Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location London 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. AI Safety Institute Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) over the last decade have been impactful, rapid, and unpredictable. Advanced AI systems have the potential to drive economic growth and productivity, boost health and wellbeing, improve public services, and increase security. But advanced AI systems also pose significant risks, as detailed in the governments 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 hosted the worlds first major AI Safety Summit and have launched the AI Safety Institute. 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. The AI Safety Institute is advancing the worlds knowledge of AI safety by carefully examining, evaluating, and testing new types of AI, so that we understand what each new model is capable of. The Institute is conducting fundamental research on how to keep people safe in the face of fast and unpredictable progress in AI. The Institute will make its work available to the world, enabling an effective global response to the opportunities and risks of advanced AI. Job description AISI is an incredible and exciting professional challenge. Our team is a diverse and multidisciplinary group from a broad range of personal and professional backgrounds. The successful candidate will be working at the forefront of AI Safety, making significant personal impact on some of the most difficult problems in the field, and ensuring that this transformative technology is harnessed for good. If you want a job with high agency, high impact, and exceptional opportunities to develop and grow then AISI is the perfect place for you. AISIs Research Unit is a dynamic blend of technical researchers and delivery staff who work collaboratively to scope and deliver our research projects. Our delivery team members are integral to our success. They are the driving force behind our research, unblocking issues, managing risk, and ensuring our research remains high quality and in line with the standards demanded by AISI and government. They set the conditions for success for our technical teams. We arent looking for a project manager, you dont need to be fully agile accredited, but rather a pace setter, fixer, and doer. If you can demonstrate that you have delivered big things in complex environments, work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams, and can operate under pressure, then you should apply. We are recruiting for a Delivery Manager in each of the following teams (six posts total). If you have a preference for specific roles, please make this known in your personal statement. Safeguards The AI Safety Institutes Safeguard Analysis team aims to understand security threats to AI systems, and interventions to mitigate them. As AI systems become more advanced, and integrate in society, the risk of abuse by bad actors will increase. Companies developing frontier AI systems use a variety of techniques (safeguards) to prevent harm caused by malicious users and unreliable or misaligned models. For example, deployed AI chatbots typically refuse explicitly harmful requests, like instructions for building bombs, due to the safeguards put in place. The Safeguard Analysis team researches such interventions, evaluating protections used to secure current frontier AI systems, and considering what measures could and should be used to secure systems in the future. The scope of bad outcomes we are considering is broad, ranging from threats like prompt injection attacks (jailbreaks) and data poisoning, to threats from traditional cybersecurity attacks. The variety of safeguards for these bad outcomes we are looking to analyse is similarly diverse, including safety training, input/output filtering, retrospective analysis on saved user interactions, and traditional software defences. The Delivery Manager in this role will be responsible for helping to explore an ambitious, expanded scope for the workstream and then managing the day-to-day delivery of the work. This will include building partnerships across government, the private sector, and academia. Candidate applying for a role within the Safeguards team should be willing to go through DV clearance. Academic Engagement This team seeks to build a bridge between AISI and academia, to push forward foundational safe AI research beyond evals, and beyond research that we can do within government, with a focus on developing new AI mitigations and the next generation of evals. The aim is to get the UK academic community to be aware of opportunities and gaps in research, surfaced by our work, and then drive this forward with support from AISI including compute, funding, and AISI-provided expert advice. The programme seeks to achieve translational impact by communicating AISI views outwards, which galvanises the academic community to work on these areas. We anticipate the work to have at least three streams: i) inviting academics into AISI to give talks and work with the team, ii) active collaborations, to push forward research on AI Safety, and iii) workshops with joint participation from AISI, academia, industry across international boundaries which aim to discuss or identify novel research directions and foster collaboration in the AI safety community. The Delivery Manager in this role will be responsible for scoping and delivering the programme, including: initiating and managing research collaborations, establishing appropriate funding and other support streams, and organising and delivering workshops. You will build strong relationships with the academic community and work across all of AISIs research teams to identify and deliver collaboration opportunities of benefit to them. Systemic Safety (x2) Systemic AI safety is a field that aims to understand and mitigate the broader societal risks associated with AI deployment, beyond the capabilities of individual models. Systemic AI safety focuses on risks and mitigations in the context of AI deployment, both in specific sectors and across society. For example, we want to know what risks could emerge when frontier AI is integrated into education, healthcare and finance such research requires understanding of both technical aspects of AI, but also human and social aspects of the sector-specific context. To date, AISIs Systemic Safety team has been focussed on delivering Phase 1 of our Systemic Fast Grants