Director Finance & Operations

• Public & Non-profit
• Finance

About the position

The Maritime Museum faces a clear financial and organizational challenge. Structural costs are rising, while revenues are not growing at the same pace. This calls for more than financial control. The next step is to further strengthen financial governance, make choices more explicit, and financially substantiate new opportunities for revenue, investments, and collaboration.

The Director of Finance & Operations bears integral responsibility for Finance, Planning & Control, Public Service, Hospitality, Accommodation, Facilities, Procurement, and IT. The position thus combines ultimate financial responsibility with a broad operational portfolio. Together with the General Director and the Museum Director, the Director of Finance & Operations forms the day-to-day management of the Maritime Museum. The three directors function as equal management partners and are jointly responsible for the direction and development of the organization. The General Director is statutorily responsible. The Director connects financial and operational feasibility with the substantive ambitions of the museum.

The challenge is to further strengthen the financial foundation and operational management while simultaneously creating room for development, investments, and new revenue opportunities. In doing so, the Director moves effortlessly between strategy and execution, acting as a discussion partner for the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board, as well as being visible and engaged towards managers and the organization. Externally, the Director maintains relationships with, among others, the Municipality of Rotterdam, the auditor, funds, the Port Authority, companies, financiers, and other partners. Administrative sensitivity and the ability to convincingly substantiate financial proposals and co-financing structures are essential in this regard. The position involves a 36-hour workweek.

Your profile

• Several years of senior experience within Finance and/or integrated business operations. 
• Broad expertise in Finance & Control, Planning & Control, and accounting, including governance, compliance, and risk management. 
• Full responsibility for multiple operational functions and demonstrable results in professionalization, process improvement, digitalization, and organizational change. 
• Strategic discussion partner for the Executive Board, Board, and/or Supervisory Board, with experience in complex organizational and investment issues. 
• Experience in a political-administrative, social, or publicly funded environment and/or within the cultural or maritime sector is a plus.

About the organization

The Maritime Museum Rotterdam has been a leading museum for over 150 years in a city inextricably linked to water, shipping, and the port. From the heart of the Maritime District, the museum manages and presents an internationally renowned maritime collection and brings together the present, past, and future of the maritime world. The combination of museum building and museum harbor makes the Maritime Museum a special place in the city. It welcomes over 200,000 visitors annually.

The museum aims to further increase its significance for Rotterdam and the maritime community and to strengthen its connection with the city, education, the business community, the port, and other societal partners. At the same time, the organization is entering its next phase of development. Financial sustainability, further professionalization of operations, strengthening of the revenue base, and future accommodation issues call for a more robust organizational foundation. This creates a leadership challenge in which substantive ambition and business continuity explicitly converge.