Sovereign AI - Investment Associate - Principal

Investment Associate - Principal

In January 2025, the Prime Minister launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan, placing artificial intelligence at the centre of the UK’s economic and national security strategy. 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 £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. 

We are hiring an Investment Principal to help deliver this. 

This is a role for an individual who want to develop their judgment at the centre of investment decision-making. You will work closely with the investment team to identify and evaluate the most important opportunities, build a deep understanding of emerging technologies, and contribute to decisions that shape the portfolio. We move quickly in often ambiguous situations, but we have a clear expectation: be intellectually rigorous, curious, and consistently raise the quality of our thinking. 

 

What you’ll do 

• You will run a high-quality pipeline of AI companies by researching the ecosystem, mapping key themes, and helping the team build access to important opportunities. 

• You will work alongside Partners throughout the investment process, from initial research and first engagement through to diligence and execution, contributing analysis and helping build conviction. 

• You will conduct deep dives on companies, technologies, and markets developing clear views on commercial potential and strategic importance and helping distinguish genuine innovation from hype. 

• You will prepare investment materials, presenting complex information into clear insights, and ensure decisions are supported by rigorous evidence and structured thinking. 

• You will work with portfolio companies' post-investment, supporting Partners and founders with research, problem-solving, and connections across government and industry. 

• You will also contribute to how the Fund operates, helping to refine processes, build knowledge systems, and improve how we capture and apply insight as the organisation grows. 

 

Who this is for 

• This role is for individuals at an earlier stage in their investing careers with no more than 5 years' experience who want to build expertise in AI investing and develop strong investment judgment over time. 

• You may have experience in venture capital, consulting, research, startups, or deep tech, and have demonstrated strong analytical ability and intellectual curiosity.  

• You are comfortable engaging with technical concepts and are motivated to build a deeper understanding of AI, emerging technologies, and their real-world applications. 

• You care about building deep relationships across the AI ecosystem spanning founders, operators and investors. You love meeting founders and becoming thought partner with them. 

• You are thoughtful, have strong comms and able to structure ambiguous problems clearly. You ask good questions, learn quickly, and are motivated to improve through exposure to high-quality decision-making. 

• You work well with others, are low ego, and are motivated by contributing to a team effort rather than owning decisions independently. 

• Most importantly, you are driven by the opportunity to learn quickly and apply your skills to helping shape what the UK builds and where it leads in AI. 

 

Why do this 

AI will define the next era of economic growth and national capability. The question is not whether that future arrives, but who shapes it. 

This role is an opportunity to learn at the frontier and working closely with experienced investors while developing the skills, judgment, and perspective needed to back the next generation of important companies. 

You will contribute to ensuring the UK is not simply a participant, but a leader by supporting the companies, technologies, and capabilities that will underpin a more secure, more competitive, and more advantageous future for Britain. 

 

 

What We Offer 

Impact you couldn't have anywhere else 

• Incredibly talented, mission-driven and supportive colleagues. 

• Direct influence on how frontier AI is governed and deployed globally. 

• Work with the Prime Minister’s AI Advisor and leading AI companies. 

• Opportunity to shape the first & best-resourced public-interest research team focused on AI security. 

Resources & access 

• Pre-release access to multiple frontier models and ample compute. 

• Extensive operational support so you can focus on research and ship quickly. 

• Work with experts across national security, policy, AI research and adjacent sciences. 

Growth & autonomy 

• If you’re talented and driven, you’ll own important problems early. 

• 5 days off and annual stipends for learning and development, and funding for conferences and external collaborations. 

• Freedom to pursue research bets without product pressure. 

• Opportunities to publish and collaborate externally. 

Life & family* 

• Modern central London office (cafes, food court, gym), or where applicable, option to work in similar government offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Salford or Bristol. 

• Hybrid working, flexibility for occasional remote work abroad and stipends for work-from-home equipment. 

• At least 25 days’ annual leave, 8 public holidays, extra team-wide breaks and 3 days off for volunteering. 

• Generous paid parental leave (36 weeks of UK statutory leave shared between parents + 3 extra paid weeks + option for additional unpaid time). 

• On top of your salary, we contribute 28.97% of your base salary to your pension. 

• Discounts and benefits for cycling to work, donations and retail/gyms. 

Eligibility

Not all staff working in a government department or accredited non-departmental public body are considered to be civil servants.

If any of the following statements apply to your circumstances then you should select ‘No’ when answering:

• You are a member of agency staff working in a government department
• You are employed by an external organisation contracted into government roles
• You are a self-employed contractor working in a government department

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups: (non reserved posts only - text to show depending on how vacancy was built)

• 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

This job is only open to UK nationals. (Reserved posts only - Text to show depending on how vacancy was built)

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)

Interviews under the Disability Confident Scheme

We want to encourage disabled people to apply for jobs and give them an opportunity to show their skills, talent and abilities at the interview stage. The Civil Service runs a Disability Confident Scheme, offering an interview (opens in a new window) to a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum selection criteria for the job.

To be considered for an interview under this scheme you must have:

• a physical or mental impairment, or a long term health condition which has a substantial and long term (over 12 months) adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day to day activities
• demonstrated in your application and testing stages that you meet the minimum job criteria as set out in the advert or person specification for the post

Reasonable adjustments

We want to support you if you need an adjustment in the recruitment process, even if you do not feel you qualify for the Disability Confident Scheme.

We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, diabetes, or schizophrenia.

Some of the adjustments we have offered are:

• application or interview help
• a time of day that works for you
• extra time
• sign language interpretation
• advice about assistive technology

For more information, you can read the government guidance on Reasonable adjustments for workers with disabilities or health conditions (opens in a new window)

Declaration

• All the information I've given in my application form is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and relates to my own experiences
• This is my only application for this role and accurately reflects my suitability
• I understand a check against the National Collection of Criminal Records and against other records or databases may be undertaken if I'm offered a position
• I understand that I’ll be asked for evidence of identification if I’m offered a post
• I understand my application may be rejected or I may be subject to disciplinary action if I've given false information or withheld relevant details
• I understand my application may be rejected or I may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

If you have any concerns about what we will do with your information, please see our privacy notice (opens in a new window). (amend to greenhouse data protection information)

 

 

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Additional Information