Head of Projects for RAI UK

We are seeking to appoint a Head of Projects for Responsible AI (RAI) UK, a national £31M centre funded by UKRI that will create an ecosystem for responsible AI research and innovation. RAI UK will connect responsible AI research in the UK with leading research centres and institutions around the world. We will deliver world-leading best practices for how to design, evaluate, regulate, and operate AI-systems in ways that benefit people, society, and the nation. The Head of Projects will work with RAI UK senior leadership to deliver a series of focussed funding calls, e.g., to support cross-cutting fundamental and applied research, impact acceleration, and build international partnerships. They will lead planning and coordination of these funding calls; this will involve drafting call guidance documents, submission templates, and funder FAQs; advising applicants and managing submissions; and coordinating peer review and panels. They will also manage a rapidly expanding portfolio of research, developing processes to track and promote research outputs across the ecosystem. The ideal candidate will have experience of managing a portfolio of research projects in a fast-paced environment. In this role, they will collate information from across our portfolio to monitor and track progress, liaising with universities within and outside of the RAI UK consortium, and communicating with senior colleagues to identify success stories, operational challenges and risks, and opportunities to grow and diversify the programme. The Head of Projects will develop a strategy and associated processes to capture data at regular intervals for all projects to highlight positive impact stories for RAI UK. Building effective working relationships with researchers and research support colleagues will be essential to facilitate collection and utilisation of impact data. The Head of Projects will join an operational delivery team distributed across three universities: Nottingham, Southampton, and King’s College London. They will work collaboratively with colleagues responsible for delivering a diverse set of objectives for the programme, including developing strategic partnerships; translating research into skills frameworks and training for users, customers, and developers of AI; and providing evidence-based advice to a network of policy makers, regulators, and other stakeholders. Consequently, the role holder will need to work flexibly with RAI colleagues and senior leadership, prioritising according to demand in a rapidly evolving landscape. At the University of Nottingham, we are committed to providing competitive employment packages whilst supporting the well-being of our staff to help them reach their full potential. You will have access to a range of benefits and rewards, including leading fitness and health facilities, staff discounts and travel schemes, along with a generous holiday allowance and a highly attractive pension scheme. This role is offered on a permanent with underlying funding basis until 31 March 2028. Hours of work are full-time (36.25 hours) ; however applications are also welcome from candidates wishing to work part-time (minimum 29 hours per week). Please specify in your application if you wish to work part time and the number of preferred hours. Job share arrangements may also be considered. Interviews will be held in person on 1 March 2024 at the University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus. Informal enquiries may be addressed to Ben Coomber (ben.coomber@nottingham.ac.uk). Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.