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. 

The Role

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.

This might not be the role for you if: 

• You prefer following an established process rather than building new pathways from scratch. 
• You find government bureaucracy frustrating to navigate rather than an interesting problem to solve. 
• You'd rather focus on one deep policy area than work across a broad range of issues (procurement, regulation, tax, talent, data). 
• You're uncomfortable building relationships with senior stakeholders you don't yet know well. 
• You're looking for a role with a fixed, predictable structure rather than one where you're expected to build the model as you go. 

What Success Looks Like 

• Portfolio companies have clear routes into relevant government support and opportunities.
• Company problems are resolved quickly and consistently.
• 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.

Person Specification 

You’ll thrive if you bring: 

• Government delivery: You have experience working across government, regulators or other organisations to deliver practical outcomes in large, complex organisations. You can evidence examples of resolving practical barriers for stakeholders, navigating bureaucracy to achieve real outcomes rather than getting stuck in process.
• Relationship building: You build credible, senior relationships quickly. You can evidence examples of influencing senior stakeholders across different organisations to unlock outcomes. 
• Problem-solving: You translate complex, ambiguous problems into clear, actionable solutions. You can evidence examples of untangling a messy issue and driving it to resolution. 
• Commercial judgement: You understand what matters to founders and investors, and can navigate government processes with their needs in mind. 
• Comfort with ambiguity: You're confident operating without a clear playbook, building structure and pathways where none exist. 
• Genuine interest in the mission: You're motivated by the opportunity to strengthen the UK's sovereign AI capability, and curious about how government, regulation and high-growth companies intersect. 

Selection Process: