Job Summary
The AI Security Institute (AISI) is the largest team in a government dedicated to understanding AI capabilities and risks in the world.
Our mission is to equip governments with an empirical understanding of the safety and security of advanced AI systems. We conduct research to understand the capabilities and impacts of advanced AI and develop and test risk mitigations. We focus on risks with security implications, including the potential of AI to assist with the development of chemical and biological weapons, how it can be used to carry out cyber-attacks, enable crimes such as fraud, and the possibility of loss of control.
The risks from AI are not sci-fi, they are urgent. By combining the agility of a tech start-up with the expertise and mission-driven focus of government, we’re building a unique and innovative organisation to prevent AI’s harms from impeding its potential.
Working at AISI is an incredible and exciting professional challenge and provides the opportunity to work with leading experts in the field of AI Safety and a wider multidisciplinary team from a broad range of personal and professional backgrounds.
Job Description
The successful candidate will be working at the forefront of AI Safety and Security. 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.
In this role as Strategy Associate you will be
- Supporting setting AISI’s overall strategy working closely with Executive Committee including AISI’s Director and CRO.
- Run discrete strategic projects end to end: decomposing the problem, design an approach, gather the evidence, land a recommendation, and follow through to a decision.
- Do the analysis and problem-solving behind those recommendations; including research into the frontier AI landscape, the technical, policy and regulatory environment, and what comparable organisations do.
- Write and present for senior audiences: papers for ExCo, briefings and submissions for ministers.
- Work with technical and non-technical teams across AISI; researchers, engineers, experts in international policy, national security policy etc — to bring their input into strategic work and align their plans with AISI's overall direction.
- Interface with other parts of government where AISI's strategy depends on them.
- Keep projects on track: manage the plan, the stakeholders and the risks.
In this role as Strategy Associate you will be
- Supporting setting AISI’s overall strategy working closely with Executive Committee including AISI’s Director and CRO.
- Run discrete strategic projects end to end: decomposing the problem, design an approach, gather the evidence, land a recommendation, and follow through to a decision.
- Do the analysis and problem-solving behind those recommendations; including research into the frontier AI landscape, the technical, policy and regulatory environment, and what comparable organisations do.
- Write and present for senior audiences: papers for ExCo, briefings and submissions for ministers.
- Work with technical and non-technical teams across AISI; researchers, engineers, experts in international policy, national security policy etc — to bring their input into strategic work and align their plans with AISI's overall direction.
- Interface with other parts of government where AISI's strategy depends on them.
- Keep projects on track: manage the plan, the stakeholders and the risks.
Essential Skills And Experience
- Has experience working in Strategy Consultancy or an in internal central strategy team, and developed the core strategy ‘toolkit’, namely
- Structured Problem-Solving: Taking an ambiguous, contested question, breaking it into parts that can be answered, and identifying what evidence would change the answer.
- Stakeholder Management: Proficiency in managing relationships with key stakeholders up to senior levels across an organisation.
- Change Management: Experience in managing and facilitating organizational change initiatives.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with different departments to drive strategic projects.
- Written Communication: Proficiency in clear, structured, precise, written communication, able to synthesize complex topics simply, tailored for different audiences.
- Verbal Communication: Strong ability to present strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
- Strives for excellence. Always aims for the best quality outputs, has a high attention to detail, catches problems/errors early.
- Is motivated by a strong desire to ensure that frontier AI systems benefit people globally.
- Proactive and self-motivated. Can operate with high autonomy, maintain delivery momentum in a fast-paced environment.
- Organised and prioritises effectively: Strong ability to manage tasks efficiently, ensuring that priorities are set and adhered to, leading to timely delivery
- Works well in a team. Collaborates effectively with colleagues, builds strong relationships, and contributes to a positive team
- Domain knowledge on Frontier AI, AI security or AI governance - or evidence of getting up to speed on technical subjects quickly.
- Experience delivering a broad portfolio of projects simultaneously.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
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.
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.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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 security.
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:
PAPER SIFT – Candidates will submit a CV and Personal Statement which will be used to assess whether the core criterion of the role are met.
SCREENER INTERVIEW – 20 mins
- Overview of candidate's experience & interest to assess fit for the role
- Task-based assessment, including a presentation. Details of the presentation and task will be sent out to candidates in advance of this interview to assess role relevant skills.
Delivering at Pace
Communicating and Influencing
SCS INTERVIEW : 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. This will also allow the candidate to ask any questions they may have regarding the role.
Our hope is that this is a rigorous and rewarding process for candidates and – alongside allowing 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.
In the event of a high number of applications, we will sift off of the CV.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Sift and interview dates
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
Former DSIT recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles will be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply,and can 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.
Reasonable Adjustment
We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.
Information 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.
Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade.
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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
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 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 National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
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.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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.
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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
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.
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).
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 : Alice Poorta
- Email : Alice.Poorta@dsit.gov.uk
- Email : Farah.chowdhury@dsit.gov.uk
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s 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.grs@cabinetoffice.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.
