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Posted 17 June, 2026
Government Digital & Data

AI Innovation Director, Future Civil Service - Cabinet Office - SCS2

Government Digital & Data
London, UK Hybrid Full Time
Salary: £100,000 to £163,000 Annually

Location

London

About the job

Job summary

As the AI and Innovation Director, Future Civil Service, you will sit at the heart of the Civil Service’s transformation programme over the coming years. You will report directly to the Director General, Future Civil Service and work closely with the Cabinet Secretary.

The Cabinet Secretary has established the Future Civil Service programme to reform the Civil Service, so it is recognised for excellence in delivery, innovation and improved productivity. The role of AI and Innovation Director presents a unique opportunity to drive forwards the Cabinet Secretary’s agenda and shape a Civil Service operating model fit for the future directly at the centre of Government. Embracing innovative technological advancements and adopting and scaling up the use of AI must be centrally wired into the reform programme. You will bring the collective work on AI across Government into an articulated programme and ensure that the Civil Service transforms technology opportunities into workable policies and a cohesive delivery plan.

You will work closely with the Prime Minister’s AI Advisor and with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to deliver this work. You will inherit a small, but high-performing team and have the chance to shape the longer-term growth of your directorate. You will play a lead role across HM Government in innovating and adopting AI.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

This pivotal leadership role will deliver a reform agenda across four pillars:

1.Re-imagining the future workforce and business model for the Civil Service.

  • Ensure that we have a clear understanding of what AI means for the future size and shape of the Civil Service, developing an AI strategy for the Civil Service as an organisation, playing a critical role in developing a radical strategic workforce plan.
  • Develop the future vision of the Civil Service operating model, driving ambition beyond automating what we have today to reshaping what service delivery looks like in an AI world.
  • Work with DSIT and Civil Service HR to deploy pay, contractual and talent frameworks at pace, ensuring the Civil Service can attract and retain frontier AI capability.

2.Driving adoption of AI tools across the Civil Service.

  • Support and lead departments to identify and adopt the right tools and capabilities across teams.
  • Work closely with DSIT to develop a systematic way of sharing best practice innovation across Government so that initiatives can be replicated and redeployed elsewhere.
  • Work with our leading-edge team of ‘innovation fellows’ – technical experts from the private sector who are deployed for 6 to 24 months across Government – to build and deploy products that deliver measurable impact on Civil Service operations.

3.Championing, coordinating and tracking AI adoption across Departments.

  • Bring together current Government AI initiatives into a cohesive and clear overall programme, bringing focus to the things that will have the greatest impact, working with DSIT. This includes ensuring that pilots are not isolated but are aligned with the overall plan and priority outcomes.
  • Track progress of departmental AI initiatives through agreed approval and reporting mechanisms, ensure metrics and outcomes are tracked and help inform decisions about whether initiatives should stop or scale.
  • Identify and establish priority AI taskforces for critical Government priorities.

4.Driving AI-first culture and engagement:

  • Be an ambassador of innovation across the Civil Service, galvanising the energy and enthusiasm needed to drive the kind of radical change envisaged by the Cabinet Secretary.
  • Act as the credible voice on AI from within the Cabinet Office, building trust and credibility for the use of AI within the Civil Service through internal thought leadership.

Person specification

It is important that, through your CV and supporting statement, that you provide evidence of the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post.

Essential Criteria:

    • Proven ability to lead and inspire small, high performing teams to deliver results
    • Deep understanding of the AI landscape, traditional AI/ML and generative AI solutions
    • Ability to communicate complex technical concepts simply and effectively to stakeholders at all levels
    • A natural influencer and strong collaboration skills, able to build trust and engagement across large organisations
    • Demonstrated ability to define, scale and execute AI/digital strategies and operational transformation in large, complex organisations
    • Experience of working with public sector organisations, or within equivalent large scale, complex environments
    • Entrepreneurial mindset, high ownership and accountability in ambiguous working environments

    Desirable Experience & Skills

    • Experience of building and deploying traditional AI/ML and generative AI solutions

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