Deputy Director of Policy, Brussels

About Arq

Arq Foundation is an independent, philanthropically-funded think tank based in Brussels. Our mission is to prepare for advanced AI and what it means for Europe: from economic competitiveness and industrial policy to safety, governance, and scientific progress. We produce research that shapes how policymakers navigate these dynamic, global, and unprecedented changes.

You would be joining a new organisation, with the agency to shape who we become. We are looking for people who see incomplete systems as opportunities, think in positive-sum terms, and bring curiosity about the technology and policy questions we work on.

Our research team works on a “full-stack” model: researchers work on their policy files end-to-end, which includes direct stakeholder interactions, strategising about effective research dissemination, and other forms of influencing. But ensuring that research translates into real influence requires specialists in key political environments to contribute to research and outreach. This role will provide expertise on Brussels AI politics: professionals who understand when a line of argument will resonate with a particular parliamentary group, when to hold back on a topic because EU institutional dynamics have shifted, and how to open doors that make our researchers more effective.

About the Role

As Deputy Director of Policy, you will serve as Arq's principal point of contact with the Brussels policy ecosystem and deputise for the Director of Policy across external engagements when needed. You will build the relationships, gather the political intelligence, and develop the engagement strategies that ensure our research reaches the right audiences at the right time.

You will be both a contributor and a connector. In close collaboration with our researchers and their specific workstreams, you will contribute directly to Arq’s research outputs, represent our work in public and private settings, and develop creative approaches to ensure our analysis informs the people shaping Europe’s response to advanced AI. At the same time, you will build and maintain the intelligence networks that sharpen the entire team’s understanding of the political landscape by identifying opportunities, flagging risks, and advising on strategy.

You are a multiplier. You do not need deep expertise in any single policy domain, but you need sufficient fluency across all of Arq’s work to engage credibly with senior officials and bring insights back to the right colleagues.

What does success look like? You should be a recognised and trusted interlocutor, someone Brussels insiders proactively approach when they have something relevant to share or a pressing question touching on our research.

As the policy team grows, you will take on line-management responsibility for future hires and own significant strategic decisions about how Arq engages with the Brussels ecosystem.

What You’ll Do

Political Intelligence and Analysis

• Build and maintain a network across the Brussels AI policy ecosystem, gathering intelligence through formal and informal channels
• Synthesise political intelligence into actionable insight for the research and leadership teams, interpreting what it means for our work rather than just reporting it

Engagement and representation

• Represent Arq's research at events, roundtables, panels, and informal policy conversations
• Connect stakeholders to one another and to Arq's domain experts, acting as a bridge between our research and the wider policy community
• Secure speaking invitations and other engagement opportunities for the wider Arq team
• Prepare briefing notes and other preparatory documents for Arq leadership ahead of external engagements, ensuring principals walk into meetings with the right context and the right asks

Research contribution

• Contribute directly to Arq's research outputs (the specific form, whether co-authorship, internal briefings, or drafted sections, is to be shaped with your input)
• Lead Arq's response to broad public consultations that fall outside any single researcher's domain
• Coordinate with researchers on engagement strategy for stakeholders who demand both political and substantive expertise

Strategy and Operations

• Deputise for the Director of Policy in external settings and on internal decisions when required
• Own Arq's CRM and stakeholder mapping, ensuring the team has a shared and accurate picture of our network
• Plan and run Arq's Brussels event programme, from intimate roundtables to larger convenings
• As the team grows, line-manage and develop junior policy hires

What We’re Looking For

Not all candidates will meet every criterion. If you see yourself in most of this profile, we want to hear from you.

• Motivation for Arq’s mission. You care about the challenges posed by advanced AI and want to contribute to work that helps Europe navigate them well.
• A strong understanding of the Brussels institutional landscape. You know how EU policy is made in practice, not only in theory
• Political judgement and a nose for intelligence. You sense when political dynamics are shifting before it becomes common knowledge.
• Genuine aptitude for relationship-building. This role depends on sustained, trust-based relationships with officials, advisors, and peers.
• Comfort as a generalist. You can engage credibly across topics from compute infrastructure to trade policy. Concretely: you should be able to read a report like Europe and the Geopolitics of AGI and discuss its implications with a senior official over coffee.
• A self-directed working style. You will be forward-deployed, meaning you will build your own schedule, develop your own network, and take initiative in identifying opportunities — while maintaining close coordination with the team
• Willingness to contribute to research and represent it publicly.
• The judgement to operate at a Deputy Director level. You can represent Arq credibly with senior officials, make calls without checking in, and eventually mentor or manage junior colleagues.

Strong Candidates May Also Have

• An existing network of Brussels contacts (officials, advisors, policy professionals)
• Professional experience in government, EU institutions, or a Brussels policy organisation
• Fluency in French and/or German
• Experience in or adjacent to AI or technology policy

Our Values

• High agency: You take initiative and move fast. You don’t wait for permission to do the obvious right thing.
• Intellectual humility — You update your views when presented with evidence. You’d rather be right than win the argument.
• Positive-sum thinking — You believe in solutions that grow the pie, not zero-sum competition.
• Integrity — You say what you think. You’re the same person in the room and outside it.
• Optimism — You believe things can be better and that it’s worth trying.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary: 90.000 — 100.000 EUR gross per annum, commensurate with experience
• Perks: Equipment budget, learning and development budget and dedicated learning time, meal vouchers, public transport support
• Paid time off: 20 statutory days + 12 ADV days (40h week) + public holidays (~42 days total)

Logistics

Location: Brussels. This role requires physical presence in Brussels up to five days a week. In calmer periods (e.g., over the winter and summer breaks), remote work is at your discretion.

Start date: As soon as possible.

Reporting to: Director of Policy.

Contract type: One-year initial contract with the intention to convert to permanent

Visa sponsorship: Arq can sponsor visas

Hiring Process

*We use a short async interview stage early in the process to reduce scheduling overhead, keep timelines fast, and allow multiple reviewers to evaluate candidates consistently.

How to Apply

Submit your application via our application form and select Deputy Director of Policy from the role dropdown.

You will be asked for your CV, a few short answers on your motivation, fit for the role, and a recent example of work you owned end-to-end. The full application should take 30–60 minutes.

Deadline: rolling, with a first review on 1 June 2026. We encourage you to apply early; we begin screening as applications come in.

Encouragement to Apply

We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every qualification listed above. Research shows that people from underrepresented groups are more likely to doubt the strength of their candidacy, so we urge you not to exclude yourself prematurely.

If you have questions about the role or need accommodations during the process, contact Bálint Pataki.