The Netherlands Consulate General in San Francisco is looking for a Senior Economic Policy Officer. This job will be offered at pay scale 9 for a fixed term of 2 year, with a probationary period of two months.

The Netherlands Consulate General in San Francisco supports Dutch companies in the US market, particularly focused on helping small-and-medium-sized Dutch enterprises grow their business in the US West Coast. The CG provides market information, identifies opportunities and connects interested parties in the public and private sector.

The Netherlands Government celebrates all forms of diversity and is deeply committed to foster an inclusive environment within its organization. Individuals interested in advancing these diversity goals are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information, please contact Mrs. Agnes Koppelman (Deputy Consul General), or Margot Korthals (Deputy Head of Economic Department) e-mail: agnes.koppelman@minbuza.nl or margot.korthals@minbuza.nl

Application letters with resume, both in English, should be addressed to:

Consulate General of the Netherlands
Attn: Mrs. Agnes Koppelman
One Montgomery Street, Suite 3100
San Francisco, CA 94104
United States,

and be submitted via email to: SFN-HR@minbuza.nl.

Closing date for applications: 10 October 2025

Starting date: 1 January 2026

Indicative monthly gross salary: USD 10,786.- (pay scale 9, step 0) based on a 40-hour week contract.
401K Plan is offered.
Health/Dental/Vision is provided on a 72%-28% Employer-Employee basis.

*This vacancy is open to internal (local employees and partners of officials posted to a Mission in the US) and external candidates. If a local employee and a partner of an official posted to a Mission are equally qualified, the local employee shall be given priority. Furthermore, if an internal candidate and an external candidate are equally qualified, the internal candidate shall be given priority.

* As per US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), employers in the US are required to ensure that all employees have the legal right to work in the US. The Netherlands Embassy / Consulate General cannot sponsor any work permits for families.

 

General Job Description

• The Senior Economic Policy Officer is primarily responsible for developing and implementing the Consulate’s (economic) policy and for translating the policy into achievable plans, and ensuring effective implementation of those plans;
• The policy officer reports to the Deputy Consul-General as Head of the Economic Department, but works with a high degree of autonomy;
• The policy officers works as Deputy Head of the Economic Department and replaces the Head of the Economic Department in their absence;
• Adherence to applicable governmental guidelines (and working within budget constraints) are essential to success;
• The policy officer gathers and analyzes (economic) information and development, and sees to existing policy being translated into specific action by the Consulate General, in close collaboration with the Embassy and other Netherlands Consulates General in the US;
• The policy officer supports Dutch parties (e.g. government, industry, SME’s, knowledge institutes) and provides them with an appropriate level of advice;
• The policy officer plans and prepares, and provides organizational support for, meetings/incoming and outgoing missions/promotions;
• The policy officer understands the local political and administrative situation, understands the balance of forces at work (including the interests at stake), estimates the viability of actions/decisions, and is timely in recognizing reputational/diplomatic/political risks.

Result Areas and Related  Duties

• Increase Dutch impact on the US market in relevant business sectors, such as the Future of Compute and Life Sciences and Health;
• Develop business support formats for knowledge-intensive, innovative and sustainable Dutch enterprises on the US West Coast (mostly small and medium-sized enterprises and startups) and contributing to the documentation of economic activities;
• Contribute to the establishment of effective networks of relevant US companies, organizations, and local government institutions on the US West Coast, in order to facilitate B2B or B2G contacts, and to identify and advise on business opportunities for specific Dutch companies;
• Participate in (and contribute to) the development -and efficient and successful implementation of- the Dutch economic policy agenda in the Western US. The US network’s annual economic work plan serves as a guiding document in this vein.
• Actively contribute to the success of the whole Consulate General (most importantly: see to seamless collaboration between the Economic Department (EA), the Innovation Attaché Network (IA) and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA)) – all as One Team.
• Oversee and administer effective registration of projects, the Consulate’s (financial) obligations and economic team’s interaction with the private sector (measuring results). Reporting on the progress of projects and developments.
• Ensures the implementation of existing programs and long-term programs in which the Consulate is involved (Internships in the Valley a.o.).
• Responsible for identifying new opportunities for Dutch businesses in the region and ensuring timely and effective follow-up to support their successful engagement.

Description of result areas

• Policy plans are effectively translated into implementation plans, and implementation is monitored and evaluated.
• Meetings/incoming and outgoing missions/products/promotions are arranged in accordance with relevant time-, quality- and budget-based agreements.
• Enquiries are handled and coordinated effectively and in good time.
• Products/trade missions/promotions/services/initiatives are tailored to the local context, and the right conditions are created to ensure effective implementation.
• Projects in the policy area concerned are planned, organized and evaluated.
• Relevant signals from the political sphere, society and the policy implementation arena are followed up, problems are addressed, and necessary adjustments are made.
• Decisions are taken in accordance with the applicable internal and external frameworks/rules/agreements.
• Inside and outside the organization, the policy officer has positioned themselves as an expert on their own policy issues and as is seen as a valued partner.
• The policy officer is capable of building, maintaining and utilizing a relevant network within both the business and government communities.
• Systems/records are kept in good order.