programme. This team will be focussed on identifying and catalysing interventions which could advance the field of AI safety and strengthen the systems and infrastructure into which AI systems are deployed. This team will lead the effort to shape the AI ecosystem to ensure safe, scalable, and responsible AI development, and will work with the private sector, academia, and model developers to develop actionable technical innovations that governments or industry could implement. The Delivery Manager(s) in this team will be responsible for helping to explore an expanded scope for the workstream and then managing the day-to-day delivery of the work. This is likely to include, at a minimum, identifying and delivering novel external partnerships opportunities for example future grants programmes, but a core part of the role will be working to define a maximally ambitious scope for the workstream working alongside our Research Director and other senior colleagues and then translating that vision into tangible delivery. Engineering & Digital (x2) Delivery Manager(s) covering these areas play an enabling role that impacts all of AISIs technical work. It is not a requirement for candidates to have software engineering skills or qualifications; however, experience delivering ambitious, multi-disciplinary projects in a technical context is strongly desirable. These roles will facilitate the work of AISIs engineers and wider researchers, both proactively and reactively. As a technical organisation delivering research on advanced AI models, AISI has developed an outstanding software engineering function. AISI engineers have built a bespoke research platform that enables scalable, automated evaluation of models through API-based model access. The engineering team has also made significant contributions to the wider AI safety ecosystem through projects such as Inspect, an open-source AI evaluations framework available to all via GitHub. Delivery Manager(s) working directly with AISI engineers will establish high impact work with external collaborators, identify and deploy software to meet research requirements, establish robust KIM and team coordination mechanisms and spearhead new projects playing a coordinating role across teams. All of AISIs technical work is enabled by having the right digital services including hardware, software and compute. As AISIs research activity scales and evolves, Delivery Manager(s) in this area will play an essential role in working with technical staff to identify requirements, designing AISI's internal governance mechanisms to manage and deploy technology, and integrating with broader corporate services across a range of fast-paced and novel digital projects. Responsibilities of a Delivery Manager Amongst other things, your responsibilities will include: Playing a cross-cutting strategy and delivery role within your workstream. You will work with the Workstream leads, other researchers, and other delivery staff to deliver multiple research project and help shape the long-term strategy of the team. You will have a key role in setting out the strategy of and delivering the workstream. Generating and maintaining delivery momentum within AISIs Research Unit by creating a culture of velocity, coordination, and tight execution cycles. You will oversee delivery of high-quality research projects conceptualised by our technical team and external partners. You will identify and clear roadblocks, set a collaborative and productive team culture, and continually strive for increased efficacy with high-quality delivery as your number one priority. Acting as a key point- person for your workstream. As the Grade 7 Delivery Manager in this team, you will be across the full breadth of the portfolio and able to speak confidently to its aspects. Create and manage an ambitious portfolio of research partnerships, which may be delivered through grants, competitions, and other arrangements, and then leverage these partnerships to achieve real-world impact. Play an active role in creating a culture of innovation and exploration, encouraging colleagues to take managed risks, fail fast, and learn. You will have a key role in making sure AISI is managing risk appropriately whilst minimising any unnecessary bureaucracy. Delivering through others: much of your time will be spent on cross-team projects. You will need to collaborate across boundaries, bringing together virtual teams to deliver. Line management of at least one member of staff. With the potential to scale this over time. Building and leveraging a network of partners and stakeholders across Government and externally, and insight and outside of Government. AISIs teams work across a large group of Government stakeholders. You will be responsible for mapping and managing this stakeholder group. Stay up to date on advancements with AI safety, ethics, safeguards, and applications. First and foremost, we are building a community of individuals within the Research Unit who are committed to getting things done and can navigate uncharted territories to achieve novel outcomes within government. You will be excellent at building strong, trusting relationships, problem-solving, and co-ordinating complex projects to support the organisation to deliver tangible benefits for AI safety research and evaluations. These are roles in which high agency is encouraged, where you will have the opportunity to take on high-profile projects. This is a unique opportunity as part of a capable and supportive team to work at the cutting edge of issues affecting the global community. Person specification This might a great role for you if you are someone who: Is motivated by a strong desire to ensure that frontier AI systems benefit people globally. Gets things done. Start-up mindset/entrepreneurial approach; comfortable navigating uncertainty, adapting quickly, taking a trial and get feedback approach, and being comfortable with taking controlled risk. Proven track record of delivery across the full-project life cycle: set-up, execution, finish. Moves fast. Hits the ground running. Able to work effectively at pace, take decisions in the face of incomplete data, and remain calm and resilient under pressure. Has experience working in in a delivery-focussed role, with a strong track record of managing complex projects and shipping good product. Spins multiple plates. Excels in running multiple projects in parallel and delivers them to a high