AND Digital needs Dutch masters to close Netherlands’ digital skills gap

In this post, we’ll tell you about what we’ve been up to and where we’re going as the AND Amsterdam Club gets to grips with a new market, a community, and some exceptionally exciting opportunities.

Growing demand for digital skills

The technology industry is thriving in the Netherlands. In particular, the energising combination of start-ups and large corporations setting up in Amsterdam and the surrounding region are evidence of a culture that is technologically forward-thinking and rooted in the creativity and ambition that only comes from being part of a tight-knit community.

As an organisation that is built on a belief in the ingenuity of people to drive technological change, it felt natural for AND Digital to set up here. We want to help power this vibrant region by focusing on the technical and cultural challenges organisations can’t always solve on their own.

The skills we need

We need skilled technologists to achieve this. We’re looking to fill a full spectrum of technical roles, including product owners and business analysts, front and backend developers, as well as engineers with DevOps and cloud expertise. We’re also open to individuals from at different stages in their career, from senior and tenured, to junior developers and graduates. 

While we’re keen to make an impact in the Amsterdam technology community, we also want to hear from applicants from outside the Amsterdam region. Not only is the market hyper-competitive, we want the best talent the Netherlands has to offer.

Things are now starting to snowball. Our new starters are already recommending us to their colleagues and former team members as a fantastic place to work. We’re also attracting experienced senior leaders from global brands. 

Having built a reputation as an exceptional employer across the U.K., we’re delighted to see that our offer seems to resonate with talented technologists in Amsterdam as well.

Creating the right culture

For new recruits, our onboarding process includes 3 weeks in our AND Academy where you learn about our culture and people. That helps us to not only maintain the AND ethos but also to make it relevant to the lives of our diverse workforce. 

We’re keen to engage with and foster close relationships with local communities. One way we do this is by running regular workshops and socials at the Club and in the local area. 

During the onboarding process, starters also work through a Bootcamp to see how they communicate and work together best. Our first recruits have just completed theirs with positive results.

We’re also committed to diversity. This keeps us sharper as an organisation and ensures we’re more effective as problem-solvers. At present, AND’s Amsterdam Club is truly multicultural, with 18 nationalities, of which more than 30% is Dutch. Moreover, with more than 35% female workers and a 100% female leadership team, we’ve worked hard to ensure that AND is a great place for women to begin or build their career in the tech industry.

From a leadership perspective, we’re excited to see who walks through the door next. We put a lot of time and energy into building our teams, and the results speak for themselves.

A new club in town

At AND, your Club is your base. It’s where you meet with other ANDis (that’s what we call our staff) to talk and focus on finding new clients. 

We use a blended work model, so we aim to be in the office for 1-2 days a week. The rest of the week involves either work from home or at a client location. This makes for a chilled and relaxed atmosphere, while also ensuring everyone has purpose and focus on what needs to be done. 

The work is diverse. We’re targeting both local and international companies, using AND’s tried and tested way of working with clients while shaping our approach to the local market where necessary.

Adapting the AND ethos to a new region

We’re currently paying close attention to the ways in which our local clients like to operate. At AND, we are enthusiastic proponents of agile; fortunately, the maturity of the tech industry in the Netherlands means many Dutch companies are already advanced in such practices. This natural alignment has helped reduce onboarding times and helped us start work as efficiently as possible.

Our approach is getting a positive reaction. Our first client is already in the bag with a new project starting in the summer. There’s also lots of exciting work in the pipeline.

Going forward, we’re focusing on providing our teams with the right environment to grow and learn, while reaching out to new clients. It’s an exciting time to be an ANDi in Amsterdam.

We’re looking for senior developers - across the whole stack - with a focus on cloud and DevOps to join the Amsterdam Club.

If you’d like to find out more about the career opportunities in our Amsterdam Club, click here and filter by location.