AI Valuation Specialist in Reading

Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking.

Package: £61,460 - £90,000 p.a (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience)

Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application.

Responsibilities to include:

• Lead AWE’s central AI idea intake hub as the organisation’s single front door for AI proposals, owning, operating and continuously improving the intake and triage process so every submission is logged, screened and given a clear outcome aligned to mission priorities.
• Rapidly assess ideas against strategic alignment, value, feasibility, readiness, security and funding criteria. Recommend whether proposals should be approved, deferred or declined, with clear justification.
• Own a continuously updated, organisation-wide view of all AI initiatives, maintaining a unified AI project portfolio and roadmap that shows priorities, timelines, dependencies and alignment to business objectives.
• Ensure all AI projects support AWE’s strategic goals, regulatory constraints and security requirements. Redirect low-value or misaligned ideas to focus effort on high-impact opportunities.
• Direct each approved idea to the appropriate delivery path (e.g., AI Adoption for quick wins, Enterprise AI for complex builds) and ensure smooth handover with clear context and expectations.
• Work with PMO/EPMO to embed significant AI initiatives into formal project governance, ensuring proper oversight, risk management, reporting and resourcing.

Additional duties:

• Accelerate high-value use cases, identify quick wins, prevent duplication and maintain pace across the AI project portfolio to maximise organisational impact.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders, business units, technical teams and external partners (e.g., MoD, industry, academia) to secure alignment, collaboration and support for AI initiatives.
• Publish portfolio updates, guidance on proposing ideas, success stories and best-practice playbooks, partnering with the AI Governance pillar to ensure consistent guidance and a coordinated approach across AWE. Promote transparency and help stakeholders understand how to engage with the AI hub.

Who are we looking for?

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent professional experience) in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related discipline.
• Substantial experience in leading, managing or critically evaluating technology-driven initiatives - preferably including AI or data analytics projects - from initial concept through to delivery.
• Experience working within a high-security, highly regulated environment (such as defence, nuclear, or government R&D) is critical, providing a deep understanding of how to navigate formal governance, security constraints, and organisational culture when driving innovation.
• Broad technical acumen in AI/ML and data analytics - able to understand the fundamentals of AI technologies, data requirements, and solution approaches sufficiently to engage in technical discussions and identify potential feasibility issues or risks.
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills, capable of interrogating complex ideas, asking insightful questions and synthesising information to determine an initiative’s likely value and viability.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the credibility and influence to translate technical AI detail into clear business impact and recommendations for both technical teams and senior leaders.

Work hard, be rewarded:

• 9-day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.
• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).
• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).
• Discounts – access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.
• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

Hybrid working is available for this role on an informal, non-contractual basis.

Next steps: Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we’d love to receive your application.

Important things you need to know:

• We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.
• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.
• We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.
• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.
• Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants.

Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.