‘Everyone I meet here wants the best for society’

According to Marisa, you can call the Operational Management Department the engine of the IND. From the interview rooms in Ter Apel to the coffee at the offices, operations makes sure that the organisation can perform all its tasks as well as possible. Marisa is mostly responsible for HR, communications and the development of the Operational Management Department.

Starting without any experience

‘Before I started at the IND, I had little to no experience with operations,’ Marisa tells. ‘And yet, I was given the opportunity to start here as staff adviser. In my first year, I was encouraged to look at my ambitions and now I am trying to see whether I can grow to become an operations manager. This is how fast it can go here. I think this really shows what kind of an employer the IND is: an employer which trusts you and gives you support to develop yourself. People here are not afraid to think out of the box and employees are given the opportunity to come up with refreshing new ideas. For the time being, I’m in the right place here.’

Advising, alerting and supporting

Marisa has been employed for over a year now and has gained quite some experience with operations. As staff adviser, she advices, alerts and supports the management team of the Operational Management Department. ‘I work on issues around HR, communications and the development of the Operational Management Department,’ Marisa explains. ‘The IND is a growing organisation and it is faced with increasing demands from society. This means that our operations must be flexible enough to adapt to this change. I map what this means for my department.’

‘My work has never been so varied. One day, I am preparing the meeting of the management team, the other day I am networking with managers of other departments and a while later I am organising a two-day offsite retreat for the operations management team. This variation gives me quite a lot of energy.’ Marisa tells.

There’s a buzz at operations

‘Because of this, it’s easy for me to detect where there are bottlenecks or aspects that need improvement. It is even more fun that my signals are being used. For example, I am working on the labour market communication about operations, which just sounds a bit boring – let’s be honest. Especially for someone who’s just left school. I mentioned this to my department. The signal was picked up and we are now trying to write our job listings in such a way that we can also appeal to younger people.

Being taken seriously

These are the times Marisa gets the feeling she is being heard. ‘I’m young and haven’t been working very long for the IND yet. Still, my ideas are taken just as seriously as the ideas of colleagues who have been working here for years. This isn’t just nice, but also very good for my self-confidence. As a result, I have the courage to take the initiative more often and take on new challenges. Actually, I think that’s what every employee wants the most: feel seen and heard.’

Reflection of the Netherlands

And Marisa thinks the IND works really hard for this. ‘The IND has many socially involved people working for it. All colleagues I’ve met here so far want the best for society and for everyone who is faced with migration. I think that’s a nice way of working, because I recognise myself in it. Moreover, I really see a reflection of society here: young, old, all sorts of backgrounds and cultures. This is how I think it should be. I also think diversity and inclusion are very important in an organisation. In short: the IND suits me and I very much enjoy it here!’