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Job summary
Our priorities
Optimise public R&D investment to support areas of relative UK strength and increase the level of private R&D to make our economy the most innovative in the world.
Promote a diverse research and innovation system that connects discovery to new companies, growth and jobs – including by delivering world-class physical and digital infrastructure (such as gigabit broadband), making the UK the best place to start and grow a technology business and developing and attracting top talent.
Put public services – including the NHS and schools – at the forefront of innovation, championing new ways of working and the development of in-house STEM capability to improve outcomes for people.
Strengthen international collaboration on science and technology in line with the Integrated Review, and ensure our researchers are able to continue to work with leading scientists in Europe and around the world.
Deliver legislative and regulatory reforms to drive competition and promote innovation, including the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill and our pro-innovation approach to regulating AI.
Our Inclusive Environment
We have an inclusive culture which makes the Department a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it helps us be more innovative.
We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive.
We welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion and fully support candidates with a disability or long-term condition who require adjustments in our recruitment process.
We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/departmentforsciencetechnologyandinnovation?
You can also follow our LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dsitcareers/
Please note that DSIT are currently reviewing our terms and conditions and pay arrangements following Machinery of Government changes and as part of the outstanding August 2023 pay award. Please be aware that there may be changes to the terms and conditions and pay ranges listed in this advert ahead of you starting in post. Any changes would be implemented in early 2024.
Job description
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.
Building on the platform created by the AI Safety Summit hosted by the UK in November 2023, the AI Policy directorate will continue to play a leading role in providing strategic direction across Government and industry to establish the most trusted and pro-innovation system for AI governance in the world, ensure UK institutions and infrastructure have the necessary capabilities to maintain our strategic advantage, and drive forward our ambitious objectives home and abroad.
It’s also a crucial time for DSIT, which is bringing together the five technologies of tomorrow – AI, Quantum, Engineering Biology, Semiconductors, Future Telecoms under one department for the first time. Our aim is to drive innovation that delivers improved public services, create new better-paid jobs and grow the economy.
The role sits within the International AI Division, within the AI Policy Directorate. The division is responsible for the UK’s international AI objectives and shaping the global AI landscape in line with UK interests, including the global development of safe, secure and trustworthy AI. This requires balancing competing international priorities and delivering against high-profile and impactful objectives. The postholder will have critical oversight of delivering future AI Safety Summits alongside host countries; building and maintaining relationships with counterparts in over 30 countries; participating in multilateral negotiations on AI at organisations and initiatives such as the UN, G20, G7, Council of Europe, OECD and GPAI; and driving our x-HMG international AI strategy to ensure all parts of the government are able to focus efforts on the most high-impact issues. The division works closely with other divisions within AI Policy, the AI Safety Institute (AISI), Cabinet Office and the FCDO.
AI Policy is a fun, vibrant Directorate committed to supporting our staff’s development and wellbeing, as well as delivering excellent work. We are especially keen to bring in new team members who will contribute to our friendly and inclusive Directorate culture.
We welcome applications from individuals of all personal and professional backgrounds to play a key role in one of societies greatest changes.
Person specification
The postholders will be one of three G6s within the International Division. The third G6 team is responsible for International AI Strategy, including representing the UK in formal multilateral negotiations. It will be critical to work closely as a senior team, and across your respective line management chains, to move workstreams forward collectively. You will also work closely with the division’s Deputy Director and other G6s, as part of the International Division Senior Leadership Team, to deliver an open, friendly, organised, efficient and empowered culture, and continue to strive for a high standard of excellence.
Head of AI Safety Summits
Your team will be responsible for overall policy strategy for, and delivery of, future AI Safety Summits. This includes:
- Co-host and delivery of the next AI Safety Summit in the Republic of Korea (RoK), in Spring 2024. You will need to work closely with your RoK counterparts to design and deliver the Summit, and coordinate negotiations between countries and with frontier AI companies.
- Set up a Summit Secretariat to support future AI Safety Summit hosts, and agree hosting arrangements for AI Safety Summits beyond 2024.
- Lead policy work for AI Safety Summits, working closely with other divisions in AI Policy and the AISI, and international counterparts. After the RoK Summit, the policy work may broaden beyond the topics being delivered through AI Safety Summits.
- Build strong relationships with Ministers on the direction of travel on AI Safety Summits, and relevant areas of Whitehall are kept abreast of developments, and have opportunity to feed in.
Head of International Relationships
Your team will be responsible for building and maintaining key bilateral relationships on AI, with over 30 countries, and working closely with the FCDO. This includes:
- Drive the UK’s international AI bilateral engagement strategy with key AI contacts in over 30 countries, including all countries who attended the AI Safety Summit, and other key international partners. You will need to work closely with other teams in the International AI Division, who also maintain international contacts particularly through multilateral engagement.
- Keep abreast of domestic AI policy development, as well as policy developments within key international partners. Ensure all teams working on AI within DSIT are able to utilise your team’s relationships to support international policy objectives, and feedback relevant international policy developments to other AI teams in DSIT and Whitehall.
- Build strong and productive relationships with our Posts overseas, and as appropriate establish effective influence and insight relationships with key international contacts.
- Coordinate international engagement with the International Team in AISI, International Technology Department (ITD) in the FCDO, and the international Science & Technology Strategy team in DSIT, to ensure effective engagement.
Skills and experience
Essential skills and experience for these roles include:
- Strong policy delivery experience, with a track record of taking proposals from ideas to publication / event
- Experience with international diplomacy and of working with and at UK’s overseas network
- Ability to work across multiple senior stakeholders, with diverse views, to deliver clear policy recommendations
- Experience of leading teams in a fast-paced environment
- Track record of quickly building constructive and trusting relationships with a range of stakeholders
- Track record of quickly building constructive and trusting relationships with a range of stakeholders, including key interlocutors in capital-to-capital channels
- Concise and clear communication
- DV clearance or a willingness to attain
Desirable skills and experience for these roles include:
- Experience with international negotiations and diplomacy
- Experience engaging high-profile business stakeholders
- Experience with formal international negotiations
- Experience in AI or another area of Science and Technology
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
Benefits
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 average employer contribution of 27%.
- 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.
- A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.
Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary Hybrid Working policy, which enables 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.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
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.
Please use your personal statement (in no more than 1000 words) to provide evidence of your professional skills and experience, which meet the Essential skills and experience criteria in the person specification set out in the job advertisement.
Applications will be sifted on CV and personal statement.
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.
The interview will consist of behaviour and strength based questions.
Sift and interview dates
Expected Timelinesubject to change
Sift dates: w/c 29/01/2024
Interview dates: w/c 05/02/2024
Interview Location: MS Teams.
Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.
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.
We fully support adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.
We do not have an exhaustive list of adjustments that we support but just some examples include additional time to complete your application form, behaviour questions up to 72 hours prior to interview and having extra time at interview.
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 Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland 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 the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
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.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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
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).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