Work Environment

The Consulate General (CG) in San Francisco is a medium-sized diplomatic post with 5 seconded and 20 local employees and is active in the fields of economic and technological cooperation, innovation, climate policy, the promotion of Dutch culture & art, public diplomacy and consular advocacy. The working language at the office is English and the office is situated in downtown San Francisco.

The Consulate General in San Francisco is part of the network of Dutch missions in the US, that consists of the Embassy in Washington D.C. and 5 CGs (Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York and San Francisco). CG San Francisco serves a jurisdiction that covers the thirteen western states (including Alaska and Hawaii), an area of ​​approximately 116 x the Netherlands. The center of gravity of the work is in the state of California.

Economic and technological cooperation and trade and investment, the promotion of Dutch culture and public diplomatic activities are shaped in the Economic Cluster of the CG, consisting of Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), Economic Department (EA), the Innovation Attaché Network (IA) and the Netherlands Business Support Offices (NBSO) based in Los Angeles and Phoenix. The 8 honorary consuls within the jurisdiction of the CG fulfill an important supporting role in the performance of tasks.

The policy officer will be part of the Consulate’s Economic Cluster. The Officer will work closely together with other Economic Officers at our different locations in the US (CG’s + NBSO’s), the Honorary Consuls within our region and reports to the deputy Consul General in San Francisco.

Job Requirements

Knowledge and areas of experience

• Academic level (MSc, MBA or similar) relevant to the economic activities of the mission.
• Min. 5 years relevant working experience.
• Fluency in English (both spoken and written).
• Strong written capabilities and excellent verbal communication skills, with the ability to conduct presentations for large and diverse audiences.
• Skilled in networking and dealing with external parties, both orally and in writing.
• Skilled in preparing/coordinating meetings, incoming and outgoing missions and visits.
• Skilled in translating insights and information into recommendations, plans and reports.
• Understanding of the governmental and legal frameworks relevant to the task(s) at hand.
• Preferably knowledge of the Dutch business ecosystem, economy, market and institutions. Good knowledge of the US market (focus on the West Coast) is a pre.
• Affinity with tech-related industries, preferably with several of our focus sectors (e.g. high tech, sport, LSH, climate & energy, circular economy).
• Knowledge of ICT systems.

This position is a senior role. It requires that you will be able to work with substantial autonomy and work collaboratively with other team members across disciplines. You also must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with demanding stakeholders, high standards and at times heavy workload. The economic policy officer is also deputy head of the economic department, and is expected to have a high level of independence to manage multiple ongoing issues and have an understanding of knowledge intensive matters with a limited amount of supervision and excellent follow up.

The CG is looking for a creative and result-oriented person with a strong pro-active attitude and business acumen. You are not only a constructive team player and value a positive team spirit, but we also expect you to take initiatives to actively advance the objectives of the CG in your area of responsibility. The position requires solid written and verbal communication skills and the ability to use these skills for analytical and policy oriented reporting. The position also requires the demonstrated ability to solve problems quickly and creatively.

You are hands-on and know how to get people on board. You understand entrepreneurs and know how to speak their language and you have a good understanding of the role of the government. You are a networker and easy in connecting people. You have strong analytical skills and a good sense for spotting opportunities and translating them into concrete actions. You are willing to work occasional evenings and weekends; some travel is expected and encouraged.

Knowledge of the Dutch language is desirable, but not a condition.

Specific competences

• Customer-oriented
• Planning & organization
• Result-oriented
• Networking skills
• Creativity
• Cooperation

Framework

• The policy officer is primarily responsible for helping to develop policy and for drawing up project plans for the trade and economic cooperation.
• The policy officer is accountable to the Consul General / the Deputy Consul General for effectively helping to develop policy, drawing up, and amending project plans.
• Ministerial policy guidelines for Consulates general and for Economic Diplomacy, as well as available funding, are of importance when making proposals to improve policy and potential project plans.
• The economic policy officer takes decisions about the quality of the analysis of collected data and the translation of overall ministerial policy frameworks into proposals for specific action by the Consulate general and Embassy.

Contacts

• With co-workers on business developments and effective assistance to the Dutch private sector in the priority areas, experiences with business support programs, and policy;
• With the management and co-workers on the progress of policy development and procedures, including administration and archiving issues;
• With the relevant US and Dutch business communities and (local) governments;
• With representatives of other EU countries in the resort;
• With colleagues at the Embassy in Washington and at other Dutch Consulates General and NBSOs;
• With relevant Ministries in The Hague and government agencies in the Netherlands.