Director for Culture, Leisure and Technical Services

Vimmerby is the small municipality in Småland that has much to offer; in addition to the rich cultural heritage from Astrid Lindgren, the municipality is also characterized by a diverse business life, strong local engagement, active association life, beautiful nature, and a peaceful environment.

Through our core values; Responsibility, courage, and imagination, we work to provide the best possible service and care to Vimmerby Municipality's approx. 15,800 inhabitants, businesses, and all who visit the municipality. These values permeate the municipality's conduct and working methods and are something everyone carries with them in their daily work.

As a leader in Vimmerby Municipality, you are a role model and lead based on a developmental leadership approach. You create participation, promote an open collaborative climate, and leverage employees' competence and ideas. Vimmerby Municipality actively works to support and develop leadership.

1 position(s).

RESPONSIBILITIES

Vimmerby Municipality is creating a completely new administration; do you want to lead it from the start?

Vimmerby Municipality is facing an important and exciting phase of development. Since April 1, 2026, the culture, leisure, and technical areas have been operated as an interim organization, with the goal that the administration will be implemented and fully effective from January 1, 2027. The purpose is to strengthen the holistic perspective, create better coordination, and provide inhabitants, association life, and visitors with an even more cohesive and service-oriented operation. The new administration will be a key player in the municipality's growth and covers everything from cultural schools, libraries, and association life to street maintenance, parks, and technical supply.

We are now looking for a Director who wants to take decisive leadership in shaping, establishing, and developing this new organization.

As Director, you lead the operations based on politically set goals and are responsible for developing the administration for the future. You have overall responsibility for operations, economy, good working environment, quality, and personnel within Culture, Leisure, and Technical Services.

You plan, lead, follow up, and develop the operations within the goal and budget frameworks decided by the board. You report to the board and the Municipal Manager, act as the link between politics and operations, and are part of the municipality's management group where you contribute to the strategic holistic perspective for the entire municipality's development.

Since the administration is newly formed, a central part of your assignment will be to:

• Establish common working methods, structures, and processes based on SKR's budget models
• Create a clear, non-hierarchical, and trust-based organizational culture
• Ensure that different operational areas find synergies and collaboration areas where "alone is not strong"
• Lead change with security, clarity, participation, while simultaneously maintaining continuity in delivery to citizens

You are part of the municipality's management group and are an important part of the municipality-wide development work. The assignment places high demands on strategic ability, holistic vision, and a leadership characterized by trust, collaboration, and clarity.

QUALIFICATIONS

We are looking for you who are a secure, strategic, and relationship-building leader with the ability to create engagement, direction, and results in a complex operation. You lead by coaching, creating participation, and delegating responsibility to your subordinate managers.

You have a positive view of people, good self-awareness, and the ability to build trusting relationships both internally and externally. You thrive in a politically governed organization, possess high integrity, and have a pedagogical ability in dialogue with politics. You have a strong commitment to working environment issues and want to work on strengthening health factors for the administration's employees. You are also curious about how digitalization, new technology, and collaboration with business and civil society can contribute to a more sustainable welfare.

We see that you have:

• Relevant higher education or university education of at least 180 higher education credits (e.g., within social sciences, economics, law, technology, or culture/leisure)
• Several years of managerial experience leading other managers in a politically governed organization
• Documented budget responsibility within public operations as well as experience of economic management in a complex environment
• Experience of successfully leading change processes and organizational development
• Good understanding of applicable legislation within the administration's areas (e.g., Environmental Code, Planning and Building Act, and public access and secrecy)
• Very good Swedish and English skills, both spoken and written
• Category B driver's license

Meritorious:

• Experience as a Director or equivalent strategic leadership role close to municipal management.
• Experience of setting up, merging, or reorganizing an operation.
• Leadership training, preferably developmental leadership (UL)

Employment type: Permanent position.
Duration: Permanent.

Vimmerby Municipality works with competence-based recruitment to ensure a fair and inclusive process where every candidate's competence is in focus. We welcome applicants with different backgrounds and experiences and place great importance on personal suitability based on the competencies described in the advertisement.

The position will be filled provided that no employee with priority rights makes a claim on it.

To maintain quality and security in our recruitment, certain checks may become relevant prior to employment. Which checks apply to this specific position, we will inform you of in connection with the interview.

Before employment, you as a candidate must be able to show a valid ID document and personal certificate.

Before the recruitment work, we have taken a stand on advertising channels and marketing. We therefore decline further contact with media/advertising sales, recruitment sites, and similar.

For contact details to union representatives, email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

We warmly welcome your application!