• Location: Consulate General of the Netherlands in Toronto  
• Work week: 37.5 hours (full-time)
• Duration: One year contract with a probationary period of two months
• Renumeration: Between $6,000-8,500 CAD/month
• Deadline for applications: January 31st, 2025

The Senior Policy Officer will play a crucial role in strengthening (economic) ties between the Netherlands and Canada, and will contribute to policy development and implementation, with a current particular focus on energy transition (Hydrogen, Critical Raw Materials (CRM), and Nuclear Energy). They will identify promising opportunities in these sectors across Ontario, Manitoba, and Nunavut, helping drive economic growth and job creation for the Netherlands, promoting Dutch exports and investments in Canada, and facilitating knowledge transfer between the two countries.

Ideal candidate

The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills and business acumen in order to build and maintain a network of contacts spanning the public and private sectors in Canada and the Netherlands.

About the role

Reporting to the Head of the Economic Department, the Senior Policy Officer will play a key role in shaping and executing Dutch economic policy in Canada. You will co-develop and implement essential policy documents, including the Multi Annual Country Strategy, Annual Plan, and Economic Workplan Canada. A crucial aspect of the role will involve translating high-level policies, rules, and economic incentives into concrete action plans. You will conduct strategic consultations with stakeholders to identify opportunities, currently especially in priority sector energy transition (hydrogen, nuclear energy, and critical raw materials), but also in other areas that may need attention. You are flexible and quickly able to adapt and focus on new priorities and topics for our Economic Team. Additionally, you'll keep the team informed and aligned by monitoring and analyzing political developments at international, federal, provincial, and local levels, ensuring these insights are effectively integrated into (prioritizing) programming and operations.

Tasks

• Promote Dutch exports to and investments in Canada.

• Promote (specific) knowledge transfer between Canada and the Netherlands.

• Connect relevant political developments with our economic work and translate those developments into concrete advice, activities and clear written messages.

• Create awareness in- and outside our network about relevant economic and political developments. 

• Input on and implement the Multi Annual Country Strategy, Annual Plan, Economic Workplan Canada, and other relevant (policy) plans.

• Contribute to policy implementation, primarily on the following themes and sectors: energy transition (hydrogen and critical raw materials (CRM) and nuclear energy).

• Conduct or search for independent analysis on relevant economic developments and identify promising sectors, themes and economic networks in Ontario, Manitoba and Nunavut.

• Initiate, participate in, and logistically support seminars, workshops, conferences and targeted trade, investment and economic activities and programs, including inbound and outbound visits and missions.

• Develop and maintain solid networks with governments, industry and chain partners in Canada (in particular in Ontario, Manitoba and Nunavut) and the Netherlands.

• Initiate, implement and supervise activities financed from the available (financial) instruments.

• Support the Dutch business community, individually or in a mission context.

• Maintain contacts with relevant industry organizations in the Netherlands, in order to advise on policy and assess relevant sectors and themes.

• Contribute to Public Diplomacy and Holland Branding.

• Provide information on social media and websites about the (economic) agenda of the Canadian mission network in general, and the Consulate General in Toronto in particular.

• Draft reports on market developments, prepare sector profiles, and conduct market scans.

• Make contributions to the weekly Economic department meeting, the periodical Economic Canada network meeting, the monthly Canada-wide Consultation (CBO) and the monthly general staff meeting. .

• Remain well-connected to colleagues in the Canadian mission network, especially the Embassy in Ottawa and Consulate General in Vancouver.

• Coordinate and cooperate with the post Washington / Attaché Network North America.
   

Knowledge and experience

• Must have legal status to work in Canada

• University/Masters’ level education

• Min. 5 years of economic work experience in the public or private sector, preferably in Canada

• Affinity with international trade and economics

• Affinity with political and policy affairs

• Relevant insights into social and professional developments in relation to the areas in which the Consulate General is active, in particular international entrepreneurship, energy and critical raw materials

• Knowledge of and experience with project management

• Insight into relevant departmental frameworks and laws and regulations in the economic policy field (international trade and investment)

• Able to translate information into advice, plans, and reports; and assess the potential policy and financial consequences

• Knowledge and understanding of (social) economic developments and professional technical developments in the field of economics and sustainable development

• Affinity with the Energy and Critical Raw Materials sectors, preferably with regards to Canada and/or the Netherlands

• Demonstrated interest in Canada

• Excellent command, verbally and in writing, of the English language

• Command of the Dutch language is a plus but certainly not a condition

• Communication and editorial skills

• Customer-oriented, proactive attitude

Working environment

The Consulate General in Toronto looks after the interests of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its citizens in the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the territory of Nunavut, focusing primarily on consular and economic services. Specific focus areas in the economic domain are Agri Food, Circular Economy, Science Technology and Innovation and Life Sciences & Health, Energy Transition, with sustainability as cross-cutting theme.

The office has 15 employees, is headed by Consul General Harman Idema, and is part of the mission network in Canada (also consisting of the Embassy in Ottawa, the Consulate General in Vancouver and several Honorary Consuls throughout Canada).

The Economic Department consists of the Consul General, the Deputy Consul General, five economic policy/innovation officers, a Press and Cultural Affairs officer and the CdP secretarial officer, supplemented by one intern. There is also close cooperation with the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) that also has offices at the CG, the embassy in Ottawa, the CG in Vancouver and the trade attachés in Washington (Innovation, Agriculture and LSH). Occasionally and where relevant, Honorary Consuls are involved in tasks and/or work.

How to apply

Apply by January 31, 2025 by sending your CV and a motivation letter via e-mail.
Please direct any questions about the position to Deputy Consul General Laurenske van den Heuvel-Gerestein: e-mail.