Government Support Policy Lead – Sovereign AI

Sovereign AI:

Artificial intelligence is central to the UK's economic and national security. As countries around the world compete to develop and deploy this transformative technology, the UK must ensure it can build, attract and retain the companies that will shape the future of AI.The Sovereign AI Fund sits at the heart of this mission, with a clear mandate to identify, back and scale the companies that will define the UK's position in one of the most consequential technologies of our time.

Backed by up to £500 million, the Fund exists to turn ambition into action, supporting high-potential AI startups and scaleups to become national champions and strengthening the UK's sovereign capability in frontier AI.

Role Purpose

The Government Support Policy Lead is responsible for delivering the Sovereign AI Fund's cross-government support offer to portfolio companies.

Working closely with the Ventures and Operations teams, this is a unique opportunity to shape how the UK's most promising AI companies engage with Whitehall, and position government to take advantage of cutting-edge AI capabilities. The role will identify opportunities for companies across government, unblock barriers to growth and anchoring, and coordinate support and influence outcomes across government on issues such as procurement, regulation, talent and data access. The role will also use insights from portfolio companies to shape policy changes that strengthen the UK's sovereign AI ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

You will own:

• Cross-government support: You will lead development of the Fund's cross-government support offer, including procurement pathways, regulatory support, talent and data access, drawing on insights from the Ventures and Operations teams.
• Whitehall relationships: You will build and maintain relationships across Whitehall, regulators and public bodies to create opportunities for portfolio companies.
• Policy development: You will spot patterns in recurring company issues, developing policy proposals that address systematic barriers and influence cross-government policy change.
• Creating pathways: You will build repeatable frameworks and pathways so that support can be delivered consistently and efficiently across the growing portfolio, rather than reinvented each time.
• Unblocking barriers: You will unblock barriers faced by companies, including issues spanning visas, regulation, tax or government processes, working quickly and pragmatically to problem solve and resolve concerns.
• Legal fee reimbursement: You will lead delivery of the Fund's legal fee reimbursement offer end to end, ensuring it runs smoothly

What Success Looks Like:

• Portfolio companies have clear routes into relevant government support and opportunities.
• Strong relationships exist across government, creating repeatable pathways rather than one-off interventions.
• Insights from companies translate into meaningful policy or process improvements across government.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Application: Please apply here.You will be asked to submit your CV and answer the following application questions:

• What interests you in the SovAI Fund? (250 words)
• Tell us about a time you worked across organisations to remove a barrier or deliver an outcome. What was your contribution and what was the outcome? (250 words)
• How would you approach helping a portfolio company navigate government and resolve a complex barrier to growth? What barrier would you focus on and how would you overcome it? (250 words)

Interview 1: Experience and motivations interview.

Interview 2: Civil service behaviours interview with task. (The details of the task will be send beforehand)

Interview 3: Final stage with senior leadership team.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.