standard. Able to proactively re-assess priorities and maintain focus on the most critical deliverables. Self-motivates and is comfortable with agency. Can operate with high autonomy and maintain delivery momentum. Strives for excellence. Has a high attention to detail, catches problems/errors early, always aiming for the best quality outputs where they matter both. Enjoys tackling difficult challenges head-on. Proactive and solutions oriented, and able to identify solutions to complex problems. Comfortable breaking down difficult issues into tangible next steps. Works well in a team. Collaborated effectively with colleagues, builds strong relationships, and contributes to a positive team dynamic. Keeps people motivated and on-side even where incentives dont necessarily immediate align. Can manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders. Comfortable building a network of allies and leveraging these to drift forward your mission. Is an excellent communicator and can engage with experts and non-experts alike on complex, technical problems. Wants to learn. Curious, open-minded, and eager to expand their knowledge and skills. Excited and not daunted by the prospect of identifying knowledge gaps and seeking to fill them. Actively seeks out opportunities for growth and development and helps others to do the same. Desirable (not essential) skills and experience: Experience in technical/R&D environment, or in a start-up. Domain knowledge on Frontier AI. An understanding of the breadth of the AI ethics, safety, and alignment spaces. Experience managing and delivering a broad portfolio of projects. For the safeguards team : experience working on or studying adversarial ML and/or AI-system safeguards. For the academic engagement team : experience working with academia, and the AI funding landscape. For the systemic safety team : experience working on or studying societal impacts of advanced AI; e xperience managing grant programmes, or other similar collaboration projects. If you have the skills, experience and motivation to help drive forward AISI's critical mission at the cutting edge of AI safety, we want to hear from you. Join us and let's ensure that the immense potential of artificial intelligence benefits humanity while navigating the risks and challenges responsibly. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Delivering at Pace Working Together Benefits Alongside your salary of £58,040, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £16,814 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including: A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours. Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%. A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30. An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue. Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts. Office attendance The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period. 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. AISI colleagues come from all walks of life. We seek to hire talented, dedicated people with a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds, who can work together to advance the field of AI safety. Our interview process is designed to help us hire the best talent possible, help us get to know you and you to know us, and to ensure every candidate has the opportunity to showcase their strengths as much as possible. The process for this role will be split across four stages, as follows: 1. PAPER SIFT As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. Your CV and personal statement will be scored. Please use your personal statement (in no more than 750 words) to outline any relevant experience and achievements that demonstrate how your skills align with the requirements of the role. If you have a preference for a particular team, we would also appreciate it if you could include this information. In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 2. INTERVIEW 1: This will focus on experience and behaviours, giving candidates an opportunity to showcase relevant expertise and demonstrate that they have the experience and behaviours we are seeking. 3. INTERVIEW 2: This will be a task-based assessment, including a presentation and one additional task, to evaluate skills in a dynamic setting. Details of the presentation and task will be sent out to candidates in advance of this interview. 4. INTERVIEW 3: This will give candidates an opportunity to meet a senior stakeholder to discuss the role, gain a broader perspective on the organisation, and discuss their motivation for joining AISI. Our hope is that this a rigorous and rewarding process for candidates and alongside allow us to identify exceptional talent gives you a strong insight in what it is like at AISI, and the team we are seeking to build. There will be an information event for all potential candidates which will take place on Tuesday 7 January at 13:00-13:30 GMT. Please register for the event using this link - https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b598f695-b7bb-4abc-9d40-64ec84b167aacbac7005-02c1-43eb-b497-e6492d1b2dd8 Sift and interview dates Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Further Information Reasonable Adjustment We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions. I nformation about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DSIT Candidate Guidance. A DSIT Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available. We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section. 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. New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. 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 Ch eck to Disclosure and Barring Service o n 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.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 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 applicants 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. For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting 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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : James Burn Email : James.Burn2dsit.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : active.campaignsdsit.gov.uk Further information Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance DSITrecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints. 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