City council advertises vacant post for leader to oversee creation of strategy intended to help the authority use the likes of large language models to have a real social impact

Salford City Council is looking to recruit a “visionary leader” to become the authority’s head of AI and data.

The post, which offers a salary of between £72,191 and £79,112, comes with a remit to “lead the design and delivery of Salford’s enterprise-wide AI and data strategy”, according to the job advert.

This strategy – and the use of technology that it supports – will not be “just about systems and pipelines – it [will be] about transforming lives through data-driven decisions and intelligent services that respond to what our communities need”.

Once the plan is in place, the postholder will be expected to “champion ethical and advanced AI to solve real-world public service challenges”, and will also be asked to “spearhead pilot projects and translate them into real-world delivery across housing, social care, and more”, the advert adds.

Salford hopes to make use of technologies including “Microsoft Fabric, LLMs (large language models), and machine learning”.

The advert adds: “We’ve laid strong foundations for this future. Over the last few years, Salford has invested in creating a cloud-first infrastructuregiving us the computing power and scalability to support cutting-edge AI. We’re also transitioning to SaaS (software as a service) applications that can be rapidly and seamlessly consumed into our data platform, enabling agile, joined-up innovation across our services.”

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The new AI and data leader will sit at the head of “a growing, high-performing team of analysts, data scientists, and AI specialists”.

The council also hopes that its successful candidate will lead work that helps “influence national policy and inspire cross-sector collaboration by publishing reusable AI blueprints”.

“Salford City Council is searching for a visionary leader to drive a radical transformation, harnessing the power of AI and data to improve lives, empower communities, and future-proof public services,” the advert says. “We’re not just looking for technologists. We’re looking for changemakers; people who see algorithms as tools for equity, systems as levers for impact, and data as a force for good. From unlocking insights to revolutionise housing and social care, to building truly inclusive digital servicesthis is where mission meets innovation.”

Applications for the role are open until 30 June.

Located directly to the west of Manchester city centre, the city of Salford is home to around 220,000 people across the districts of Salford, Eccles, Worsley, Irlam and Cadishead, and Swinton and Pendlebury, according to the council’s website.