Programme Lead - Delegations & UK Landing

Programme Lead - Delegations & UK Landing - Tech Nation

Founders Forum Group · London, United Kingdom (Hybrid) · Full-time · Posted 2026-11-06

Workplace: hybrid

Department: Tech Nation

Description

About Tech Nation

Tech Nation, supercharged by Founders Forum Group, is the leading growth platform and industry body for startups and scaleups and their teams across the UK. For over a decade, we’ve worked at the intersection of founders, operators, investors and government to strengthen the UK’s digital economy, backing ambitious people, shaping policy, and opening doors to opportunity across the ecosystem.

As the global competition for tech talent intensifies, Tech Nation plays a critical role in ensuring the UK remains founder-friendly, internationally open, and globally relevant. From supporting high-growth companies to delivering the Global Talent Visa, we help exceptional talent not just arrive in the UK, but truly thrive here.

About the Role

As part of Tech Nation’s Global Talent team, you will lead the design and delivery of the UK Gateway programme positioning the UK as the world’s most compelling destination for international founders, startups and scaleups.

This role sits at the heart of Tech Nation’s mission to reduce barriers to entry for international founders and high-growth companies, combining strategy, commercial development, partnership building and hands-on delivery to create a world-class “soft landing” experience into the UK ecosystem. You’ll shape how internationally ambitious founders and operators encounter the UK for the first time, building trust at a pivotal decision-making moment and showcasing the depth, accessibility and ambition of the UK tech landscape.

Working closely with government bodies, embassies, delegation organisers and ecosystem partners, you’ll develop a structured, year-round offer that acts as the default onboarding pathway for global tech leaders entering the UK. From immersive founder delegations aligned with moments like London Tech Week, to bespoke sector-focused, national and regional missions, to account management for individual scaleups, you’ll ensure every touchpoint reflects the UK’s strengths as a place to innovate, scale and lead.

Location: London, UK (Hybrid: Mon-Thurs in office, Fridays WFH)

What You’ll Do

• Design and lead Tech Nation’s UK Gateway  programme, creating a clear, compelling soft landing offering for international startups, scaleups and founders entering the UK market.
• Champion the UK globally as Europe’s most founder-friendly tech hub, articulating the advantages of building and scaling here across policy, capital, talent and ecosystem access.
• Secure and manage strategic partnerships and commercial sponsorships with corporates, banks, legal firms, accelerators and ecosystem leaders, embedding critical expertise directly into the soft-landing journey.
• Oversee international delegations to the UK and national/regional missions, delivering immersive, high-quality experiences that connect global talent with the UK’s most relevant networks, institutions and opportunities.
• Collaborate with governments, embassies and trade agencies to design, win and deliver paid, bespoke programmes, including through bids and tenders, for globally ambitious companies at key inflection points in their growth.
• Ensure world-class execution across all touchpoints, from programme design and logistics to on-the-ground delivery, creating experiences that build confidence, credibility and long-term engagement with the UK ecosystem.
• Position Tech Nation as the trusted first partner for international tech leaders considering the UK, strengthening the country’s reputation as a destination of choice for innovation and talent.
• Support high-growth international scaleups one-to-one through Scale in UK, giving tailored, hands-on guidance and introductions as they establish and expand their UK presence.

At its core, this role is about shaping first impressions, and lasting relationships, between the UK and the world’s most ambitious founders and tech companies.

Main Responsibilities

Operations & Strategy

• Refine, develop and deliver Tech Nation’s proposition to welcome international startups and scaleups entering the UK ecosystem, building on the current UK Gateway strategy and ensuring scalability, founder impact and commercial success.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders (e.g. DBIST, Home Office, trade bodies, embassies, corporates, universities) to align soft-landing initiatives with broader UK growth, trade and tech talent strategy.
• Ensure that delivery is maintained to the highest standard, clearly structured programme design and communication resulting in an exceptional quality of experience for partners and talent.

Commercial Partnerships & Sponsors

• Identify, secure, and manage commercial partners and sponsors to support UK landing programmes, international delegations and national missions.
• Manage partnership delivery, ensuring value for both partners and talent, and maintaining long-term relationships.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with additional international networks and in-kind partners
• Routinely monitor and report KPIs on partnership performance and impact.

UK Missions & International Engagement

• Design, lead, and deliver high-profile national and sector-focused missions that showcase UK opportunities to global talent, delegation organisers and investors to promote the UK as the gateway for global talent.
• Secure sponsorships and partnerships to fund and amplify missions.
• Manage mission logistics end-to-end: recruitment, programming, partner engagement, delivery, and post-mission follow-up.
• Evaluate mission impact and publish case studies to highlight success and ROI.
• Coordinate with government and industry stakeholders to ensure missions align with UK trade, innovation, and talent objectives.

Soft-Landing & Ecosystem Support

• Work with our Head of Visa and wider visa team to develop soft-landing support for international talent, including pre-arrival guidance, regional landing packages, and sponsor-backed programmes.
• Align activity with wider Global Talent initiatives at Tech Nation, such as the Global Talent Visa and AI & Quantum Jobs board to ensure a unified and powerful UK entry offer.
• Build tailored onboarding pathways for international founders, ensuring seamless integration into the UK ecosystem.
• Create structured activity of peer network engagement, connections and online resources such as relevant forums and community channels.
• Support the visa team’s Global Talent alumni engagement where it adds value, involving alumni as ambassadors and mentors for companies landing in the UK.

Engagement, Events & Marketing

• Work with Marketing & Communications to deliver campaigns showcasing the UK as the best place for global tech talent to land, scale, and thrive.
• Deliver engagement activity with corporates, VCs, accelerators, universities, and regional hubs to raise awareness and drive participation.
• Represent Tech Nation at external events, promoting the UK’s unique value proposition to international talent.
• Oversee the design and delivery of events related to landing programmes and missions, including networking sessions, sponsor activations, and partner roundtables.

Requirements

Essential skills

• Programme Delivery & Operations
• Strategic Commercial Partnerships & Sponsorship
• Business Development, Proposals & Bid Writing
• Stakeholder & Relationship Management
• Events & Community Building
• Excellent Communication skills
• Stakeholder Mapping & Outreach

Essential experience

• Delivering scalable programmes in tech, innovation, market entry or international talent
• Securing and managing commercial partnerships/sponsorships, with impact tracking
• Working with senior government, corporate, and sector stakeholders
• Managing complex projects on time and budget, with strong attention to detail

Ideal candidate experience

• Leading national and regional missions end-to-end
• Developing soft-landing/onboarding programmes for international founders, startups or scaleups
• Delivering events and community-building initiatives (e.g. alumni or ambassador networks)

Benefits

We offer a range of flexible, discretionary benefits to our team. These currently include:

• 25 days contractual annual leave
• Enhanced discretionary leave provision, including an additional day off for your birthday and leave between Christmas and New Years Day
• The option to work remotely anywhere in the world for 3 weeks/year (1 week at Easter and 2 weeks during July and August) 
• AXA Health insurance, with the option to add dependents
• Life Insurance
• Medicash access including online GP access and mental health support
• Employee Assistance Program
• Competitive pension provision
• Perkbox membership with generous monthly allocation of points for day to day purchases
• Learning and development annual allowance
• Cycle to work scheme
• Lunch 1x/week, office snacks, and regular team drinks
• Quarterly team activities and annual team trip/day out 
• Access to the Founders Forum Group network of businesses and wider tech ecosystem

We currently have a working pattern of Monday-Thursday in office and Fridays remote.

Apply

Apply at Founders Forum Group

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