About us
Profundo provides action-oriented research, advice, and capacity building for civil society and public organisations.
Profundo is a mission-driven organisation.
We see it as our role to unravel the facts, analyse the patterns, expose the vested interests, and identify the opportunities for change. This helps our clients and partners to exert influence where it is most effective.
Organisation
Profundo is a non-profit organisation composed of 22 staff from 12 countries. We operate through two separate legal entities, both based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Profundo B.V. is a social enterprise established in 2000 and owned by its director, Jan Willem van Gelder. To complement the activities of Profundo B.V., the Profundo Research Foundation was established in 2019
Advisory board
To advise on the topics and approaches on which Profundo could work, an advisory board with three external experts is set up. The advisory board meets 3 to 4 times per year. The current members of the advisory board are:
Giuseppe van der Helm - chairman
Giuseppe van der Helm is the former director of the Dutch Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO). He now is the director of the cooperation Leren voor Morgen which aims to work with educational institutes in the Netherlands on sustainable development in education.
Alexandra Dawe - secretary
Alexandra Dawe is head of communications at Rainforest Alliance. As an independent communication specialist she previously advised and trained NGOs and companies on communication strategies related to sustainability. Before that, she worked as a financial journalist and as a communications specialist at Greenpeace International and FMO..
Annette Freyberg-Inan
Annette Freyberg-Inan is professor in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Amsterdam, with particular expertise on the theoretical and methodological terrain. Her research spans International Relations and International Political Economy, European integration and EU enlargement, transitions in Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey, and political protest.
We aim to make a practical contribution to a sustainable world and social justice.
Profundo’s core activity is research. With an open mind, we endeavour to deepen our understanding and identify and analyse all relevant facts.
This Code of Conduct outlines how Profundo strives to conduct its research activities with high accuracy, integrity, and independence.
It lays out our operational standards, ethical guidelines, and quality standards for clients, partners, donors, and the wider community.
While it cannot address every possible situation, it provides guidelines and defines the underlying values that help us assess situations effectively and act in alignment with our principles.
"Profundo means profound in Spanish and some other languages. Generating profound knowledge to support those with very limited power, be it underpaid workers, local communities, or the natural world, has been the main driver for me to found Profundo. With our research we support the civil society and public organisations that fight for their rights, to understand which mechanisms defend the status quo and to find opportunities for a just and sustainable change."
Jan Willem van Gelder, Founder and director
Team
Profundo has a diverse, multidisciplinary team of experts from various professional and cultural backgrounds. Please feel free to contact any of our staff members for more information.
We hope someday you will join us
Working at Profundo will offer you the opportunity to contribute to a more sustainable and socially just world, by providing action-oriented research, advice, and capacity building for civil society and public organisations.
You can respond to one of our vacancies, which will be published here, or you can send us an open application. As Profundo is an equal opportunity employer, we especially encourage people from a minority background to apply.
Working at Profundo means joining a multi-disciplinary team of over 20 professionals with different cultural backgrounds from 12 different countries. All colleagues are highly motivated to work on social change. Their various backgrounds contribute to profound and comprehensive research results and recommendations for our clients.
We have a horizontal organisational structure allowing everybody to bring in ideas and to be involved in the development of our organisation. Our culture is open, democratic, respectful and informal. Profundo is striving for a diverse and inclusive workplace, in among ways other by providing:
flexible working hours and the right to switch public holidays;
the opportunity to work most of your time from home, making it easier to combine your work life with your private life;
a friendly office close to the Amsterdam Sloterdijk train station;
a resting room at the office which can be used for personal or quiet activities requiring privacy (meditation, praying, etc.);
a healthy vegetarian lunch twice a week at the office for free, which can be adjusted to accommodate different dietary preferences (Halal, Kosher, allergies, a.o.);
a lot of attention for the health and safety of our staff, including regular massages;
a gender mainstreaming taskforce that is working on constant improvement of gender equality and inclusion policies on the work floor and in research;
an international team which usually communicates in English.
Profundo is a fun and challenging workplace that engages in impactful work. One of the things I love about working here is the opportunity to interact with colleagues from different parts of the world. I truly enjoy the international nature of our work and the people around me.
Chithira Rajeevan
Policy Researcher
I enjoy working at Profundo. What I like most about my job, is that we help NGOs to inform their positions, their decision-making process, and their public campaigns through world-class research. When rooted in science and supported by evidence, the great work that the NGOs are doing is bound to receive the attention it truly deserves – both from the policymakers and our societies.
Pavel Boev
Supply Chain Researcher
Vacancies
At the moment we have no vacancies.
Are you motivated to work for Profundo and do you have relevant skills and knowledge? Then we would like to receive your open application.
Please send a short resume summarizing your knowledge, experience and motivation to [email protected].
Attach your CV and preferably an example of research you have done.
Annual reports
Our annual reports provide a concise overview of our activities per year, while our financial accounts show our financial figures.
Contact
Profundo
Radarweg 505
1043 NZ Amsterdam
the Netherlands
Tel: +31-20-8208320
E-mail: [email protected]
Our office is very close to the Amsterdam Sloterdijk railway station. If you leave the station through the main exit, turn left and take the footpath passing the circular Hermes café. Follow the road crossing below the glass-covered railway line until the first crossing. In front of you is our office, with various company billboards on the side wall. Cross at the traffic lights and take the second entrance on the street side. Our office is located on the fifth floor.
Get in touch
To get in touch with us, please fill in the form below and send it.