Technology & Democracy Lead

Organisation: Evens Foundation (an endowed family foundation)Location: Ideally hybrid with 2-3 days a week in our Brussels office, but open to remote options, +-2hrs CET with travel to Brussels every 2 months. Compensation: €70-€110k total cost to the organisation (Belgium employee, non-Belgium employee or contractor). Employee packages must align with the team if you are in Belgium (we have 13th-month pay, lunch vouchers and other benefits).Type: Full-time or 4 days/week (compensation pro-rated)Person in a nutshell: Entrepreneurial builder who wants to create a portfolio of digital democratic infrastructure products and projects. About the roleAs the Evens Foundation’s Technology & Democracy Lead, you will be at the forefront of supporting the growth of democratic digital infrastructure. You will lend your expertise to a small number of the most promising ideas. You will use their successes (and failures) to engage in the wider conversation about tech and democracy. This role is both strategic and hands-on, requiring expertise in technology as well as a capable public communicator in the field.You will report to the Executive Director. This role is to start a department; we foresee growth in staff and budget once milestones are hit. We operate as a hybrid foundation, so you will do a mix of grantmaking, project leadership and strategic input/output. We are a close team of six core team members, with an engaged Board.What a week might look like: Day 1, 2 and 3: build & scale (≈60%). Incubate 2–3 pilot democracy tools with external teams; drive adoption, innovation, measurement, and hand‑off. Day 4: grantmaking & partnerships (≈15%). Run a small fund; manage a network of promising NGOs. Day 5: public voice (≈15%). Publish, speak, and convene a practitioner network to advance standards for recommender systems.Core profileIn this role, you will thrive if you are/have:Independent and entrepreneurialYou will lead and drive initiatives based on the Foundation’s strategic approach. Within that frame, you will have significant flexibility to shape the scope of work and, in the mid-term, build a small department around you from the ground up. The first areas of focus identified are AI and recommender systems.Digital expert with hands-on experienceYou will be the Foundation’s digital expert, able to understand and guide the lifecycle of civic tech initiatives — from early concept to wider adoption — working closely with external partners and builders. Experience working with software or AI tools, especially in partnership or advisory roles, is highly valued. Experience in ideating, launching and scaling software and/or AI tools in any industry, big or small, is a must.Network builderIn the philanthropic sector, relationships are key. You will work with fellow foundations to find ways to build democratic digital infrastructure together. Beyond this, researchers, engineers and many other talented professionals will only be available outside of the Evens Foundation; your role will be to find, mobilise and resource them in an effort to create a better democracy with and for young people. Strategic thinker capable of producing domain leadershipYou will join the conversation and present at major conferences outlining the Foundation’s perspective on how to build tools that support democracy alongside the risks that we need to have top of mind. This requires the ability to join the public debate and shape that debate through insight and collaboration.We will be looking for someone with all 4 of these qualities.Additional skillsBelow is a set of ‘nice to have’ skills. We know that no one will tick all the boxes, but we wanted to indicate the types of things that might give you an edge in the process. FundraiserThe Foundation has an endowment, but to reach larger ambitions, you will need to leverage co-funding and attract other partners to join the mission. Other parts of the foundation have been successful in securing public funding, which is another viable growth strategy as you build out an approach and your team.  AI domain expertiseAI capabilities will redefine democracy - for better and worse. As we enter the era of agents and as AI becomes the dominant interface with the web, all is to play for. We currently have 3 project streams looking at AI applications in democracy. Can you add to this?EU PolicyThe rules of the system are an enabler of pro-democracy tech (as well as anti-democratic abuse). The EU is leading globally, with landmark legislation on the Digital Single Market, AI and more. Familiarity with this space would support several existing projects that tackle recommender systems. About the Evens FoundationThe Evens Foundation recognises the current threats to Democracy in Europe. It aims to foster democratic resilience in an era where young people (18-29) are losing trust in its institutions. As digitalisation reshapes public discourse and political participation, we aim to make a positive and meaningful contribution to society at large in an effort to create a pro-social, pro-democracy online environment. We aspire to engage meaningfully with young people to evolve democracy for their needs, making it future-fit by building digital democratic infrastructure (for example, scaling a youth-focused voting advice application or integrating AI capability in citizens' assemblies to bring forward more marginalised voices). Why Join Us?A mission-driven role with tangible societal impact.Opportunity to shape the future of democracy at a critical time.Work with a dynamic network of civic innovators, policymakers, technologists, researchers, and engineers.A unique board and leadership team of top professionals in democracy and technology, with experience at the Ford Foundation, Google DeepMind, Philea, Chanel Foundation, Open Society Foundations and some of the largest youth networks in the world.This is an initiator role; you will significantly shape the future of the function within the foundation. Year one will focus on strategy and proof-of-concept; by year two, we aim to expand the team and scope.OtherOccasional travel, mainly within Europe (<10%).Reporting to the Executive Director, with high autonomy.   Initially, you will work closely in tandem with the Executive Director. English is our language of operation.Must have EU work permit.We store candidate data for up to 12 months under GDPR; request deletion at any time.We welcome applicants from underrepresented groups. We provide reasonable accommodations.How to applySend a CV to “antwerp@evensfoundation.be” and answer these 3 questions (not more than 1 page): Describe a product you scaled and what you learned? How would you prioritise supporting democracy tech across Europe on a 200k Euro grantmaking budget? How would you manage a European network of 100s of civic tech players and generate value for them?Only shortlisted candidates will get a detailed response to their application. We aim to select around 5 candidates to progress to stage II. They will be given a short case study to complete and have a first interview with the Executive Director. A second interview will be held with members of the Evens family as a last step, with a maximum of 2 candidates. We aim to have someone start in January 2026, or earlier.