bottlenecks such as natural erosion and occupational health and safety regulations. The letter to Parliament can be found here .
Your role:
As program leader, you will direct the overall momentum. You will connect the internal community (RCE, OCW, E&K) with the external community (provinces, municipalities, volunteers, market players, and researchers) and ensure coherence. You will work closely with the client(s) and the waterbed team, and be the primary point of contact for partners in the field.
Objectives & Tasks:
In Q1 2026, you will develop a supported program plan based on the explorations, regional discussions, and the project leader’s analysis. You will then manage the program’s implementation, monitor coherence between the various tracks (government, volunteers/occupational health and safety, research, and diving), and ensure that resources are deployed efficiently. You will organize this alongside the regular work, ensuring sufficient coordination and overlap. You will organize appropriate governance and ensure transparent decision-making. You will maintain an overview, maintain a strong network, identify bottlenecks (such as natural erosion and role allocation), and collaborate with partners on solutions. You will energize the process, ensure management and partners are well-informed, and provide direction to a complex intergovernmental process.
Particulars
- Please send your motivation letter and CV no later than January 4, 2026.
- The first conversations are scheduled for week 3.
- We aim to respond to your application within 5 working days of the closing date.
- Recruitment takes place both interdepartmentally and externally.
- If candidates apply with work-to-work status, they will be considered over employees who are voluntarily mobile. If you fall into this group, please submit a nomination or supporting document and indicate it in the appropriate field.
- We serve the Netherlands and therefore strive to be a true reflection of our diverse population. We highly value diversity at all levels within the organization. Therefore, we invite everyone to apply. We’re curious about you, your personal motivation, and how you’d complement our team.
- After the closing date, the job description and the vacancy holder’s information will no longer be visible online. To avoid having to request them, please download and save the job description.
- Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.
Underwater Archaeology and Maritime History jobs 