Vacancy Chief Representative NBSO, Ahmedabad


The NBSO Network is currently recruiting for the position of Chief Representative at the Netherlands Business Support Office (NBSO) in Ahmedabad. 
 
The Kingdom of the Netherlands has NBSO’s in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Together with Embassy in New Delhi, the Consulates-General in Bangalore and Mumbai and the Honorary Consuls in Chennai, Kolkata and Lucknow they comprise the economic network of the Netherlands in India.

The NBSO in Ahmedabad focusses on supporting Dutch companies - mainly SMEs - in market entry and doing business in the state of Gujarat. In addition, as part of the economic network in India, opportunities are actively sought for Dutch companies in regionally highly developed sectors and themes such as Energy (Green Hydrogen and Renewables), Agriculture, and Water and Maritime. 

The Chief Representative (CR) leads the office with a strong focus on strategic vision and planning. The CR defines core priorities and identifies business opportunities for Dutch companies in Gujarat and the wider region, offering tailored guidance and market insights.
To support this, the CR builds and maintains a high-level network with local authorities, Indian and Dutch companies, and business organizations. The role includes organizing (digital) promotional activities, coordinating trade missions and delegation visits, and tracking key business developments to promote Dutch commercial interests effectively.
You report to the NBSO Homebase of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) in The Hague and work closely with the other participants in the economic network India (ENI). You will recruit and manage the Deputy Representative in Ahmedabad and work closely with the NBSO in Hyderabad. You  coordinate the activities of the NBSO with the Head of Economic affairs at the Embassy in New Delhi. 

Profile

You have an entrepreneurial spirit, have an eye for opportunities and possibilities and you can also operationalize them. You have an affinity with the Netherlands and knowledge of Dutch culture. You have extensive and practical experience as a business developer, preferably for companies in different industries. You communicate easily with both SMEs and (C-suite level) multinationals and are familiar with the top sector policy (‘topsectorenbeleid’) of the Netherlands. You are a (proven) good networker, have a positive attitude and enjoy a challenging (business) environment. You are a proven self-starter and a pleasant team player. You have strong analytical skills and good writing skills.

Required competencies are: networking, results-oriented, flexibility, initiative, planning and organizing, collaboration, management and organizational sensitivity and integrity.

Job requirements

•    Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (university/higher professional education) preferably in an economic track;
•    At least 5 years of relevant work experience;
•    Excellent command of the English language (minimum C1 level), both spoken and written. Good command of Gujarati and Hindi. A good command of the Dutch language will be an asset. 
•    Having an extensive economic network in both India as the Netherlands, with a good understanding of the organisational structure of the Dutch Government in the Netherlands; 
•    Good knowledge of and experience with the aforementioned sectors/themes of maritime industry, waste & water management, agriculture, energy/climate, and life sciences & health; Energy (Green Hydrogen and Renewables), Agriculture, and Water and Maritime;
•    Practical experience with business development for Dutch SMEs and doing business in an international environment; also demonstrable managerial experience;
•    Extensive experience , along with proven sensitivity of cultural nuances, with Indian and Dutch (business) culture and affinity with internationalization and international marketing. Demonstrable experience in organizing meetings and promotional activities;
•    Sufficient knowledge of relevant (online and digital) applications and social media;
•    Available from 1st October 2025 or shortly thereafter.
•    Permitted to work and reside in India.

Activities

Services to Dutch companies

•    Providing information and guidance to individual Dutch companies by, among other things, answering trade requests and finding the right business partners;
•    Organizing matchmaking programs (e.g. during trade missions) and identifying opportunities for the Dutch companies;
•    Providing information to Dutch companies, the economic network in India and RVO about trade and cooperation opportunities and monitoring relevant developments in the field.

Other services
•    Providing information and guidance to local businesses in the event of specific import needs from the Netherlands;
•    Provide support to other members of the economic cluster, such as the economic department at the embassy and Consulates-General; the councillors for Innovation, Agriculture and Customs; and NFIA (Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency);
•    Create sector reports for one or more (top) sectors.

Export promotional activities

•    Independently organize information sessions, seminars and other promotional activities;
•    Organize visitor programs for Dutch companies and trade associations;
•    Provide local companies, institutions and government organizations with information about the Netherlands economy.

Supporting delegations, missions and visitors

•    Supporting visitor programs for economic missions (e.g. ministers and high official delegations), as well as assisting in the organization of economic missions of authorities.

Networking

•    Proactively building and maintaining a relationship network in the working area.

Offices operations

•    Responsible in a broad sense for the smooth daily operations of the offices; among other things, managing the employee(s) of the offices and ensuring timely payments from suppliers and service providers;
•    Responsible for timely preparing the budget for the coming year, and for the annual preparation of a work plan for the offices which will be included in the annual plan of the embassy in New Delhi.
•    If and when required, provide support and occasionally travel to the NBSO in Ahmedabad, as long as this office is without a Chief Representative.

The NBSO

NBSOs are trade offices of the Netherlands government and were established to support Netherlands companies on site with their activities abroad. The network currently consists of 23 offices: Argentina, Australia, Brazil (2), China (4), France (3), Germany (3), India (2), Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States (3). They work closely with embassies and consulates(-general) and the other members of the Netherlands’ economic network. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) is ultimately responsible for the management and operation of the NBSOs.

The NBSO staff consists of two staff members: a Chief Representative and a Deputy Representative. 

Job offer

We offer a full-time appointment for an initial period of two years. After two years, an evaluation will take place with RVO and the contract can be extended for three more years. You will be contracted by the Netherlands embassy in New Delhi. 

Upon employment, you will be ranked in salary scale 9, the same as the job level. All ten salary scales at the Embassy comprise 16 pay numbers.  The pay number assigned to the employee upon employment depends on the number of years of relevant experience.  After every 12 months, you may be awarded one additional pay number depending on your job performance in the preceding 12 months.  At present, salary scale 9 starts with a gross monthly salary of INR 192,716 for pay number 0 and ends with a gross monthly salary of INR 289,074 for pay number 15. Every December a 13th month salary is paid.  Within certain restrictions 95% of necessary medical cost are reimbursed. Income tax and social security premiums are to be paid by the employee in accordance with Indian Law and regulations. Salaries are reviewed every first of January. Employees are encouraged and supported to seek further training and education to improve their skills and broaden their employability. This is largely paid for by the employer.

The employment conditions applicable to local employees are set out in the Legal Status (Local Employees) Regulations 2020 (LSR 2020) and are worked out in the Mission Version for India. 

A background check may be part of the selection procedure.

Contact persons

For additional information please contact:
Ravleen Pal Deputy Head of Economic Section, 
ravleen.pal@minbuza.nl 

Els Steiger, Coordinator NBSO network, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) 
P: +31 6 2910 1994 | M: els.steiger@rvo.nl 

Job applications
Applicants are invited to send a cover letter and CV to nbso@rvo.nl no later than 8th August 2025. Incomplete applications will not be taken into account. 

The Embassy is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.