2 Deputy operations director jobs in Birmingham

We are looking for an exceptional senior leader to join The National Lottery Community Fund as Deputy Director England, Policy, Partnerships and Performance. As a key member of the England Senior Leadership Team, you will lead a multidisciplinary function that provides the strategic backbone for delivery of the England Portfolio - connecting policy, partnerships, planning, performance, improvement, insight and learning so that our funding achieves measurable impact for communities.

Reporting to the England Director, Strategy, Partnerships & Engagement, you will lead high-performing, dispersed teams and work closely with funding colleagues and corporate and enabling functions, including Funding Strategy, Corporate Responsibilities, Communications and Impact. The role combines substantial internal leadership with a strong ambassadorial remit, building the Fund’s credibility and influence across the voluntary and community, public and private sectors.

This is a varied, strategic role focused on turning ambition into delivery. You will set clear direction for policy, partnerships and performance; use external intelligence, management information and learning to shape decisions; and ensure implementation is coherent, well governed and able to adapt. You will represent the Fund with senior stakeholders, produce compelling advice for governance forums, including Committee and Board meetings, and create the conditions for teams to deliver consistently and collaboratively.

Key responsibilities may include:

• Lead the Policy, Partnerships and Performance function and support effective implementation of the England Portfolio.
• Develop the Fund’s policy positioning and influence, informed by community need, external insight and organisational priorities.
• Develop the vision and strategy for funding and non-funding partnerships, overseeing relationship and operational management, funding priorities and the grant budget, and using inclusive co-design, convening, listening and learning to increase collective impact.
• Integrate planning, performance reporting, insight, risk, learning and improvement across the England directorate.
• Ensure evidence and performance insight inform priorities, resource allocation, governance and continuous improvement, and demonstrate the delivery and measurable impact of the England Portfolio.
• Champion One Fund ways of working through shared outcomes, clear accountabilities and practical arrangements for joint planning, prioritisation, decision-making and escalation across organisational boundaries.
• Lead and develop inclusive, high-performing teams through change, working across organisational boundaries.

You will bring significant senior-level experience of policy and strategy development, partnership working, implementation and performance leadership. You will have a strong record of translating strategy into coherent plans and measurable delivery, using evidence to manage risk and improve performance. An inclusive and compassionate leader, you will be confident operating in decision-making environments at Board or Committee level, influencing senior stakeholders and communicating complex issues clearly. You will also be financially astute, with extensive experience of costing, financial modelling and budgeting, comfortable overseeing grant budgets and resource decisions, and motivated by the Fund’s purpose and the communities we serve. This England-focused role will involve travel to build relationships with colleagues, communities and partners.

Interview details:

• Date: Week Commencing 19th October 2026
• Format: Virtual
• Location: England

We have a hybrid approach to working. The work pattern, contracted office and travel expectations will be agreed with the successful candidate.

We will be hosting a briefing session  on Monday 28th September at 1pm. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the role, gain insight into the team and key responsibilities, and ask any questions you may have. To register or ask any questions please email the recruitment team.

How to apply:

Upload your CV in Word format and provide a supporting statement of up to 1,000 words demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria below. We will use this to score your application.

Essential Criteria:

• Significant senior-level experience of policy and strategy development, partnership working, implementation and performance leadership.
• Demonstrable success in translating strategy into delivery by setting priorities, aligning resources, managing risk, tracking progress and adapting plans through evidence and learning.
• Experience of leading multidisciplinary and dispersed teams through change, creating an inclusive, collaborative and high-performance culture.
• A strong track record of developing relationships with senior stakeholders across sectors, representing an organisation externally and building credibility, influence and shared purpose.
• Extensive experience of policy development, positioning and implementation, connecting external insight and community need with organisational priorities, alongside identifying and realising funding and non-funding partnership opportunities.
• Strong analytical, performance-management and improvement skills, using data, management information and learning to support decisions, improve operational effectiveness and evidence measurable impact.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication, including producing clear advice and presentations for senior governance forums and operating effectively in Board or Committee decision-making environments.
• Financial and governance acumen, including costing, financial modelling, budgeting, grant-budget oversight, resource decisions, risk management, accountability and effective stewardship of public funds.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of grant-making or working closely with communities, civil society and organisations serving diverse communities.
• Experience of developing innovative funding and non-funding partnerships across the voluntary and community, public and private sectors.
• Experience of bringing together policy, partnerships, planning, performance, insight, improvement or evaluation within a single strategic function.
• A demonstrable commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and to the Fund’s values and purpose.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Communities in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. National Lottery funding is for everyone – therefore, we are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and we work hard to ensure our funding reaches where it is needed.  

We also believe our people should represent the communities, organisations and individuals we work with. That’s why The National Lottery Community Fund is committed to being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. We recognise and celebrate the fact that our people come from diverse backgrounds. We positively welcome applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities or longstanding health conditions, people who are LGBTQ+, and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as well as people of all ages. 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we take a proactive approach in making reasonable adjustments, if needed, throughout the recruitment process and during employment. (This can be related to a physical and mental health condition.)