Deputy Director Policy, Partnerships and Performance (England)

We are looking for an exceptional senior leader to join The National Lottery Community Fund as Deputy Director England, Policy, Partnerships and Performance. As a key member of the England Senior Leadership Team, you will lead a multidisciplinary function that provides the strategic backbone for delivery of the England Portfolio - connecting policy, partnerships, planning, performance, improvement, insight and learning so that our funding achieves measurable impact for communities.

Reporting to the England Director, Strategy, Partnerships & Engagement, you will lead high-performing, dispersed teams and work closely with funding colleagues and corporate and enabling functions, including Funding Strategy, Corporate Responsibilities, Communications and Impact. The role combines substantial internal leadership with a strong ambassadorial remit, building the Fund’s credibility and influence across the voluntary and community, public and private sectors.

This is a varied, strategic role focused on turning ambition into delivery. You will set clear direction for policy, partnerships and performance; use external intelligence, management information and learning to shape decisions; and ensure implementation is coherent, well governed and able to adapt. You will represent the Fund with senior stakeholders, produce compelling advice for governance forums, including Committee and Board meetings, and create the conditions for teams to deliver consistently and collaboratively.

Key responsibilities may include:

• Lead the Policy, Partnerships and Performance function and support effective implementation of the England Portfolio.
• Develop the Fund’s policy positioning and influence, informed by community need, external insight and organisational priorities.
• Develop the vision and strategy for funding and non-funding partnerships, overseeing relationship and operational management, funding priorities and the grant budget, and using inclusive co-design, convening, listening and learning to increase collective impact.
• Integrate planning, performance reporting, insight, risk, learning and improvement across the England directorate.
• Ensure evidence and performance insight inform priorities, resource allocation, governance and continuous improvement, and demonstrate the delivery and measurable impact of the England Portfolio.
• Champion One Fund ways of working through shared outcomes, clear accountabilities and practical arrangements for joint planning, prioritisation, decision-making and escalation across organisational boundaries.
• Lead and develop inclusive, high-performing teams through change, working across organisational boundaries.

You will bring significant senior-level experience of policy and strategy development, partnership working, implementation and performance leadership. You will have a strong record of translating strategy into coherent plans and measurable delivery, using evidence to manage risk and improve performance. An inclusive and compassionate leader, you will be confident operating in decision-making environments at Board or Committee level, influencing senior stakeholders and communicating complex issues clearly. You will also be financially astute, with extensive experience of costing, financial modelling and budgeting, comfortable overseeing grant budgets and resource decisions, and motivated by the Fund’s purpose and the communities we serve. This England-focused role will involve travel to build relationships with colleagues, communities and partners.

Interview details:

• Date: Week Commencing 19th October 2026
• Format: Virtual
• Location: England

We have a hybrid approach to working. The work pattern, contracted office and travel expectations will be agreed with the successful candidate.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Rachel Campbell, EA to England Directors, to arrange a suitable time: rachel.campbell@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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