29-year-old heads new “super” cultural department in the Wels municipality

As announced, the cultural and event services will be merged in the Wels municipality. Now the Welser Zeitung has found out who will head the new “Culture and Knowledge” department in the future: Bettina Schöngruber will be entrusted with the task of strengthening the organizational structures and also providing commercial support from February 1st.

The 29-year-old has been working in the magistrate since 2019 and has previously worked in the management department. There she was involved in organizational and personnel development. “This is an ideal choice for us,” says mayor and human resources officer Andreas Rabl (FP) Rosen.

Schöngruber completed a bachelor’s degree in sociology and social economics at the JKU and then completed a master’s degree in public management at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. She is currently completing a university course in coaching, organizational and human resources management. “Ms Schöngruber has exactly the skills we were looking for,” says Rabl.

Three rounds of tenders

The city used the retirement at the end of the year of Renate Miglbauer, who previously headed the cultural service, to restructure. “We were always very satisfied with her, and fortunately Ms. Miglbauer will remain with us in archeology,” says the city boss.

With Schöngruber there is now an opportunity to further develop the structures in the new office, says Rabl: “We have had very good experiences with economists in management positions.”

Rabl justifies the fact that the new manager has only now been chosen, although Miglbauer’s retirement hardly came as a surprise to the city, with the long tender process: “We needed three rounds – like every municipality and every company in Upper Austria, we have problems finding suitable staff find.” The ideal case is that the outgoing and new managers work together for a few months, says the mayor. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work out.”

While Schöngruber will primarily be in charge of the organizational and commercial affairs, the technical expertise will come from the existing employees, announces the city councilor Martin Oberndorfer (VP), who is responsible for museums: “We have very deserving people that we rely on.”

There are people responsible for the individual “product groups”: Stefan Haslinger, the long-time interim head of event service, remains responsible for this area. Ingeborg Micko, head of the city museum, also takes over the Roman Museum. Michael Kitzmantel remains at the top of the city archives. “How exactly the collaboration works in this new structure must now be established,” says Oberndorfer.

Recruitment in the slaughterhouse

Another key position in the city’s cultural sector will soon have to be filled: Wolfgang Wasserbauer, long-time director of the Old Slaughterhouse, will soon be retiring. During the negotiations for the 2024/2025 double budget, the parties in the city senate agreed that there should be two heads in the future: one commercial and one artistic.

The responsible speaker, Thomas Rammerstorfer (Greens), is hoping for a quick decision in view of Wasserbauer’s impending departure: “As far as I’m concerned, the tenders could have gone out six months ago. I don’t know why it took so long, the mayor, as a personnel officer, is in favor of it responsible.”

The mayor is said to have approved the tenders before Christmas. They would be published in the coming days.

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