Policy Advisor

You will be joining the Things To Do sub-team of the Youth Team.

The Youth team is an innovative team, within the high profile Civil Society and Youth Directorate, that has responsibility for a range of high profile policy areas, including delivering the National Youth Strategy, supporting the youth sector, and ensuring meaningful engagement with young people across the country. The purpose of the Things to Do sub-team is the delivery of the key ambition to halve the participation gap in enriching activities between disadvantaged young people and their peers. We are responsible for a range of youth programmes in and out-of-school as well as for the youth strand of the Erasmus+ programme and the collaborative work with a range of funders, including philanthropists.

The team is a driven, friendly unit with a vision to ensure the programmes we deliver and the engagements we lead have the greatest impact for young people and their communities.

We are firmly committed to our people, and this is reflected in our values. We work hard to build an environment that is diverse and inclusive, as well as warm, friendly and collaborative; where each member of staff can flourish, feel comfortable being themselves at work, develop their skills and move their career forward.

Youth Policy is very broad in scope and is a Prime Minister and Secretary of State priority. Specific priorities can change, and so you need to be comfortable working in this environment, with the ability to respond creatively and flexibly to enable programmes to be delivered and funding ambitions to be met, alongside wider Youth Policy initiatives.

This is a new role in the Things to Do Team, part of the Youth Services Team, so detailed activities and responsibilities may evolve whilst Ministers' priorities solidify and the role beds in.

Key responsibilities are expected to include:

• Develop and implement a plan to build partnerships and increase philanthropic support for the National Youth Strategy
• Work closely with the Be Seen & Heard Team to ensure young people and youth sector voices are part of the plans
• Work closely with other teams across Youth Policy, the DCMS Philanthropy Team,, the Office for the Impact Economy in the Cabinet Office and No.10 Partnerships Unit to identify opportunities and align youth activity with wider philanthropic asks
• Lead and / or advise on the development of youth policy proposals with a think philanthropy approach, in line with the Place-Based Philanthropy Strategy
• Develop strong working relationships with external partners and funders, including philanthropists, trusts and foundations and corporate funders
• Leading briefings and advice to senior leaders, Special Advisors and Ministers on when and how to engage with potential partners and funders
• Support the wider Things to Do team with ambition to halve the participation gap in enriching activities, including the design and delivery of grant programmes

The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience, please note that desirable skills will only be used in the event of tied candidates:

Essential requirements:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including drafting policy papers, submissions and briefings
• Experience of working collaboratively across teams and across departments to design and implement policy
• Strategic thinker, able to spot opportunities across a range of policy areas
• Experience of building strong, positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including individuals in senior positions
• Ability to work at pace and with autonomy
• Experience in project and / or programme delivery

Desirable skills:

• Knowledge of the National Youth Strategy and the youth services landscape
• Knowledge of the funding landscape for the youth and voluntary sectors
• Experience of working with external funding organisations, such as philanthropists, trusts & foundations or corporate organisations

We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted by Léna Hartmann, and will take place on: Thursday 3 July 2026 at 13:00

The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions.

Please register your interest by filling out this Registration form and you will be sent an invitation. Invites will only be sent after this deadline has passed.

Please note that the session will not be recorded and will not focus on the DCMS recruitment process - please direct any queries that you have on this topic (timelines, reasonable adjustments, onboarding etc) to [email protected]

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing