Government Digital Service also seeks leader for Government Efficiency Accelerator programme on piloting and adopting AI in core functions while Ministry for Justice looks to recruit head of AI governance

The Government Digital Service is advertising for jobs focused on artificial intelligence, including the leadership of its Incubator for AI (i.AI).

In the job advert GDS says that the director role “will act as the CEO of i.AI, responsible for setting strategic direction, overseeing delivery, and ensuring the team thrives within government”. It says the unit now employs around 80 staff and “possesses a rare concentration of talent and autonomy, with engineers from places like GCHQ, Faculty and Astrazeneca”.

The job is in SCS pay band 2 with a salary of £100,000 to £130,000 and can be based in Bristol, London or Manchester. Applications close on Monday 1 September. “While we value the use of AI technology to enhance our daily work, we also value the personal touch and urge applicants to write cover letters without the use of AI to emphasise their own unique experiences,” the advert says in bold text.

The service is also recruiting two lead cloud platform engineers for i.AI paying £67,126 to £103,924 and based in Bristol, London or Manchester. Applications close on Sunday 31 August.

Related content

• GDS seeks external experts for public sector AI advisory panel
• GDS seeks £100k-plus director duo to oversee public sector AI and service transformation
• GDS research finds civil servants ‘have misconceptions of what AI is and what it might achieve’

The incubator was set up in November 2023 within the Cabinet Office. Following its election last year, the Labour government moved it into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology where it is now part of the Government Digital Service.

GDS is also recruiting a short-term leader for the Government Efficiency Accelerator programme, which aims to pilot then scale up changes to core functions including human resources, finance and policy. “Think of it as a government-backed startup with a mandate to deliver real change, supported by the most senior levels of government,” the advert says.

The deputy director, AI frontier exemplar role is in SCS pay band 1 and pays £81,000 to £117,800 and as with the others can be based in Bristol, London or Manchester. It will last for 12 months and will include building a roadmap to increase the use of AI adoption and identifying high-impact use cases. Applications close on Saturday 30 August.

Elsewhere in Whitehall, the Ministry of Justice is recruiting a head of AI governance for its Justice AI Unit, based in either Cardiff or London, a grade 6 role paying £71,381 to £85,257. Applications close on Monday 1 September.

The job adverts and applications are available through the Civil Service Jobs service on GOV.UK.