Head of Services

Tidalis; Apeldoorn; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

IKB 13.15%

20 vacation days + option to buy 20

Premium-free pension

Vitality allowance €272.50 net

Travel approximately 20%

Job summary

Tidalis seeks a visionary Head of Services to lead and grow the EMEA Services department, including Customer Service Delivery Managers, Support Engineers, and Field Service Engineers.

You will define and drive the Services strategy, operating model, and performance framework, coaching teams to be highly engaged, collaborative, and compliant while delivering sustainable growth for our maritime solutions.

Qualifications

• At least five years of project/program management experience in a high-tech B2B environment.
• Certification in project management (IPMA-D/C or PMI).
• Experience serving clients such as Rijkswaterstaat or other government organisations.
• Affinity with software and tech-enabled services.
• Ability to adapt leadership style for teams and suppliers.
• Willingness to travel to customers in the Netherlands ~20% of time.
• Fluent Dutch and English, both spoken and written.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the Services strategy for growth and operational excellence.
• Design and optimize the Services operating model for governance, performance, and accountability.
• Lead regional Services orgs with a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Own the regional service lifecycle from handover to maintenance, renewal, and end‑of‑life.
• Set and monitor service KPIs to ensure compliance, quality, and value creation.
• Champion adoption of service tools and AI solutions to boost efficiency and CX.
• Strengthen capability across the Services domain through knowledge sharing and development.
• Lead transformation initiatives to increase service maturity, efficiency, and scalability.
• Promote data-driven, customer-centric decision making across Services.
• Align with Sales to strengthen lifecycle service propositions and renewals.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to feed service insights back into development.
• Ensure compliance with contractual, regulatory, cybersecurity, quality, and QHSE standards.
• Act as executive escalation authority for high-impact issues.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Change management

Coaching & development

Travel willingness

Dutch & English fluency

Education

PM Certification (IPMA-D/C or PMI)

Job description

About Tidalis

Do you want to be a leader within an innovative company that helps protect “The Great Barrier Reef”, make our waterways safer and more secure, and optimize the efficiency of the world’s largest ports? Then keep reading! We serve clients around the globe with advanced solutions in the areas of maritime traffic, ports, and coastal surveillance. Together, we ensure the safe and efficient movement of people and goods in the maritime world.

Your role

As Head of Services, you lead and grow our EMEA Services department — Customer Service Delivery Managers, Customer Support Engineers, and Field Service Engineers — into a scalable, commercially sustainable organization built around the customer lifecycle. You define and drive the Services strategy, operating model, and performance framework, ensuring service delivery that is reliable, compliant, and genuinely customer-centric across our installed base.

As a leader, you invest in the growth and success of your people. Through coaching, mentoring, and constructive feedback, you build highly engaged teams, promote a culture of collaboration and accountability, and ensure every team member has the tools, skills, and support to perform at their best.

You operate at domain leadership level, translating business objectives into an executable Services strategy. Where your Customer Service Delivery Manager team owns individual contract performance and SLA execution, you set the overarching strategy, operating model, and performance framework that guide how the whole domain delivers. It’s a role that combines strategic direction with hands‑on involvement — you stay close to operational monitoring, control, and decision‑making to keep service delivery safe, reliable, and commercially strong.

What will you do?

• Develop and implement the Services strategy, driving sustainable growth, operational excellence, and alignment with regional and global objectives.
• Design and continuously optimize the Services operating model to strengthen governance, performance management, and accountability.
• Lead and develop the regional Services organization, building a high-performance culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Own the regional service lifecycle — from project handover through maintenance, renewal, and end‑of‑life — to secure reliable customer value.
• Set and monitor service performance indicators to ensure contractual compliance, service quality, and sustainable value creation.
• Drive the adoption of service support tools and AI solutions to boost operational efficiency, service quality, and customer experience.
• Strengthen organizational capability across the Services domain through knowledge sharing, professional development, and future talent readiness.
• Lead transformation initiatives that increase service maturity, efficiency, and scalability across the region.
• Champion data‑informed, customer‑centric decision‑making across the Services domain.
• Align with Sales to strengthen lifecycle service propositions and support contract renewals.
• Partner with Product Management and Engineering to feed service insights back into product and technology development.
• Ensure compliance with contractual, regulatory, cybersecurity, quality, and QHSE standards across the region.
• Act as executive escalation authority for high‑impact operational, commercial, or safety‑related matters.

What do you bring?

• At least five years of relevant project or program management experience in a high‑tech business‑to‑business environment;
• Project management certification (e.g. IPMA-D/C or PMI Project Management Professional);
• Experience working for clients such as Rijkswaterstaat or other government organizations;
• Affinity with software;
• The ability to apply flexible leadership styles when managing teams and suppliers;
• Willingness to travel to our customers within the Netherlands for approximately 20% of your time;
• Fluent communication skills in both Dutch and English, verbally and in writing.

What do we offer you?

• You will work in an inspiring, enjoyable, and technically interesting environment.
• The salary is attractive and aligned with your work experience and education.
• Your individual choice budget (IKB) amounts to 13.15% of your salary and can be used for extra leave, additional pension savings, or paid out entirely.
• You receive 20 statutory vacation days per year, with the option to purchase 20 additional days through your IKB.
• The pension is premium-free, giving your net income a boost.
• You also receive an annual vitality allowance of €272.50 net.