about the job
The greatest waste of our time is the waste of talent. There are millions of people who once had the ambition to do great things with their career, but got stuck in jobs that don't make the world better.
The School for Moral Ambition helps people turn their ideals into action. We run fellowships, community programs, and campaigns that empower talented people to work on the world's most pressing problems. From ending factory farming to fighting the tobacco industry, advancing tax fairness, and now also defending democracies.
We believe that moral ambition — the drive to be one of the best, but measured by different standards of success — can become a cultural force. We're not driven by guilt, but by enthusiasm: we're simply excited about making the world a wildly better place.
You can read our founding principles here: moralambition.org/principles
about the role
Democracy will become our fifth priority cause area. Democratic institutions worldwide face growing authoritarian pressure through polarization, judicial capture, media suppression, digital manipulation, and the like. We know that without functioning democratic institutions, most advocacy fails. For civil society to remain a successful force for progress, we need to protect our institutions against democratic backsliding. Fortunately, the evidence base for what works well in defending democracies has matured significantly, with increasing research effort into interventions that are most effective.
We're now building a European program (to launch in 2027) that funnels experienced professionals into civil society organizations on the frontline of this work — strategic litigation groups, investigative journalism outlets, digital rights enforcers, and democratic infrastructure organizations. The model is proven: our existing fellowships in EU food transition, tobacco control have already redirected 38 professionals into high-impact careers, and we are adding tax fairness, and US food system reform to our portfolio this year.
This is where you come in. As our Democracy Program Development Intern, you'll be at the center of the development phase — the critical period where we turn research into a launchable program. Research partner Power for Democracies is providing the foundational prioritization of countries and tactics. Your job starts where their research lands: mapping the civil society organizations that need talent, managing the growing network of experts and advisors feeding into the program, and co-designing the fundraising pitch to get it funded.
You'll work directly with Barend Bos (former Fellowship Director, now focusing fulltime on Democracy development) and collaborate with the broader team across strategy, operations, and philanthropy.
Key responsibilities
CSO research & mapping
- Once Power for Democracies delivers country and tactic prioritization, research the shortlisted civil society organizations working on these prioritized tactics in the focus countries.
- Assess CSOs on key criteria: where is talent (rather than funding) the bottleneck? Which organizations have the absorptive capacity, track record, and willingness to host fellows?
- Build a structured, validated dataset of potential host organizations — the foundation on which fellowship placements will be built.
- Help conduct interviews and surveys to understand the talent needs, operational maturity, and strategic positioning of key CSOs.
Network structuring & information management (program development secretary)
- Structure the growing web of relationships as the program develops: experts, CSO leaders, advisors, academics, funders, and partner organizations all feeding input into the program design.
- Maintain well-organized knowledge bases, contact databases, meeting notes, and research files, ensuring nothing gets lost as the network grows.
- Coordinate and prepare meetings with external stakeholders. Follow up on action items and keep the program development on track.
- Help build and maintain structured project management systems (we use Asana) for the entire development phase.
- Document processes, decisions, and learnings as you go, contributing to our culture of transparency and knowledge-sharing.
Program design & fundraising support
- Help design the building blocks of the democracy fellowship: theory of victory, pilot focus, training curriculum themes, and selection criteria.
- Support design of the fundraising pitch to secure program funding for the 2027 launch — translating program logic and evidence into a compelling case for funders.
- Contribute to developing the pre-fellowship community program that will start funneling talent from the Moral Ambition community into the democracy space ahead of the first cohort.
- Support the development of a Theory of Victory at the fellowship level — connecting evidence on democratic resilience to actionable placement strategies.
What We’re looking for
This is a selective internship that focuses on translating academic evidence into action. To be considered, you must therefore meet the following criteria:
☑️ Completed a relevant bachelor's degree — Upload your bachelor's thesis with your application.
☑️ Currently enrolled in (or recently completed a master's program in) political science or a directly relevant field: political economy, public administration, political philosophy, constitutional law, or international relations.
☑️ Excellent academic track record — Upload your bachelor’s and master's grade lists with your application. We only look at relevant courses, no 10/10 across the board needed.
☑️ Quantitative methods skills — You're comfortable working with data, whether that's statistical analysis, policy modeling, survey design, or working with datasets. We don't need a statistician, but we do need someone who can back up qualitative insights with numbers when it counts.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR (BEYOND THE HARD CRITERIA)
- Research skills: you know how to find, evaluate, and synthesize information from diverse sources into clear outputs. You can assess an organization's effectiveness, not just describe what it does.
- Organized and detail-oriented: you enjoy bringing structure to complex, evolving projects and keeping information accessible — especially when many people are feeding into a process simultaneously.
- Proactive and self-directed: you thrive in environments where things aren't fully figured out yet, and you take initiative rather than waiting for instructions.
- Clear communicator: you write and speak in plain, precise language — no jargon, no fluff. You can translate complex research into crisp summaries for busy decision-makers.
- Comfortable with digital tools and eager to learn new ones. We use Asana, Slack, Slite, Google Workspace, and Claude extensively.
- Alignment with The School's founding principles: action, impact, radical compassion, open-mindedness, kindness, enthusiasm, and perseverance.
NB: You should already have the right to work in the Netherlands or be eligible to do an internship in the EU. We're not able to sponsor visas for this role.
What we offer
- An organization that takes internships seriously: before starting we will develop a learning plan together, to ensure you will achieve your objectives. We will monitor along the way, giving structured feedback.
- A monthly stipend to support you during the internship (€1000 for fulltime).
- A front-row seat in building a brand-new program at one of Europe's most ambitious nonprofits, with real ownership over your work from day one.
- Direct exposure to the EU democracy ecosystem: CSO leaders, researchers, funders, and partner organizations across Europe.
- A self-managing environment with clear roles, autonomy, and structure. We use Holacracy and GTD, and we care deeply about documentation, scalability, and smart automation.
- Hybrid work setup. If you're in Amsterdam, you'll have access to our office in the city center, including daily vegan lunch and full coverage of public transportation costs.
- A team that's enthusiastic, kind, and genuinely excited about making the world better — and that will invest in your growth.
Application process
1. Application — Fill out the online form, no cover letter required. Answer a few focused questions, and upload your bachelor's thesis and your grade lists. All uploaded files will be deleted in accordance with GDPR guidelines after selection. Deadline April 19th, but we assess candidates on a rolling basis.
2. First conversation — Shortlisted candidates will have a 30-minute online conversation with Barend.
3. Work trial — We may ask you to complete some (paid) assignments during a trial half-day, so we can both see how the collaboration would feel. We'll keep it reasonable and relevant.
4. Decision & offer — We aim to move quickly and will keep you informed throughout the process.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and non-traditional paths. If you think you'd be a great fit — even if some of the criteria don't fully apply or the work conditions don’t fully match — we'd still love to hear from you.
Questions? Reach out to Barend directly at barend@moralambition.org.
