The National Lottery Community Fund Sponsor Policy Adviser

The Civil Society and Youth (CSY) directorate aims to build a fairer society, in which government, civil society, and businesses are able to work together to tackle societal challenges and foster stronger communities. We are the Government leads for civil society, responsible for a dynamic set of policy areas relating to voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations, young people, and the impact economy, with over 100 staff based across the UK.

The Grants and Sponsorship team is a highly driven, friendly unit that covers a broad remit, including the design and delivery of a range of Civil Society grants. The team also has responsibility for DCMS's sponsorship of the National Lottery Community Fund.

We are firmly committed to supporting our people to thrive and have a strong learning and development offer. We strive to create an open, inclusive working environment, where each person can flourish, feel comfortable being themselves at work, develop their skills and move their career forward.

We are looking for a high-performing, collaborative individual with experience of project / programme management and relationship management for an SEO role in the supportive National Lottery Community Fund Sponsorship Team, which sits in the Civil Society and Youth Directorate in DCMS.

In this stretching and rewarding role you will work closely with colleagues across DCMS, other government departments, and the National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF).

Responsibilities for the role include:

• Supporting the delivery of the DCMS TNLCF sponsorship function, including strong project management skills to oversee compliance with DCMS Arms-Length Body (ALB) governance requirements.
• Engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior officials at TNLCF, DCMS and across government.
• Drafting multiple briefings and correspondence for a range of audiences (including senior stakeholders).
• Working flexibly with a changing portfolio as activity progresses and in response to evolving wider priorities.

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

Essential requirements:

• Experience of building strong, positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including individuals in senior positions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to articulate complex or difficult messages clearly to diverse audiences.
• The ability to work at pace on a number of complex issues, prioritising effectively and delivering timely, quality outcomes.
• Strong strategic awareness to align work to broader organisational goals, monitor emerging issues, and proactively share knowledge to meet diverse stakeholder needs.
• Experience of working collaboratively across teams and departments for policy and delivery collaboration.

Desirable skills:

• Experience of ALB (Arm's Length Body) sponsorship and/or working with public bodies including managing public money/finance.
• Knowledge of the broad civil society landscape and of the ethos of the voluntary sector and volunteering.
• Experience of briefing senior colleagues and ministers on policy issues.

We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted by Vicky Westhorp and Natasha Telfer, and will take place on:

• Wednesday 14 October 2026 at 16:15

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:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service