AI Model Evaluations: Strategy & Delivery Lead

Job summary

The AI Security Institute (AISI) is the largest team in a government dedicated to understanding AI capabilities and risks in the world.

Our mission is to equip governments with an empirical understanding of the safety of advanced AI systems. We conduct research to understand the capabilities and impacts of advanced AI, and develop and test risk mitigations. We focus on risks with security implications, including the potential of AI to assist with the development of chemical and biological weapons, how it can be used to carry out cyber-attacks, enable crimes such as fraud, and the possibility of loss of control.

The risks from AI are not sci-fi, they are urgent. By combining the agility of a tech start-up with the expertise and mission-driven focus of government, we’re building a unique and innovative organisation to prevent AI’s harms from impeding its potential.

Who thrives at AISI:

• Mission-first owners. You spot what needs doing—at AISI and in the world—and take responsibility.

• Ambitious & agentic. You’re not daunted by a challenge and want to make a big difference. When you’re blocked, you look for a way.

• Pragmatists. You track what moves decisions and drop work that doesn’t.

• Bridge-builders. You’re excited to work across research teams, companies, non-profits, and governments.

• Teammates who care. You love teams that are highly collaborative and have each other’s backs.

Job description

Testing Strategy and Delivery Team

The Testing team is at the core of AISI’s mission. Our team works with world-class researchers and engineers to evaluate the world's most advanced AI systems. Our findings shape how developers build and how governments prepare.

We work with leading AI labs (like Open AI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind) to evaluate the safety and security of their most capable AI systems. We run many of these evaluations before the public release of a system (“pre-deployment”), where we can make the greatest impact with developers before systems are made widely available. That means we regularly deliver projects to rapid and condensed timelines, pulling together a large range of senior and technical staff across Whitehall to do so.

We also take on strategic projects, for example shaping our testing strategy, creating new testing processes, or answering wider research questions. It requires working collaboratively with technical teams and civil servants across AISI (and beyond), grappling with technical detail, and seeking agreement for our decisions from across the organisation.

Overall, this is a high-performance team, with periods of pacey work and consistent exposure to seniors across the organisation. We work together as a unit - pitching in with a spare pair of hands or a brainstorming chat. We hold a high bar for quality. We care deeply about development (with dedication to giving and receiving feedback). We are highly motivated and curious about the problems presented by AI.

AI Model Evaluations: Strategy & Delivery Lead

The role will report to the programme manager (G7). You may be expected to line manage 1x HEO.

In this role, you will need to:

• Lead testing exercises for AI labs, with oversight provided by the G7 as necessary. This is usually fast-paced work, requiring you to manage a testing exercise against tight (and sometimes ambiguous) timelines, coordinate between the AI lab and AISI teams, and ensure reports are agreed by Senior Civil Servants across Whitehall, and Ministers.

• Leading strategic projects e.g., answering thorny research questions, driving improvements in our testing process. You’ll need to tie your work to impact, be a proactive and project manager, and be confident building relationships across teams.

• Develop relationships and testing processes with the national security community.

• Contribute to the team and AISI’s organisational culture e.g., supporting L&D, hiring & recruitment, organising away-days etc.

• Play an active role in your own development, and the development of others e.g., through receiving and providing feedback.

In return, we offer:

• Impact you couldn't have anywhere else. Influence on frontier AI safety and security, and an opportunity to shape the first & best-resourced public-interest research team focused on AI security.

• Growth & autonomy: If you're talented and driven, you'll own important problems early. Your work will always tie back to impact. We will listen to your point of view, and empower you to ask “why?”.

• Working directly with world-leading research teams, and experts across national security and policy.

• Support to develop your knowledge, including through 5 days off for L&D, and annual stipends.

Person specification

Essential skills and experience criteria:

• Strong interest in AISI's mission and AI safety(no prior AI experience required).

• Comfort navigating unfamiliar technical topics and upskilling quickly.

• Able to lead workstreams independently: driving delivery, spotting blockers, and resolving them.

• Thrives under pressure: delivering at pace to tight deadlines and under ambiguity.

• Strong stakeholder skills: confident engaging senior figures and external partners, able to build strong relationships with colleagues and wider stakeholders.

• Excellent problem-solving: structured approach to problems, and push through to answers.

• Strong communication: able to distil complex issues clearly in writing and verbally, whether drafting documents, briefing seniors, or collaborating with colleagues.

• Alignment to AISI’s core values: mission-first owners, ambitious and agentic, pragmatic, bridge-builder, and teammates who care.

Desirable skills and experience criteria:

• Knowledge and understanding of artificial intelligence capabilities, governance and risks.

• Excellent civil service skills: polished drafting, confident briefing, and deep understanding of Whitehall.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Developing Self and Others

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,195, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £12,803 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.

Office attendance

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Selection Process

The selection process for this position has been designed to ensure fairness, transparency, and a thorough assessment of the candidates' suitability for the role.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria. Any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years should be explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.

• A Personal Statement of up to 500 words. Outline how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

Below are the stages involved:

1. Application Review

• Submitted applications will be evaluated based on the candidate's CV and Personal Statement.

• If a large number of applications are received, an initial sift may be conducted focusing solely on the Personal Statement.

Screening call

• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a first interview to gauge interest and suitability for the role.

• This interview will serve as an introductory chat and last approximately 20 minutes.

Second round interview

• Candidates who pass the introductory interview will move to the next stage: a comprehensive interview assessing your motivation for applying, your interest in AISI’s policy area, and your experience.

• The interview will include a scenario based assessment , details of which will be provided to candidates in advance. As well as being assessed on civil service behaviours

• This interview will last approximately 90 minutes.

Final Interview with member of the Senior Civil Service (SCS)

• Selected candidates will have a final interview with a member of AISI senior leadership. This is a chance for AISI and the candidate to determine if their interests, skills, and motivation make them a good fit for the organisation.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply,and can be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Reasonable Adjustment

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DSIT Candidate Guidance. A DSIT Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.

We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants' section.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e., working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Roxana Legezynska
• Email : roxana.legezynska@dsit.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Farah.Chowdhury@dsit.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance DSITrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk . If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints.

Attachments

DSIT T&Cs v1.2 Opens in new window (docx, 179kB)