Location: London
About the job
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 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.
Job description
This is an exciting opportunity to lead Private Office at the AI Security Institute – one of the UK government's most high-profile and fastest-growing teams, at the centre of how the UK and the world responds to the risks of frontier AI.
Private Office is the engine room that keeps AISI's senior leadership running effectively. As Head of Private Office, you will lead the team of Private Secretaries supporting the Director, Strategy Director and Deputy Directors, and be personally accountable for the overall quality, consistency and impact of that support.
This is a role with real scope to shape how AISI's leadership operates. Beyond running an excellent function, you will have the opportunity to become a trusted strategic adviser to the Director and senior team – helping shape how priorities are set, how decisions get made, and how the organisation runs as it continues to scale at pace.
Key responsibilities
Leading the function:
Own the overall quality and consistency of support provided by Private Office, setting clear standards and ensuring they are met.
Manage and develop the team of Private Secretaries, including coaching, feedback and cover planning, and building a culture that takes pride in operational excellence.
Act as the point of escalation for complex, sensitive or cross-cutting issues that individual Private Secretaries can't resolve alone.
Continuous improvement and tools:
Identify and implement opportunities to improve how Private Office operates, from streamlining processes to introducing AI tools and other technology.
Build scalable systems, ways of working and resourcing that will serve AISI as it continues to grow.
Developing the team:
Own onboarding for new Private Office joiners, ensuring they're set up to succeed quickly.
Support the ongoing development of Private Secretaries, helping them build the skills and judgement to grow within their roles.
Strategic sounding board:
Use your vantage point across AISI's leadership to spot patterns, risks and opportunities that individual Private Secretaries may not see from within a single portfolio, and ensure leadership's collective priorities – not just individual asks – are tracked and delivered.
Act as a trusted sounding board to the Director and senior team – contributing your own judgement and advice on priorities, sensitive issues, and how the leadership group functions as a whole.
Person specification
Essential criteria
Experience in HMG private office, supporting HMG principals or leadership teams, or a similar high-performing operational environment, with a track record of excellent delivery.
Experience managing and developing a team, with the ability to coach others to a high standard.
Strong judgement in prioritising competing demands, and solving problems calmly under pressure.
A track record of improving how a team or function operates – introducing new tools or processes that raised standards.
Clear, confident communication, able to convey complex information succinctly to senior stakeholders and build trusted relationships at the most senior levels.
Discretion, sound judgement and resilience in a fast-changing, ambiguous environment.
Experience navigating Whitehall to achieve/deliver objectives
Desirable criteria
Experience using or implementing AI tools to improve operational efficiency.
An understanding of AI safety and its importance in addressing the risks and challenges associated with frontier AI technologies.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Delivering at Pace
Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £63,165, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £18,298 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.
Things you need to know
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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement.
Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to explain your motivation and how you meet the criteria for this role, including relevant past experience.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement alone.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Interview
Interview 1: Experience and motivation
Interview 2: Task-based exercise and behaviours (task details will be sent before the interview).
Interview 3: Final interview with AISI executive team.
Sift and interview dates: Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.