Director, Incubator for AI - GDS - SCS2

Location

Bristol, London, Manchester

About the job

Job summary

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is seeking an exceptional leader to become the Director of the Incubator for AI (i.AI), a flagship team within the Government Digital Service (GDS). This is a unique opportunity to lead a high-performing, mission-driven team that is building AI tools to transform public services and improve lives across the UK.

As Director, you will act as the CEO of i.AI, responsible for setting strategic direction, overseeing delivery, and ensuring the team thrives within government. You will report to the Director General for Digital Centre Design and play a key role in shaping the future of AI in the public sector.

i.AI is a technical unit which sets the precedent for how the government should harness AI. It possesses a rare concentration of talent and autonomy, with engineers from places like GCHQ, Faculty and Astrazeneca.

Major successes include:

• Extract: an AI planning tool to be rolled out to all local authorities next year, launched by the Prime Minister at London Tech Week and praised by Sir Demis Hassabis for its intelligent use of DeepMind's Gemini and
• Consult: a consultation analysis tool, strengthening the democratic process, which is already saving time and money across government consultations

With government at the foothills of transformative AI, i.AI works at the frontier to ensure the public sector can reap its benefits.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction and delivery of i.AI’s portfolio, ensuring alignment with ministerial priorities and emerging technologies.
• Inspire and manage a multidisciplinary team of around 80 staff, including AI engineers, product managers and designers.
• Champion innovation methods and best practices in rapid prototyping and technical delivery.
• Represent i.AI at senior levels across government, including with Ministers and senior officials.
• Build partnerships with UK AI companies, academia and the wider public sector to scale impact.
• Ensure responsible and ethical AI development, embedding fairness, transparency and public trust in all products.

Person specification

Person Specification

We are looking for a strategic, empowering and technically credible leader who can:

• Deliver complex transformation through new technologies in large-scale environments.
• Lead diverse, high-performing teams through change.
• Communicate technical concepts clearly to a wide range of audiences.
• Build coalitions and influence across government and industry.
• Demonstrate deep knowledge of AI technologies and their practical applications.
• Develop and implement governance frameworks that prioritise fairness, accountability and transparency.

Experience in leading AI start-ups, incubators or venture-style teams is desirable but not essential.