AI Delivery Manager

MI6 - Secret Intelligence Service

London, UK

On-Site

Expires: Expiring in less than 4 weeks

Flexible

£74,052 per year

Job summary

We're MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence. A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work, within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

Job description

As an AI Delivery Manager, you’ll lead the delivery of AI‑enabled products across a diverse and high‑impact portfolio, guiding initiatives from discovery through to live operation. Your focus will be on ensuring that AI solutions are delivered safely, ethically and effectively, and that the capability we deploy across MI6 is robust, responsible and ready for real‑world use.

Working at the centre of our AI Hub, you’ll coordinate delivery across multiple products and teams. Day to day, you’ll bring together data scientists, software engineers, MLOps specialists, product managers, policy colleagues and commercial partners to build secure, high‑performing AI services. It’s a role that requires balancing experimentation with operational rigour, making sure that innovative ideas can be developed quickly, but also deployed confidently in sensitive intelligence environments.

Your responsibilities will span planning and sequencing technical work, managing risks, issues and dependencies, and keeping delivery moving at pace even as priorities evolve. You’ll embed AI considerations directly into backlogs, roadmaps and delivery plans, helping teams understand how methods, constraints and governance shape the products they develop. You’ll also play a central role in supporting model assurance, AI safety and ethical decision‑making. The challenges you’ll tackle will be unlike anything seen in most organisations.

A key part of the role is translating complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for senior stakeholders, enabling informed decisions at all levels. You’ll coach and support Associate Delivery Managers to help build delivery capability across the portfolio. If managing is of interest to you, there may be opportunities to line‑manage up to six people.

Person specification

You’re passionate about the potential of AI and equally committed to ensuring it is delivered safely, ethically and effectively. You bring experience delivering digital products across their full lifecycle, and you’re confident managing multiple workstreams in complex technical environments. Agile and Lean delivery are familiar to you, and you know how to maintain momentum, manage risk and keep teams focused on delivering value.

Communicating complex ideas clearly is one of your strengths. Whether you’re explaining technical constraints to senior, non‑technical stakeholders or helping engineers understand how AI governance shapes delivery decisions, you adapt your style to suit the audience. A natural collaborator, you can work effectively across disciplines including product, engineering, data science, ML, policy and commercial teams.

You have experience managing budgets, forecasting spend and working with suppliers. Navigating uncertainty doesn’t faze you; you can adjust plans quickly as you learn more and make sound delivery decisions under pressure. While you don’t need deep technical expertise in AI, a solid understanding of AI/ML concepts is essential, as is the ability to operate in environments where AI methods, risks and constraints play a central role.

Above all, you care about outcomes. You want to see AI used responsibly, safely and in a way that strengthens our national security. You’re motivated by leading teams through ambiguity, supporting colleagues to grow, and delivering products that make a meaningful difference.

Training and development

We’re committed to supporting your growth, both as a delivery professional and as an AI‑aware leader. You’ll follow a comprehensive development pathway aligned to the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (GDDPCF), giving you structure, clarity and the tools you need to continue developing your expertise.

You’ll have access to tailored training, coaching and mentoring, with opportunities to pursue Agile Delivery Management qualifications. There will also be specialist development available in areas such as AI delivery practices, AI governance, ethical AI and technical leadership. As part of this, you’ll join our internal Agile Delivery pathway, which includes courses such as ICAgile and ICP‑ACC Agile Coaching.

Alongside formal training, you’ll benefit from on‑the‑job learning, peer support and a buddy scheme to help you settle in and build confidence quickly. During probation, you’ll validate your skills against the GDDPCF and receive feedback and guidance throughout. As you develop and maintain your capability, you’ll have the opportunity to progress through the framework’s pay points, recognising your growth and contribution over time.

Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £74,052 plus other benefits including:

25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
Interest-free season ticket loan
Excellent pension scheme
Cycle to work scheme
Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
Paid parental and adoption leave

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Equal opportunities

At MI6 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website: Careers , SIS

Offer of interview

We are committed to providing equitable opportunities throughout the recruitment process to support candidates with disabilities. As part of this, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. (This is known as the Offer of an Interview.) To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

You will be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the Organisational Situational Judgement Test which looks at your ability to problem solve. If you meet this criteria, you will be directed to complete an application form
Demonstrate your understanding and use of Agile and lean methodologies in a previous AI role – assessed at application sift
Demonstrate the ability to explain complex ideas and AI concepts to a variety of audiences including senior and non-technical stakeholders – assessed at application sift
You will be required to reach the minimum pass mark in the questions about your motivation for the role and of wanting to apply your specialist skills to the unique environment of MI6 – assessed at application sift

There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, visit our how to apply page for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.

What to expect

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

An initial online application form including pre-screening questions to ensure you meet our eligibility criteria
Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) rating the appropriateness of your responses to a series of short scenarios. The SJT tests criteria important for all roles in our organisation
Application sift looking at your skills and motivation for the role and organisation
In-person interview looking at your technical skills, competencies and motivation for the role
If successful you will receive a conditional offer of employment

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

Before you apply

To work at MI6, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Read about our eligibility criteria.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process.

Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.

Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more securely.

The role is based in central London, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. An interest-free loan is available to assist with relocating into privately rented accommodation to take up the offer of employment.

We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in-person appointments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation.

Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option, and provide original hardcopy receipts for reimbursement.

Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.

Right to withdraw statement:

Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

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Contact point for applicants

Salary range

£74,052 per year