Programme Lead - Delegations & UK landing

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 a flagship programme positioning the UK as the world’s most compelling destination for international tech talent, founders and senior operators.

This role sits at the heart of Tech Nation’s mission to reduce barriers to entry for global talent, combining strategy, 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 national and regional missions, you’ll ensure every touchpoint reflects the UK’s strengths as a place to innovate, scale and lead.

What You’ll Do

• Design and lead Tech Nation’s Soft Landing programme, creating a clear, compelling gateway for international founders, operators and talent 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 agencies to design bespoke programmes 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.
  

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

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

Requirements

Essential skills:

• Programme Delivery & Operations
• Strategic Commercial Partnerships & Sponsorship
• Stakeholder & Relationship Management
• Events & Community Building
• Excellent Communication skills
  

Essential experience:

• Delivering scalable programmes in tech, innovation, 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 talent or founders
• Delivering events and community-building initiatives (e.g. alumni or ambassador networks)
  
  

Main Responsibilities

Operations & Strategy

• Design, develop, and deliver Tech Nation’s proposition to welcome international talent entering the UK ecosystem, ensuring scalability, founder impact and commercial success.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders (e.g. DIT, DBT, Home Office, trade bodies, embassies, corporates, universities) to align soft-landing initiatives with broader UK 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 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 the Global Talent Visa team and wider Global Talent initiatives at Tech Nation (such as the AI & Quantum Jobs board) to ensure a unified and powerful UK entry offer.
• Build tailored onboarding pathways for international talent, 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. 

Engagement & 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.

Community & Events

• Oversee the design and delivery of events related to landing programmes and missions, including networking sessions, sponsor activations, and partner roundtables.
• Build out new Global Talent Alumni activities and platforms. Work with the visa team on their alumni flow and engagement, collaborating with alumni as ambassadors for the UK and mentors for new entrants.
  
  

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus enhanced discretionary leave (including birthday and Christmas - New Year)
• Option to work remotely anywhere in the world for 3 weeks/year (1 at Easter, 2 in July/August)
• AXA Health insurance (option to add dependents), Life Insurance, AIG Smart Health
• Employee Assistance Program
• Competitive pension
• Perkbox membership
• Learning and development allowance
• Cycle to work scheme
• Weekly team lunch, office snacks, regular team drinks
• Quarterly team activities and annual team trip/day out
• Access to the Founders Forum Group network and wider tech ecosystem