AI & Digital Innovation Engagement Manager

Salary for this Role: Circa £60,000 with benefits subject to skills and experience.

Reports to: Amy Strange

Closing Date: 03/May/2026 23.59 GMT

Details of the role:

This is a full-time, permanent position on Crick terms and conditions of employment.

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture. We’ve removed traditional boundaries of departments, divisions and disciplines and instead have an open approach that supports every researcher. This gives us the freedom to take risks and carry out high-quality, pioneering research. Creating a space for discovery without boundaries helps us to turn our science into benefits for human health and the economy.

About the role:

We are looking for a focused and collaborative AI & Digital Innovation Engagement Manager to join the Software Engineering and AI department within the Francis Crick Institute. Reporting to the Head of Software Engineering and AI, you will play a central part in championing, socialising, and embedding new technical initiatives, platforms, and AI driven capabilities developed within the team, alongside technologies adopted in collaboration with IT and other technical partners across the Crick.

You will play a key role in understanding where AI and emerging digital technologies are being adopted across the Francis Crick Institute, evaluating how they are currently used, and identifying opportunities to extend and scale successful approaches across laboratories, operations, and the wider STP environment. Working closely with user groups, you will bring colleagues together to understand existing practices, gather feedback, and assess where tools, workflows, or approaches could be enhanced. Through this engagement, you will help articulate what technologies are available, how they are being applied, and how they can be adapted to meet the needs of different scientific and operational communities across the Institute. This will include shaping demand led projects, coordinating training and enablement activity, and developing clear, accessible guidance to help colleagues confidently integrate new tools into their work.

The role will also act as a key link between technical teams and the communications team, ensuring that digital and AI initiatives are communicated clearly and appropriately across the Institute. Contributing intranet content, supporting training communications, and enabling public facing engagement where relevant, you will help position technology innovation at the Crick in a way that maximises understanding, trust, and scientific impact.

What you will be doing:

• Develop and deliver structured communication and engagement plans for software, engineering and AI initiatives to drive adoption.
• Champion new tools, platforms, and AI capabilities.
• Work with training leads across the organisation to develop and deliver new training material and where appropriate integrate into existing training programmes.
• Collaborate effectively with internal and external research stakeholders building cross-disciplinary relationships at all levels.
• Develop and deliver content that communicates scientific and technical impact.
• Establish feedback loops and impact measures by gathering structured feedback from researchers and partners and tracking adoption and engagement metrics.
• Promote a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration.
• Stay abreast of developments in AI, research software engineering, and scientific digital infrastructure and share this knowledge across the team.

About you:

• Demonstrable experience in delivering effective communications, training, outreach, or engagement within research, academic, or scientific environments.
• Proven ability to translate complex technical concepts (e.g. AI, software tools, data platforms) into clear, engaging communications for diverse audiences.
• Strong understanding of digital technologies and the application of AI for research including tools for knowledge synthesis and agentic workflows.
• Familiarity with core concepts in software engineering and the ability to engage confidently with engineers and technical stakeholders.
• Experience of establishing feedback mechanisms and performance metrics to assess adoption, user satisfaction, and impact of digital or AI initiatives.
• Experience developing user-facing technical documentation (e.g. guides, FAQs, onboarding materials, knowledge base content).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing materials suitable for academic or research audiences.

Minimum criteria:

About Working at the Crick:

Our values: Everyone who works at the Crick has a valuable role to play in advancing the Crick’s mission and shaping our culture. We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently. We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world. We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community.

At the Francis Crick Institute, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences. We are a Disability Confident: Committed employer and want to ensure that everyone can apply and be part of our recruitment processes and so we will make reasonable adjustments if you need them - just let us know when you apply. If you need assistance with applying (i.e., would like to apply by phone or post) please email: karen.au@crick.ac.uk

At the Francis Crick Institute, we value our team members and are proud to offer an extensive range of benefits to support their well-being and development:

• Visas: Applicants for this role will be eligible for sponsorship to work in the UK.
• Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays.
• Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%.
• Health & Well-being: 24/7 GP consultation services, occupational health services and mental health support programs, eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans.
• Work-Life Balance: Back-up care for dependents, childcare support allowance, annual leave purchase options, Crick Networks offering diverse groups’ support, community and inclusive social events.
• Perks: Discounted gym memberships, bike-to-work scheme, and shopping discounts, subsidised on-site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction.

Please note you must meet the essential criteria listed within the Role Profile, to have your application reviewed.