After graduation, he became a scientific assistant there in 1973. In 1978 he joined the government where he held various managerial positions. First at Rijkswaterstaat/Deltadienst/svk of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works and from 1982 at the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM). In 1991 he became general manager at MOES Bouwbedrijf and from 1993 Vriesman was director of Corporate Real Estate (evp) at ABN AMRO. In 1998 he returned to central government where he became director general of Spatial Planning at VROM and was officially responsible for, among other things, the Fifth Memorandum on Spatial Planning, the revision of the Wro and the Memorandum on Land Policy. In September 2001, Vriesman became general director of the Forestry Commission. In March 2007 he became program director Stad-Land, also known as the G4P3 program, and from 2008 he was chairman of the Airport Spatial Development Committee (ROL Committee). On May 1, 2009 followed his appointment as acting mayor of Den Helder to succeed Stefan Hulman who had become discredited over housing costs. Eight months later, Koen Schuiling became the crown appointed mayor of Den Helder. Subsequently, Vriesman became active (independently) in both administrative and advisory areas.