Programme Manager

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.

Job Description
The CB Strategy & Delivery team bridges the gap between expert technical staff and both policy leads across government, and delivery partners ranging from Dstl, to high-profile consultancies, to thought leaders in AI/CB convergence. The team owns programme and project management across the CB team's exciting research agenda. We are the interface with key AISI and DSIT operational functions, including Finance, Commercial, Security and Risk.

The research delivery advisor will report to the G7 Strategy & Delivery and will take ownership of key functions within the team. They will work closely with technical staff to shape the projects that deliver the next phase of CB research. This role will come with considerable autonomy, and the ability to shape the outputs of a high-profile team in AISI.

What you'll do:

• Project management: overseeing the delivery of a suite of research projects by our in-house technical team and select external research partners
• Delivery: owning the overall approach to programme management & delivery in the Chem/Bio team, including running the CB Programme Board to secure senior buy-in for our research portfolio
• Commercial: owning relationships with external delivery partners, designing contracts and work programmes to deliver AISI objectives.
• Finance: oversight of a multi-million budget and representing CB equities to Finance teams across HMG, ensuring public value for money, and leading the annual budget review.
• Building the engine: Working across AISI, DSIT, and HMG to design and iterate processes and frameworks to increase the CB team's efficiency & impact.
• Supporting broader AISI priorities: AISI is constantly reacting to rapid developments in AI capabilities and policy. All AISI staff should expect to lean-in to urgent priorities, which may look different to their day-to-day roles.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Have experience coordinating and project managing large projects across multiple teams. Ability to coordinate stakeholders and align work to overarching goals and objectives, in line with agile methodology.
• Have experience collaborating with technical experts. Willingness to lean in and understand the technical details to ensure delivery success, and the ability to translate technical requirement into plain language.
• Gets things done. Hits the ground running. Has experience working in a delivery-focussed role, with a strong track record of managing complex projects and shipping good product.
• Is comfortable navigating uncertainty, and adapting quickly. Understands when to consult others, what questions to ask and identify a path through to a solution.
• Experience working in complex commercial and financial environments, has experience overseeing large budgets, and understands HMG financial controls and obligations.
• Candidates must hold SC clearance prior to starting this role and be willing to go through DV clearance.

Desirable criteria

• Passionate about the mission of the AI Security Institute.
• Experience or an interest in Science/Biology/Chemistry.

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

Selection process details

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 how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

Sift will be conducted on the CV and personal statement.

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the CV alone.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Interview Stages:

• Experience Interview – This interview will explore your relevant experience and your motivation for applying for the role.
• Task based Interview – Candidates will be asked to complete a task which relates to the job role.
• Final SCS Conversation – This will be a conversation with senior stakeholders within the department.

Sift and interview dates
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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.

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.

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

Open to UK nationals only.

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 the Civil 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 : Emily Alexander
• 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.