The position is intended to be filled as of 1 October 2026. The application period closes on 5 August 2026.
Last year, the Helsinki Administrative Court annulled the appointment decision concerning the Chief of Police of the Ostrobothnia Police Department, following two appeals against the appointment. The National Police Board has assessed the further measures related to the recruitment process and has decided to restart the recruitment procedure in its entirety.
The National Police Board has announced the fixed-term position of Chief of Police for the Ostrobothnia Police Department as open for applications. The position will be filled for a fixed term of up to five years. The official duty station of the Chief of Police is Vaasa.
The application period ends on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, at 4:15 p.m. The full vacancy announcement is available at Valtiolle.fi (ID 23655).
As the Ostrobothnia Police Department must have a head of agency, the National Police Board has appointed Jarkko Lehtinen to a fixed-term appointment as Chief of Police to perform the duties of the vacant position. The fixed-term appointment will continue until the new recruitment process has been completed.
Chief of Police Leads the Police Department
The Chief of Police directs the operations of the police department in accordance with the Police Strategy and as part of the overall police administration.
The Chief of Police is responsible for:
- ensuring the effectiveness and performance of the police department, as well as coordinating operations, finances and human resource management;
- arranging police services within the department’s area of responsibility;
- regional, national and international stakeholder and inter-agency cooperation;
- driving organisational renewal while anticipating the needs of the operating environment;
- ensuring the effectiveness of both internal workplace communications and external communications.
