Birmingham, London, Manchester
Job Summary
The UK AI Security Institute (AISI) exists to make frontier AI systems secure, trustworthy, and beneficial for society. We work at the heart of the UK government with direct lines to No. 10—advancing our understanding of how to evaluate and govern advanced AI systems so they can be deployed safely and responsibly.
Our mission is to strengthen state technical capacity in AI security research to support both government and global partners in managing the risks and harnessing the opportunities of this transformative technology.
We’re building a world-class team of scientists, policy specialists, and operational professionals united by one goal: ensuring AI benefits all humanity.
Job Description
The AISI People Team is the engine driving the AI Security Institute’s bold transformation of government HR for technical institutes. As AISI scales rapidly, we’re setting the pace, breaking new ground and raising the bar for what’s possible in public sector people operations. Our team is central to building a high-performance, talent-dense culture where initiative and impact matter. We offer a single front door to HR, delivering fast, robust decisions and top-tier data. This is a hands-on, high-energy environment: activity-managed by AISI, with expert support from DSIT HR. If you’re ready to make your mark, shape the future, and thrive in a team that values action and ambition, this is where you belong.
The AISI People Team is the engine driving the AI Security Institute’s bold transformation of government HR for technical institutes. As AISI scales rapidly, we’re setting the pace, breaking new ground and raising the bar for what’s possible in public sector people operations. Our team is central to building a high-performance, talent-dense culture where initiative and impact matter. We offer a single front door to HR, delivering fast, robust decisions and top-tier data. This is a hands-on, high-energy environment: activity-managed by AISI, with expert support from DSIT HR. If you’re ready to make your mark, shape the future, and thrive in a team that values action and ambition, this is where you belong.
Person specification
We’re looking for organised, proactive, and curious individuals who love solving problems and improving how things work.
Who We’re Looking For
* Genuine Interest in HR/Operations: Enthusiastic about people matters and operational environments, with a strong motivation to learn about people processes and contribute to a high-performing team.
* Agentic and Proactive: A self-starter who takes ownership, drives ideas through to delivery, and actively seeks opportunities to improve processes and deliver excellent service across the employee lifecycle.
* Organised and Reliable: Uses structure and systems to manage complex workloads efficiently, meets deadlines, and maintains accurate records and trackers. Demonstrates resilience and a continuous improvement mindset.
* Enjoys Getting Things Done: Gains satisfaction from both high-profile projects and essential behind-the-scenes work, ensuring smooth operations and tangible impact.
* Open to Feedback and Growth: Responds constructively to feedback, with a genuine appetite to learn, adapt, and improve.
* Tech-Savvy and Confident with Digital Tools: Comfortable learning and using HR systems (such as Oracle/UK SBS), Excel, dashboards (e.g., Power BI), Slack, project management software, and AI productivity tools to support decision-making and efficiency.
* Clear Communicator and Collaborative Team Player: Communicates clearly (written and verbal), builds strong working relationships at all levels, proactively shares best practices, and works effectively in a fast-paced, forward-thinking environment.
* Mission-Driven and Professional Integrity: Strongly aligned with AISI’s mission, demonstrating sound judgement, discretion, and confidentiality. Actively promotes equality, inclusion, data protection, and fair processes in all work.
Desirable criteria
* CIPD Level 5 or equivalent
* Experience in a start-up/ AI organisation/central Government
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Managing a Quality Service
* Delivering at Pace
* Communicating and Influencing
Alongside your salary of £33,015, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £9,564 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.
* 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 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, Strengths and Experience.
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 500 words) to evidence how you meet the skills, experience and person specification outlined above.
Sift will be conducted on the CV and personal statement
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the CV alone.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Interview 1: Short screening interview to understand your motivation to join AISI
Interview 2: Interview encompassing presentation task, behaviours and strengths questions
Interview 3: Senior interview panel.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
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.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
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.
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.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
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, Strengths and Experience.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security 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 criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security 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
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
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 : Lizzy Ecart
* Email : Lizzy.Ecart@dsit.gov.uk
Recruitment team
* Email : Farah.Chowdhury@dsit.gov.uk
Further information
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.