Research & Data Lead, Social Innovation

Research & Data Lead, Social Innovation

Location: Remote global (preference for the Netherlands)

Contract: Full-time

Organisation: One Family Foundation

Salary: Commensurate with experience and in line with the nonprofit sector in your country of residence.

Start date: As soon as possible, latest 1st of April 2026.

About One Family Foundation

One Family Foundation is a small, independent philanthropic foundation based in the Netherlands that has made its mark globally as an incubator of social innovation projects and start-ups. We believe lasting change requires fundamentally transforming the way we think and act, creating collaboration across communities, social innovators, and governments to generate systemic solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

As part of our next phase, the Foundation is strengthening its policy, data, and digital tools to support governments and ecosystems worldwide, including through the Government Council for Social Innovation (GCSI).

Role Overview

The Research & Data Lead, Social Innovation will lead the development of two flagship, data-driven products:

1. the Social Innovation Index, benchmarking countries’ performance on social innovation, and
2. the Social Innovation Engine, a global platform surfacing social innovations that can partner with governments.

The role combines research leadership, data management and analysis, digital product oversight, and stakeholder engagement. The postholder will ensure the analytical rigor, credibility, and usability of both tools, while translating complex data into compelling insights and accessible online experiences for policymakers, funders, and ecosystem actors.

These two initiatives represent the current core project portfolio for the role. As the Foundation’s work evolves, the postholder may also take on responsibility for additional research- and data-driven projects aligned with organisational priorities.

Key Responsibilities

1. Research & Data Leadership (Social Innovation Index)

• Lead the further development of the Social Innovation Index methodology and indicators.
• Oversee data collection, validation, cleaning, structuring, and analysis across countries.
• Lead production of the Social Innovation Index report and oversee the development of the index website, translating results into clear narratives and visualisations.

1. Platform Development (Social Innovation Engine)

• Lead the research and data architecture underpinning the Social Innovation Engine, a platform showcasing social innovations globally.
• Define criteria, taxonomies, and data structures to surface relevant innovations for government partnerships.
• Oversee the further development of the Engine website, working closely with technical and design partners to ensure usability and policy relevance.

1. Stakeholder & Partnership Engagement

• Coordinate and engage countries and expert groups guiding the development of the Social Innovation Index.
• Collaborate with donors, award-giving organisations, and ecosystem partners contributing data and expertise to the Social Innovation Engine.
• Prepare consultation materials, synthesize feedback, and integrate stakeholder input into methodologies and outputs.

1. Evolving Project Portfolio

• Take on leadership of additional research, data, or digital initiatives as the Foundation’s strategy and programme portfolio develop.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for someone who is:

• Analytically rigorous and methodologically confident
• Comfortable leading complex, data-driven projects end to end
• Digitally minded, able to work with developers and designers on data-driven platforms
• Credible and collaborative, confident engaging governments, experts, donors, and partners
• Self-directed, proactive, and comfortable working in a small, distributed team

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• 3-5 years of experience in policy research, data analysis, or development of indices, scorecards, or analytical tools, ideally in an international context.
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field such as public policy, economics, international development, political science, data science, social sciences, or a related discipline.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, with the ability to design and interpret indicators and composite measures.
• Hands-on experience using statistical and data analysis tools, such as R, Python, Stata, SPSS, and/or data platforms such as Statista.
• Excellent writing and synthesis skills, with experience producing policy- or practitioner-facing reports.
• Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Desired (not required)

• Experience developing or managing international benchmarks, indices, or data-driven platforms.
• Familiarity with data visualisation tools and dashboards (e.g. Tableau, Power BI, or web-based visualisations).
• Background in or strong exposure to social innovation, social economy, public-sector innovation, or impact investing.
• Experience engaging governments, donors, or multilateral organisations in evidence-based work.
• Additional language skills are an asset.

What We Offer

• A mission-driven role with real policy impact, contributing to global efforts to embed social innovation into public policy, finance, and service delivery.
• Ownership of flagship, high-visibility projects, including the Social Innovation Index and the Social Innovation Engine, used by governments, donors, and ecosystem actors worldwide.
• A collaborative, international team environment, working with policymakers, researchers, experts, donors, and social innovators across regions and disciplines.
• A supportive, low-bureaucracy setting, where initiative is valued and individuals can shape tools and approaches over time.
• Opportunities for professional growth, including exposure to global policy processes and multilateral forums.

How to apply

Kindly send us your application here: https://forms.gle/A1FidaDnLCejzu4a7

Note: Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted

• A mission-driven role with real policy impact, contributing to global efforts to embed social innovation into public policy, finance, and service delivery.
• Ownership of flagship, high-visibility projects, including the Social Innovation Index and the Social Innovation Engine, used by governments, donors, and ecosystem actors worldwide.
• A collaborative, international team environment, working with policymakers, researchers, experts, donors, and social innovators across regions and disciplines.
• A supportive, low-bureaucracy setting, where initiative is valued and individuals can shape tools and approaches over time.
• Opportunities for professional growth, including exposure to global policy processes and multilateral forums.

Proficiency in English