Deputy Director, Portfolio and Impact in Bristol

The Incubator for Artificial Intelligence is a team of ~60 entrepreneurial technologists and operators working at the centre of UK Government. We exist to do one thing: build and ship frontier AI systems that materially change how government works. We move at start‐up speed, operate under real‐world constraints, and deploy at national scale. Our work sits directly behind the Prime Minister's priorities and is used by Ministers, departments, and millions of citizens. Our team is based across Bristol, Manchester and London, and we work in a hybrid manner as default. A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace (which for this role is London), although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance. We will consider part‐time and flexible working arrangements - we encourage you to discuss your needs with the hiring manager if you are offered the role.

Responsibilities

• Oversight of the portfolio: Provides central oversight and strategy to help ensure products within the portfolio are meeting government aims and overall delivering on our strategy. This will involve working closely with other leaders across the Government Chief AI Officer's organisation who each own a number of products at any given time.
• Deliver and scale up citizen‐focussed AI missions: Work closely with Senior leaders across government, including No10 and the PM's AI Adviser, as well as with industry and AI labs to develop and deliver a series of AI "Big Bets" to improve outcomes for citizens. This will include delivering the existing portfolio in Education and Planning, and scaling up to deliver additional Bets.
• Solidifying the Directorate's role as a systems leader: Provide thought leadership on public sector adoption of AI, contributing to policy papers, proposals and business cases around AI, data and technology where appropriate, for example to build a case for new projects, in partnership with technical experts. Represent and profile‐build our work externally, including hosting meetings with industry, representing work at conferences or events with the tech or public sector.
• Funding, commercial models and partnerships: Runs core processes relating to P&L, including Spending Review, Business Planning, cross‐charging arrangements, and potential future commercialisation strategies. Oversight of partnerships to ensure they meet our strategic aims.
• Team enablement: Oversees Strategy, Delivery, Impact & Evaluations team and the Operations team, including a focus on hiring AI talent into the team.
• Running an excellent team: In collaboration with other i.AI Exec members, provide oversight of delivery in the team, ensuring that technical product teams remain in line with ministerial and external expectations of the work, as well as external best practices, Artificial intelligence.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and written skills, with a proven track record of influencing effectively at CEO, Ministerial and Permanent Secretary level or equivalent.
• Proven experience of operating effectively in a relevant field, ideally with experience in AI implementation, wider digital/analysis functions, strategy and change.
• Evidenced ability to build and maintain relationships with, and secure the confidence and trust of stakeholders, senior leaders, and peers, through the provision of expert advice on strategy, partnership working, and collaborative project delivery.
• Experience of working with external business partners/collaborators to drive change within complex organisations, ideally with stakeholders relevant to the mission of i.AI.
• Comfort and ability to engage externally, both yourself (for example keynote speaker at events) and through press and media teams to engage the public around your work.
• An empowering leader who sets a clear strategic direction to deliver key priorities through teams and with a track record of motivating and developing successfully leading diverse, high performing teams.

Beneficial Experience

• Direct experience in an AI start‐up, venture capital, consultancy or incubator style team.
• Experience of working in government in a high performing and fast paced environment.
• Experience in setting up new teams, establishing good ways of working and effective partnership models.

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions

Equal Opportunities

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. We also offer a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants at risk of redundancy who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Benefits

• Salary: £81,000 per annum. Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £23,465 towards a Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, home working and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the 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 40‐60% of time in the office (minimum 40%) over a month, with flexibility depending on balancing business and individual need.