Do you enjoy helping people and organizations grow together? As Competence Manager within General Affairs (GA), you will combine people leadership, talent development, and strategic workforce planning to strengthen both our people and our organization. Working closely with the Strategic Domain Leads, you will help shape a learning culture in which colleagues can develop and thrive. Ready to make an impact at TU/e?
About General Affairs
General Affairs (GA) drives TU/e to maximize its societal impact by connecting strategy with implementation, streamlining institutional processes, and strengthening collaboration in strategic communities.
We work on becoming an even stronger and more reliable staff department for TU/e by delivering personal, seamless, and connected services. We help translate strategy into action, reduce institutional risk, foster a safe, inclusive, and thriving campus, and strengthen partnerships within Brainport and beyond. In doing so, we contribute to the ambitions of the TU/e Institutional Plan 2026-2030 and support the university's core missions in education, research, innovation, and societal impact.
General Affairs delivers its services across three strategic domains, each led by a Strategic Domain Lead (SDL):
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Strategy (Education, Research & Valorization, Operations and Strategy)
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Public Affairs and Community Engagement (PACE)
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Risk Management, Integral Safety & Compliance (RISC)
To further strengthen people development within General Affairs, GA is introducing the role of Competence Manager.
About the role
As Competence Manager, you develop the capabilities of the General Affairs community by creating the conditions for continuous learning, growth, and effective talent deployment, while ensuring that the strategic domains have access to the right talent, now and in the future.
You work in dual leadership with the Strategic Domain Leads. While they provide subject-matter leadership for their domains, you focus on people leadership, competence management, talent development, and strategic workforce planning. Together, you ensure effective staffing of multidisciplinary programs and projects and support colleagues in developing in line with the strategic ambitions of General Affairs.
As the hierarchical manager of approximately 60 professionals, you are responsible for people management, coaching, and professional development. You are the first point of contact for the Strategic Domain Leads on staffing and workforce planning and are a member of the General Affairs Management Team alongside the Director, the Strategic Domain Leads, and the Manager Internal Audit.
Your responsibilities
As Competence Manager, you will:
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Develop and implement the GA-wide competence development strategy.
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Lead strategic workforce planning and talent management.
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Ensure effective staffing of multidisciplinary programs and projects.
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Provide people leadership, coaching, and development for approximately 60 professionals.
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Develop competence frameworks, career paths, and supporting tools that enable professional growth.
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Foster a learning culture aligned with TU/e's CORe values: Curious, Open, Respectful, and Responsible.
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Enable collaboration across the different strategic domains.
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Contribute to the overall development of General Affairs as a member of the Management Team.
A day as Competence Manager
You start your day with a coffee and a check-in with the Strategic Domain Lead of the Education domain. Together, you discuss developments within the domain and what they mean for the competencies the team will need in the future. You also prepare a workshop to develop the team's learning plan for the coming year.
Later that morning, you join a meeting with the Research domain team to discuss workload and recent process improvements. Before lunch, you may have an annual dialogue or take a walk around campus with a colleague during a coaching conversation.
After lunch, you work with the HR Advisor to further develop the GA-wide competence framework and finalize the Strategic Workforce Planning annual plan before discussing it in the Management Team meeting. The end of your day is reserved for colleagues who have questions or want to talk something through. If it is a quiet afternoon, you catch up on emails and review HR reports in the BI portal before heading home.
Knowledge and experience
You have:
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A Master's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or a related field.
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Demonstrated success in people management and professional development.
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A proven track record in engaging senior stakeholders, preferably in an academic environment.
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Experience in developing and implementing new concepts within a politically complex organization.
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Experience with Strategic Workforce Planning.
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Experience in operational leadership within research- or technology-intensive environments.
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Strong organizational and financial acumen.
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Proven ability to lead professionals across functional and disciplinary boundaries.
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Experience with change management and project-based work.
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Excellent communication skills in both Dutch and English.
Who you are
You naturally connect people and build bridges across the organization. You enjoy helping others grow and creating an environment where colleagues feel safe, supported, and empowered.
You also bring:
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A coaching and enabling leadership style.
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Strategic and operational insight.
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Strong analytical skills combined with organizational, political, and systemic awareness.
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Self-awareness and openness to giving and receiving feedback.
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Resilience in complex or high-pressure situations.
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Curiosity and a genuine interest in different perspectives.
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A natural alignment with TU/e's CORe values: Curious, Open, Respectful, and Responsible, and the Lead with Courage and Compassion leadership model.
An exciting position within an international yet personal university. You are right in the middle of the students, on a green campus within walking distance of the central station. Besides beautiful architecture, you will find varied workplaces and excellent sports facilities. We also offer you:
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A monthly salary of minimum € 6,764 to maximum € 8,199 for full-time employment, depending on your knowledge and experience (scale 13 Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).
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In addition to vacation pay, a structural end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
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A favorable arrangement for more holidays or a sabbatical.
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A selection model for additional fringe benefits.
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Working hours in consultation for an optimal work-life balance.
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Scope for your talent with advancement prospects and excellent development opportunities such as mentoring, workshops and coaching.
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Partially paid parental leave and reimbursement for commuting expenses, working from home and the internet.
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A generous employer contribution to the favorable ABP pension plan.
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Unlimited access to the modern on‑campus TU/e Student Sports Center at an exceptionally affordable rate.
Here you can discover even more information about our conditions of employment. Build on your career at TU/e!
We are a leading international university where scientific curiosity meets a hands-on mindset. We work in an open and collaborative way with high-tech industries to tackle complex societal challenges. Our responsible and respectful approach ensures impact — today and in the future. TU/e is home to over 13,000 students and more than 7,000 staff, forming a diverse and vibrant academic community.
Our university is located in Brainport Eindhoven — a world‑leading tech region with more than 7,000 high‑tech companies and strong R&D activity. Known for breakthroughs in AI, photonics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, Brainport is a place where technology serves people and society. Learn more about the Brainport region here.
Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to have more information about the position, please contact the hiring manager: dr.ir. E. van der Geer-Rutten-Rijswijk, Secretaris van de Universiteit/Directeur General Affairs, [email protected].
Visit our website for more information about the application process. You can also contact Mai Lan Pham, Senior Recruiter, [email protected].
Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.
If you are interested, please use the ‘apply’ button to send us your CV and letter of application with your motivation and a description of your qualifications. Ensure that you submit all the requested application documents. We give priority to complete applications.
Screening of candidates begins as soon as applications are received and continues until the position is filled. Where applicable, internal candidates will be given priority over external candidates where they are equally suitable.
We look forward to receiving your application!
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You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
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A pre-employment screening (e.g. knowledge security check) can be part of the selection procedure. For more information on the knowledge security check, please consult the National Knowledge Security Guidelines.
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Important for non-EU applicants: Please be aware that for this position, specific residence permit requirements apply. If you are a non-EU national, you may not be eligible to legally work in this role under current Dutch immigration regulations. We strongly advise you to contact our Staff Immigration Team ([email protected]) before applying to check your eligibility and to receive further guidance.
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Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.
Type of employment: temporary employment with possibility of permanent employment | Contract type: full-time/part-time | Number of positions: 1 | Full-time equivalent: 0.8 - 1.0 FTE | City: Eindhoven | County: Noord-Brabant | Country: Netherlands | Reference number: 2026/418 | Published: 2026-07-10 | Last application date: 2026-08-10
