Head of Delivery

Bristol, London, Manchester

Job Summary
The AI Security Institute is the world's largest and best-funded team dedicated to understanding advanced AI risks and translating that knowledge into action. 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, unique agility and international influence, this is the best place to shape both AI development and government action.

We are looking for a G6 Head of Delivery for AISI's Technical Solutions teams (Alignment, Model Transparency, and the Red Team). As Head of Delivery, you will play a central role in translating cutting-edge technical research into tangible impact: accelerating how our teams operate, deliver, and scale.

You will be responsible for setting the rhythm of delivery across this group: lifting ambition, role-modelling delivery excellence across deeply technical projects, providing direct support to our Research Directors, and coaching and managing our Strategy and Delivery Managers. You'll continuously improve the systems, habits, and culture that allow our researchers to move faster while maintaining a high bar for quality and rigour.

People suited to this role will be used to a fast-paced, technical environment and will thrive in ambiguity. You should be equally comfortable switching between high-level strategy and object-level execution - from designing lightweight systems and processes to unblocking a specific research project. You'll enjoy developing and managing staff, providing growth opportunities and support creating an environment of autonomy, clarity, and high performance.

Job Description
AISI's Research Unit combines world-class technical research with strong delivery capability. Our delivery staff are critical partners and collaborators in our research, ensuring we execute with clarity, pace, and excellence. They help unblock problems, manage risk, and ensure the team's work meets the high standards expected by AISI and government.

In this role, you will work closely with the Deputy Director, our Workstream Leads, and our Chief Scientist, Geoffrey Irving. You will:

• Own the end-to-end delivery function for a diverse and fast-growing portfolio of technical projects across Safeguards (e.g. misuse classifiers, monitors), Control (e.g. linear probes, control protocols, white-box methods), and Alignment (e.g. interpretability, mechanistic alignment). You'll ensure projects are scoped clearly, resourced adequately, and delivered  to a high standard.
• Set the rhythm and raise the bar - driving up ambition, removing blockers, and helping technical teams move faster and more confidently. You'll spot where projects stall, design interventions, and create the conditions for momentum and clarity.
• Act as a strategic delivery partner to the Deputy Director and Chief Scientist – helping shape the group's strategy and translating it into clear operational plans. You'll also support engagement with senior stakeholders across government, academia, and industry, ensuring our work lands with impact.
• Coach and lead our team of Strategy & Delivery Managers, creating an environment of autonomy and stretch. You'll line manage delivery staff, support their professional growth, and role-model judgment, prioritisation, and delivery excellence under pressure.
• Build and continuously improve our delivery infrastructure – identifying and implementing lightweight systems, tools, and norms that enable faster, more consistent execution across a growing research organisation.
• Hold a high bar on quality, comms, and risk management, ensuring project outputs meet AISI standards, risks are managed early, and delivery plans are transparent and aligned across the organisation.
• This is a highly hands-on role for someone who thrives on responsibility, autonomy, and problem-solving - and who wants to help shape one of the world's leading AI research organisations tackling some of the most technically complex and safety-critical challenges of our time.

AISI's Research Unit combines world-class technical research with strong delivery capability. Our delivery staff are critical partners and collaborators in our research, ensuring we execute with clarity, pace, and excellence. They help unblock problems, manage risk, and ensure the team's work meets the high standards expected by AISI and government.

In this role, you will work closely with the Deputy Director, our Workstream Leads, and our Chief Scientist, Geoffrey Irving. You will:

• Own the end-to-end delivery function for a diverse and fast-growing portfolio of technical projects across Safeguards (e.g. misuse classifiers, monitors), Control (e.g. linear probes, control protocols, white-box methods), and Alignment (e.g. interpretability, mechanistic alignment). You'll ensure projects are scoped clearly, resourced adequately, and delivered  to a high standard.
• Set the rhythm and raise the bar - driving up ambition, removing blockers, and helping technical teams move faster and more confidently. You'll spot where projects stall, design interventions, and create the conditions for momentum and clarity.
• Act as a strategic delivery partner to the Deputy Director and Chief Scientist – helping shape the group's strategy and translating it into clear operational plans. You'll also support engagement with senior stakeholders across government, academia, and industry, ensuring our work lands with impact.
• Coach and lead our team of Strategy & Delivery Managers, creating an environment of autonomy and stretch. You'll line manage delivery staff, support their professional growth, and role-model judgment, prioritisation, and delivery excellence under pressure.
• Build and continuously improve our delivery infrastructure – identifying and implementing lightweight systems, tools, and norms that enable faster, more consistent execution across a growing research organisation.
• Hold a high bar on quality, comms, and risk management, ensuring project outputs meet AISI standards, risks are managed early, and delivery plans are transparent and aligned across the organisation.
• This is a highly hands-on role for someone who thrives on responsibility, autonomy, and problem-solving - and who wants to help shape one of the world's leading AI research organisations tackling some of the most technically complex and safety-critical challenges of our time.

Person specification

Essential

• Demonstrated experience in project delivery, operations, or programme management
• Experience working in a matrix or multidisciplinary environment, ideally with technical or research teams
• Experience working in impact-oriented research teams
• Experience working on technical AI safety
• Strong ability to manage a diverse group of stakeholders and build trust across technical and policy communities
• Excellent leadership and people-management skills
• Outstanding organisational and problem-solving ability
• Comfortable operating in fast-moving, ambiguous contexts
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Drive to work on AI safety, alignment, and technical risk mitigation

Desirable

• Experience administering grant programmes
• Experience identifying philanthropic funders for research programmes

Behaviours

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

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

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.

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.

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 an anonymised CV of no more than 2 pages showing your previous work history. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Candidates will be assessed upon their CV alone. It will not be possible to provide feedback to applicants who are unsuccessful at the application stage.

This Vacancy Will Follow a Three-stage Interview Process
Stage 1 – Experience and Motivation Interview:

This interview will explore your relevant experience and motivation for applying for the role.

Stage 2 – Civil Service Behaviours Interview With Task
You will be assessed against Civil Service Behaviours and on your domain knowledge.

Stage 3 – Managerial Competency Interview

This interview will be focused on your managerial and leadership capabilities.

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.

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- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

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

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.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only 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.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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

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

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.

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.

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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

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 : Nate Burnikell
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

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 . 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.