About the job

Job summary

AI is bringing about huge changes to society, and it is our job as a team to work out how Government should respond. It is a once-in-a-generation moment, and an incredibly fast-paced and exciting environment.

At the AI Safety Summit hosted by the UK in November 2023, countries represented agreed to the Chairs Statement on the State of the Science. This committed countries attending to support development of an international, independent and inclusive ‘International AI Safety’ Report on the capabilities and risks of frontier AI. The report’s Chair is Yoshua Bengio, an Award-winning AI academic and member of the UN’s Scientific Advisory Board. He will be supported by a diverse group of leading AI academics composed of an appropriate number of individuals with the necessary variety of expertise. It will be advised by an Expert Advisory Panel comprising representatives from countries attending the Summit and other partner countries.

We are therefore recruiting an exceptional candidate to assume the role of Head of the International AI Safety Report leading a high performing, small team within the AI Safety Institute to secretariat and deliver the report, and to support Yoshua Bengio as chair, and the writing group, Expert Advisory Panel and other advisors to the report.

Job description

AI Safety Institute 

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) over the last decade have been impactful, rapid, and unpredictable. Today, harnessing AI is an opportunity that could be transformational for the UK and the rest of the world. Advanced AI systems have the potential to drive economic growth and productivity, boost health and wellbeing, improve public services, and increase security. 

The UK government is determined to seize these opportunities. In September, we announced Isambard AI as the UK AI Research Resource, which will be one of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers purpose-built for AI. The National Health Service (NHS) is running trials to help clinicians identify breast cancer sooner by using AI. In the workplace, AI promises to free us from routine tasks, giving teachers more time to teach and police officers more time to tackle crime. There is a world of opportunity for the UK that we will explore. 

But advanced AI systems also pose significant risks, as detailed in the government’s paper on Capabilities and Risks from Frontier AI published in October. AI can be misused – this could include using AI to generate disinformation, conduct sophisticated cyberattacks or help develop chemical weapons. AI can cause societal harms – there have been examples of AI chatbots encouraging harmful actions, promoting skewed or radical views, and providing biased advice. AI generated content that is highly realistic but false could reduce public trust in information. Some experts are concerned that humanity could lose control of advanced systems, with potentially catastrophic and permanent consequences. We will only unlock the benefits of AI if we can manage these risks. At present, our ability to develop powerful systems outpaces our ability to make them safe. The first step is to better understand the capabilities and risks of these advanced AI systems. This will then inform our regulatory framework for AI, so we ensure AI is developed and deployed safely and responsibly. 

The UK is taking a leading role in driving this conversation forward internationally. We launched the Frontier AI Taskforce – the first state body dedicated to the safety of advanced AI, investing more than any other nation - and hosted the world’s first major Responsible government action in an area as new and fast-paced as advanced AI requires governments to develop their own sophisticated technical and sociotechnical expertise. 

What you'll do

The postholders will be one of four Grade 6 roles within the Partnerships Division, which is responsible collectively for: international AI Safety protocols, international partnerships, disclosure and the State of the Science report. It will be critical to work closely as a senior team, and across your respective line management chains, to move workstreams forward collectively. You will also work closely with the division’s Deputy Director and other G6s, as part of the International Division Senior Leadership Team, to deliver an open, friendly, organised, efficient and empowered culture, and continue to strive for a high standard of excellence.

Head of the International AI Safety Report.

Your team will be responsible for overall delivery of the International AI Safety Report and for setting the strategy, with international partners, for the future of the report and broadbased international collaboration on the science of frontier AI safety. Your team will specifically be responsible for:

· Delivering a high quality initial report that meets the aims set out in the Chair’s statement, for the Korea AI Safety Summit, and for delivering a subsequent report ahead of the France summit (later this year).

· Building strong and productive relationships with the Report’s Chair, and its respective panels, and maintaining strong communication to ensure a robust and independent scientific report, that facilitates a shared science-based understanding of the risks associated with frontier AI and to sustain that understanding as capabilities continue to increase.

· Project managing the effective delivery of the eventual report, including delivering through an international set of writers, and the Expert Advisory Panel.

· Setting a long-term strategy, and leading internal and international work to determine the long-term future of the report, and of broad-based international collaboration on the science of frontier AI safety.

· Leading and nurturing the development of a small, high performing team.

To note, the UK has agreed to secretariat the report until the France AI Safety Summit. After that point, the responsibilities of the role holder should be expected to shift. As a new organisation, the successful post holder will need to be comfortable working in a context of some ambiguity

Person specification

Essential skills experience for these roles include:

•  Strong policy delivery experience, with a track record of taking proposals from ideas to publication / event
•  Ability to work across multiple senior stakeholders, with diverse views, to deliver clear policy recommendations
•  Experience of leading high performing, supported teams in a fast-paced environment,
•  Track record of quickly building constructive and trusting relationships with a range of stakeholders
•  Expertise in frontier AI safety and/or demonstrable experience of upskilling quickly in a complex new policy area.

Desirable skills and experience for these roles include:

•  Experience with international negotiations and diplomacy
•  Experience in AI or another area of Science and Technology

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £64,660, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £17,458 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

To apply for this role, please select 'Apply Now' at the bottom of this advert.

Application:

To apply for this post, please send us the following documents no later than 23:55 - Thursday 14th March via the CS Jobs portal:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
  
  
• A Personal Statement (max 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift:

For the shortlist, we will assess your experience and select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.

Interview:

During the interview, you will be asked Behaviour based questions to demonstrate, how you meet each of the Essential skills listed in the job advert

For Behaviours, use the link here to understand the expectations at the grade of role you are applying for: Level 4 – G6 and G7. 

We highly recommend learning about Success Profiles and using the Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection (STARR) framework when structuring your answers. In your examples you should include evidence on ‘how’ you demonstrated the requirements and the impact of your work, as well as ‘what’ you did. 

You may be asked to prepare and present a short presentation with details provided to you prior to interview. You may also be asked for a fireside chat with a member of the senior leadership team following your interview.

Further Information

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Reasonable Adjustment

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

We fully support adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.

We do not have an exhaustive list of adjustments that we support but just some examples include additional time to complete your application form, behaviour questions up to 72 hours prior to interview and having extra time at interview.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home). 

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.