About the job

Job summary

The AI Safety Institute is the first state-backed organisation focused on advanced AI safety for the public interest.  We launched at the AI Safety Summit because we believe taking responsible action on this extraordinary technology requires a capable and empowered group of technical experts within government.

Our staff includes senior alumni from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, start-ups and the UK government, and ML professors from Oxford and Cambridge.  We are now calling on the world’s top technical talent to build the institute from the ground up.  This is a truly unique opportunity to help shape AI safety at an international level.

We have ambitious goals and need to move fast.

Develop and conduct evaluations on advanced AI systems
We will characterise safety-relevant capabilities, understand the safety and security of systems, and assess their societal impacts.

Drive foundational AI safety research
We will launch moonshot research projects and convene world-class external researchers.

Facilitate information exchange
We will establish clear information-sharing channels between the Institute and other national and international actors. These include stakeholders such as policymakers and international partners.

Our Inclusive Environment
We are building an inclusive culture to make the Department a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.

 What we Value:

• Diverse Perspectives: We believe that a range of experiences and backgrounds is essential to our success. We welcome individuals from underrepresented groups to join us in this crucial mission.
• Collaborative Spirit: We thrive on teamwork and open collaboration, valuing every contribution, big or small.
• Innovation and Impact: We are dedicated to making a real-world difference in the field of frontier AI safety and capability, and we encourage innovative thinking and bold ideas.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to carry out analysis in a rapidly developing and high-profile area of Government. The Analysis Team aims to establish a credible evidence base for AISI’s investments in frontier AI, make use of innovative methods to evaluate the impact of the AISI’s ground-breaking initiatives and keep abreast of developments in the frontier AI ecosystem. The team is made up of a Grade 6 Senior Economic Advisor, a G7 Economic Advisor, a G7 Social Researcher, and a HEO Economist. This is a brand-new role, and you’ll have lot of opportunity to shape the work.

A background in AI policy or technology is not essential. The adaptable nature of the team means you should be comfortable with and enjoy applying statistical techniques and research methods to a nascent and ever-changing policy area.

Across the three core missions of the AISI, some of the types of analytical work you may get involved in are:

• Support the Research Unit to set up randomised controlled trials (RCTs), providing crucial statistical advice on the experimental design, defining an appropriate population sample, running the study, and analysing results.
• Advise the Research Unit on the best way to report evaluation study outputs and capture data, so that they can be analysed using various statistical methods
• Support the management of an externally commissioned impact and process evaluation of AISI’s activities.
• Design and manage research into societal harms from frontier AI models, for example around bias and manipulation.

This role will involve working closely with the AISI Research Unit. This is a team of academics, AI research scientists and software engineers, including senior alumni from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, start ups, and machine learning professors from top universities, who conduct model evaluations and other research into the potential risks from frontier AI models. You can find out more about the AISI’s approach to technical model evaluations at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-safety-institute-approach-to-evaluations/ai-safety-institute-approach-to-evaluations

Responsibilities   

The successful person will be responsible for but not limited to:  

Provide technical support on research and statistical methods for complex research projects. Within this, you will investigate different options and apply relevant research or statistical skills to do analysis and investigate options. 

• Support on the design, commission, and delivery of research and evaluation projects. Within this you will balance timely delivery of findings against the need for reliable, good quality data on which decisions can be made. 
• Support on the management of an externally commissioned evaluation, following Magenta Book principles   
• Identify solutions to deliver evidence in a fast-paced environment  
• Advise on the relative robustness of competing sources of evidence and the interpretation of findings. 
• Collaborate effectively with other analytical, research, and programme delivery colleagues within AISI 
• Communicate findings of research and evaluation projects, including to non-analysts

Person specification

Who are we looking for?  

Your essential experience:   

• Experience with advanced research and evaluation methodologies – e.g. randomised control trials, contribution analysis  
• Experience with advanced statistical methods and approaches – e.g. multivariate regression, power calculations, interpretation of large complex datasets
• Statistical programme experience – R, STATA or Python are preferred, experience with these or the ability to learn quickly will be essential
• Experience of analysing a range of information and evidence to draw robust and defensible conclusions.
• Ability to clearly communicate data and statistics and their caveats and limitations to analytical and non-analytical audiences (policy officials and external stakeholders) verbally and in writing.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks to tight deadlines  

 

Your desirable experience: 

• A broad experience of designing and carrying out and/or commissioning research and/or evaluation with knowledge and experience of using both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Experience of using communication and collaboration skills to ensure analysis has an impact on decision-making.
• Experience of managing multiple complex tasks to tight deadlines in a high-pressure environment, with the ability to persuade and influence senior stakeholders. 
• Experience working with others to define and deliver tasks that inform objectives, building strong relationships to ensure analysis has a strong and wide impact   

Candidates should not be discouraged from applying if they do not have the desirable criteria. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,860, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £10,102 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, Experience and Technical skills.

Applicants must meet the requirements at SEO grade for one of the following analytical professions: Government Social Research, Government Statistician Group, Government Operational Research, Government Economic Service. If you are not already a member of one of these professions, you may need to complete a short multiple choice knowledge test as part of the interview process.  

You will be asked to give a short presentation at interview, and complete a written exercise. The details of this will be given after application.

As part of the application process, we will assess your technical skills in data analysis. Each analytical profession describes this skill slightly differently. For more information on what is captured, please see the technical framework for each profession (linked below). We will assess you based on the analytical profession you chose to apply as: 

Government Social Research - Knowledge of research methods, techniques, and applications of these 

Government Statistician Group - Data Analysis 

Government Economic Service - Analysis of Data 

Government Operational Research Service -Knowledge and Application of OR techniques 

 

We recognise that this process may be unfamiliar with to those who are not currently part of one of the analytical professions and we will support you through this interview process. If you meet the qualification and essential criteria, we want to hear from you. For further information, please join the information event and / or contact Lexi Keegan.  

 

Information event 

We are holding a 1-hour information event for prospective candidates to find out more about the AISI, this role, and the application process. There is no need to join both. There will also be time for a general Q&A. Please access the following Teams Link to join:

26th March: 12:30 - 13:00

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZWVlNGFhN2MtNjgzZi00YTk3LWE5YjAtZTlhYWI3OTYzYmFl%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cbac7005-02c1-43eb-b497-e6492d1b2dd8%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22abd69f52-a924-4a66-8c31-34290dd618e9%22%7d

Meeting ID: 392 806 965 623

Passcode: K3Zpu6

 2nd April 18:30 - 19:00

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDYzZWJhNTMtYTliNC00NWYzLTgxYzYtMGY2N2ExOWUwMmFk%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cbac7005-02c1-43eb-b497-e6492d1b2dd8%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22abd69f52-a924-4a66-8c31-34290dd618e9%22%7d

Meeting ID: 390 373 614 911

Passcode: 4bcvrt

Candidates should clearly state which analytical profession they would like to apply under in their application: Social Researcher (GSR), Statistician (GSG), Economist (GES) or Operational Researcher (GORS). Applicants will be assessed against the professional competencies expected at SEO level for the relevant analytical profession. Please see the information event / contact Lexi Keegan if you have any questions. 

Please note, due to the urgency of getting these roles filled, we expect any candidates from within the civil service to be released from their home departments on loan quickly – we therefore encourage candidates to seek approval from their line manager before applying.

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 counter-terrorist 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.