Appointee could receive an annual salary in excess of £94,262 for leading work on horizon scanning, creating a culture of experimentation and developing policy and guidance in government’s digital centre
The Government Digital Service is hunting for a “head of responsible data innovation and AI” who will be tasked with championing a “culture of experimentation” in the data directorate embedded in the digital centre of government .
A salary of up to £94,262 is on offer to the successful candidate in return for leading cross-cutting research on emerging data and AI trends; informing government blueprints through horizon-scanning; and running experiments to test new approaches.
The civil service Grade 6 role includes leading on delivery and implementation for cross-government programmes on responsible data and AI, scaling successful innovations from pilot to deployment across departments.
Other aspects of the job are policy and guidance work, contributing to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Responsible AI Advisory Panel, evaluation and assurance, and stakeholder engagement – such as helping to build “strong partnerships” across government, academia and industry.
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GDS said candidates for the role should have a proven ability to lead research and horizon scanning to identify opportunities to develop statistical insights reports and models to support objectives such as strategic planning and technology adoption.
It also wants experience developing methodologies and tools to unlock data for AI, including experimentation with unstructured data, and a “strong grasp” of ethical principles and risk-mitigation, with experience designing data-evaluation frameworks for data-driven AI reliability.
GDS said the successful candidate would effectively be leading cross-government efforts to “embed accountable, effective use of data and AI”.
“You’ll champion a culture of experimentation – rapidly prototyping machine learning models and emerging data technologies,” its advert states. “The role focuses on sustainable data use: reuse, preservation, and protection from misuse in AI. You’ll lead pilots to test innovations in real-world public sector settings, evaluating their impact and scalability.”
It adds: “Working closely with suppliers, you’ll shape roadmaps for AI and data tools that unlock public sector capabilities. Strong influencing skills are essential to demonstrate value, drive adoption, and embed responsible deployment across government.”
The salary range for the role is £79,769-£94,262. The job can be based in Bristol, London or Manchester.
Applications are open until 11:55 pm on 7 October.