Relationship Manager – Advising Elected Officials (Subteam #3) – DefCom

Location: Remote within Europe

Time commitment: Flexible (approx. 2–4 hours/week)

Type: Voluntary position

Deadline to apply: 31 august


About DefCom

DefCom is a dynamic, volunteer-led thematic community within Volt Europa that brings together members and experts from across the continent to co-create policy in the field of defence and security. The community is structured into three subteams and three thematic clusters, with clearly defined roles that enable ownership, collaboration, and political impact.


The Advising Elected Officials subteam ensures that the outcomes of DefCom’s grassroots work reach Volt’s elected representatives—such as those in the European Parliament and the Dutch House of Representatives—and are translated into actionable political proposals.


Role Overview

As a Relationship Manager, you will serve as a key liaison between DefCom and Volt’s elected officials. Your job is to support and guide community-generated ideas—often coming from the topic moderators—and translate them into feasible, strategic input that elected officials can act on.


We are looking for multiple Relationship Managers, each potentially linked to a different political level (local, regional, national, or European).


Key Responsibilities

  • Policy Mediation: Shape grassroots proposals into clear, actionable policy suggestions ready for political use.

  • Liaison Work: Build and maintain constructive relationships between DefCom and relevant elected officials or their teams.

  • Neutral Facilitation: Represent the ideas of the community objectively, without pushing personal opinions.

  • Strategic Framing: Help refine the language and structure of proposals so they align with political and institutional realities.

  • Cross-Team Collaboration: Engage with other DefCom subteams and topic moderators to understand and support emerging ideas.


What We Are Looking For

  • Commitment: You take the responsibility seriously and act as a dependable bridge between community and politics.

  • Neutrality: You can separate personal views from your facilitative role.

  • Political Sensitivity: You have, or are eager to develop, an understanding of what makes proposals politically viable.

  • Strong Communicator: You are comfortable speaking with both volunteers and politicians in a helpful, professional way.

  • Curiosity & Openness: Experience in policymaking is welcome but not required, motivation and willingness to learn are key.

What You’ll Gain

  • Impact: Help translate grassroots work into real political influence.

  • Experience: Learn how to shape policy in a pan-European political context.

  • Connections: Build relationships across Volt’s internal ecosystem and with elected officials.

  • Growth: Develop strategic and political communication skills in a collaborative, hands-on environment.


How to Apply

We’d love to hear from you! Please fill in our interest form to share your availability, experience, and interests.

Filling in the form is non-binding, it's simply a first step to explore your fit within the team.


For more questions, reach out to Pam de Jager ([email protected])

🕒 Application deadline: 31 August