Head of Strategy & Delivery, Societal Impacts – AI Security Institute

Job summary

The UK AI Security Institute is the world's largest and best-funded team dedicated to understanding the capabilities and impacts of advanced AI and developing practical risk mitigations. We’re in the heart of the UK government with direct lines to No. 10, and we work with frontier developers and governments globally.

We’re here because governments are critical for advanced AI going well, and UK AISI is uniquely positioned to mobilise them. With our resources, agility and international influence, this is the best place to shape both AI development and government action to ensure AI systems are deployed safely and responsibly.

AISI’s Research Unit is a dynamic blend of technical researchers and delivery staff who work collaboratively to scope and deliver our research projects. Our delivery team members are integral to our success. They are the driving force behind our research, unblocking issues, managing risk, and ensuring our research remains high quality and in line with the standards demanded by AISI and government. They set the conditions for success for our technical teams. We aren’t looking for a project manager, you don’t need to be fully agile, rather a pace setter, fixer, and doer. If you can demonstrate that you have delivered big things in Government and can operate under pressure, then this is the role for you.

Job description

In this role, you will work with the Deputy Director and our Research Director Chris Summerfield, and you will:

• Own the end-to-end delivery function for a diverse and fast-growing portfolio of projects across the Societal Impacts teams (Human Influence and Societal Resilience). You’ll ensure projects are scoped clearly, resourced adequately, and delivered on time to a high standard.
• Set the rhythm and raise the bar across the Group – driving up ambition, removing blockers, and helping technical teams move faster and more confidently. This includes identifying where teams are stuck, designing interventions, and pushing for clarity and pace.
• Act as a strategic delivery partner to the Deputy Director and Research Director, helping shape group strategy and translate it into operational plans. You’ll also support engagement with senior stakeholders across government and beyond, ensuring our work lands and sticks.
• Coach and lead the Strategy & Delivery Managers, creating an environment of autonomy and stretch. You’ll line manage delivery staff, support their professional growth, and role-model high standards of judgment, prioritisation, and delivery under pressure.
• Build and improve the delivery infrastructure as we scale – identifying and implementing lightweight systems, norms, and workflows that enable more consistent and effective execution across a growing research organisation.
• Hold a high bar on quality, comms, and risk management, ensuring that project outputs meet AISI’s standards, that risks are surfaced and managed early, and that delivery plans are transparent and shared across the organisation.
• Mobilise the team’s work – you will provide thought leadership on key audiences within government, supporting the team to identify policymakers who would benefit from understanding the research. You and your S&D team will provide guidance on how to translate academic research into impactful policy advice.

Person specification

This is a highly hands-on role for someone who thrives on responsibility, pace, and problem-solving – and who wants to help shape a world-leading AI research organisation tackling urgent societal risks.

Skills, experience, and qualifications (essential)

• Experience in project delivery, operations, or project management
• Experience working in a matrix environment, with multidisciplinary teams
• Strong ability to manage stakeholders
• Excellent leadership skills
• Exceptional organisational skills and a systematic approach to problem- solving and delivery
• Ability to operate in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Willing to apply for developed vetting clearance.

Skills, experience, and qualifications (desirable)

• Experience working on AI, or similar emerging tech
• Experience working with research teams
• Experience scaling teams and processes
• Passion for AI safety, ethics, or societal impacts

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £67,250, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £19,482 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.
• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

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.

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.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to address the following:

AISI's Research Unit was established to develop empirical evidence on frontier AI risks. We also work on developing technical mitigations. As head of Strategy and Delivery, you will be expected to work with the technical team to determine the team's strategic focus.

How would you prioritise AISI's work on near term AI risks? Identify up to two risks you think we should focus on, and any you think we should deprioritise. Please explain your reasoning.

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the CV. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Interview 1: Experience and motivations interview

Interview 2: Task & Civil Service Behaviours interview. Details on the task will be sent ahead of the interview.

Interview 3: Senior Panel Interview.

Sift and interview dates

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (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

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 : Karina Kumar
• Email : Karina.Kumar@dsit.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dsitresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.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)