Ramanauskas, 27, retired from AFL football at the end of last season after a career spent battling cancer in his neck and shoulder that was first diagnosed in 2003.
The Essendon hero was an inspiration to many in the club and throughout football, and says he jumped at the opportunity to mentor some of the younger Bombers.
"Whatever I can do to help out the younger guys ... and make us a successful club again, I'll do," Ramanauskas said.
The dashing defender said being on the sidelines to watch his former teammates prepare for another season left him with mixed feelings.
"It is great not training actually," he said.
"The boys are already going pretty hard so it has been good to be able to watch. You always miss it but the time was right."
Football manager Paul Hamilton said Ramanauskas was a perfect candidate for the role, combining vast experience of the game at elite level with the enormous affection with which he is held at the club.
"We all know he is an Essendon person who is really strongly linked to the club and the supporters. He is close to everyone's hearts as well as having terrific skills that he can pass on to players," Hamilton said.
"One of the advantages with Rama is that he has got the automatic respect. He will be able to play a mentoring role with the younger players.
"He has a good understanding of the way players think so we believe he is going to be very beneficial to the way the younger players develop. It is really perfect for him."
Ramanauskas will balance the part-time development position with match-day duties as runner, a position Hamilton believes he will add value to.
"It is becoming more and more difficult to find someone to be a match-day runner because you want to find someone who is very close to the group, who understands the coaches' roles, who knows the game plan and the game style.
"The days of using someone who comes in once a week to be the runner are gone - you don't get the value out of that person.
"This is what makes Rama a perfect fit for the role because he understands Matthew (Knights) and the players."
