Senior Policy Adviser, International AI Safety Report (AI Safety Institute)
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Apply before 11:55 pm on Thursday 16th January 2025
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About the job
Job summary
Advances in AI over the last decade have been impactful, rapid, and unpredictable. Advanced AI systems have the potential to drive economic growth and productivity, boost health and wellbeing, improve public services, and increase security.
But advanced AI systems also pose significant risks, as detailed in the Interim International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI, published in May. AI can be misused – this could include using AI to conduct sophisticated cyberattacks, create scams, or help develop chemical weapons. AI can cause societal harms – there have been examples of AI chatbots encouraging harmful actions or promoting skewed or radical views. AI generated content that is highly realistic but false could reduce public trust in information. Some experts are concerned that humanity could lose control of advanced systems, with potentially catastrophic and permanent consequences. We will only unlock the benefits of AI if we can manage these risks. At present, our ability to develop powerful systems outpaces our ability to make them safe. The first step is to better understand the capabilities and risks of these advanced AI systems. This will then inform our regulatory framework for AI, so we ensure AI is developed and deployed safely and responsibly.
The UK is taking a leading role in driving this conversation forward internationally. We hosted the world’s first major AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park in November 2023 and co-hosted the Seoul AI Summit in May 2024. The UK will attend the AI Action Summit in Paris in February 2025.
Responsible government action in an area as new and fast-paced as advanced AI requires governments to develop their own sophisticated technical and sociotechnical expertise. The AI Safety Institute is advancing the world’s knowledge of AI safety by carefully examining, evaluating, and testing new types of AI, so that we understand what each new model is capable of. The Institute is conducting fundamental research on how to keep people safe in the face of fast and unpredictable progress in AI. The Institute will make its work available to the world, enabling an effective global response to the opportunities and risks of advanced AI.
Job description
International AI Safety Report
Artificial intelligence (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.
The International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI is a landmark project. It represents the first time that the world has come together to collaborate on synthesising the latest science on the capabilities and risks of advanced AI. It will be used by policymakers around the globe to ensure that humanity can reap the benefits of AI by mitigating the risks.
The long-term vision for the report is to establish it as the most valuable source of information for policymakers around the world on the capabilities and risks of advanced AI, much as the IPCC has done so for climate change. The first report is a groundbreaking proof-of-concept of a long-term project which will come to have enormous benefit to the way governments worldwide develop AI policy.
The report is chaired by Yoshua Bengio, a Turing Award-winning AI academic and member of the UN’s Scientific Advisory Board. He is supported by a diverse group of leading AI academics and is advised by an Expert Advisory Panel comprising representatives from 30 countries the European Union, United Nations and OECD.
The interim report was published in May 2024 and countries reaffirmed their support to producing a final report, which will be published ahead of the Summit in Paris in 2025.
What you’ll do
We are looking for three experienced policy officials to contribute to the International AI Safety Report team.
1. Project Manager
The successful individual will be responsible for but not limited to:
Engagement with the writing team and senior advisers
- Project management of writers and senior advisers: setting and implementing granular project timelines for writing and review; decisions on prioritisiation; facilitation of writer workshops.
- Support the central writing team on the development of writer guidance and other key guidelines.
Recruitment, onboarding, and budget
- Recruitment of writers and senior advisers to fill capability and expertise gaps.
- Budget management.
- Managing process for onboarding of all writers, including ensuring that they have all the tools needed to succeed on the project.
Report delivery
- Contingency planning for problems that may arise and anticipating solutions.
- Support for non-content processes, such a referencing, figure design and quality checks.
- Seeking and implementing feedback.
2. Report delivery
The successful individual will be responsible for but not limited to:
Stakeholder engagement
- Liaising with the Chair of the report and his lab to ensure delivery.
- Advising and seeking input from other key stakeholders such as Secretary of State, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser and AI policy experts across Whitehall.
Process setting
- Designing and implementing processes for report delivery to ensure a high-quality report is delivered within deadlines.
- Supporting with policy development for the report, including designing a peer review process.
Communications and publishing
- Designing and implementing a communications and publicity plan for the report to ensure it reaches its target audience and that its key finding are amplified globally.
- Working with a publishing firm on the design and branding of the report.
3. International engagement
The successful individual will be responsible for but not limited to:
International Engagement
- Managing a high-profile international group of senior scientists and government officials. Arranging meetings with this group, updating them regularly, and supporting their review of the report.
- Working closely with international partners to understand, input into and support their proposals.
Strategy
- Working in collaboration with the Strategy lead to develop the long-term future of international efforts to establish the science on advanced AI risks and capabilities, considering the objectives and views of a range of internal and external stakeholders, including:
- the development for a proposal for the future of the report over the long term; and
- the development of an approach to maximising the impact of the report and related initiatives.
Report delivery
- Assisting with report delivery during surge periods.
Person specification
Skills and Experience
To succeed in these roles, you will need to be able to demonstrate:
- Ability to pick up new tasks and solve problems quickly.
- Ability to multitask and prioritise across a range of different types of tasks.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and strong motivation to work as part of a team on a shared project.
- High levels of organisation and ability to work autonomously to deadlines.
- Experience managing multiple stakeholders on complex issues.
- A proactive focus on continuous improvement with an appetite to work with others to simplify processes and increase efficiency.
Specific to Project Manager:
- Experience in project management or delivering complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
- Exceptional interpersonal communication skills, including ability to motivate others and proven ability to build and maintain strategic professional networks.
Desirable but not essential:
- Familiarity with UK civil service and/or AI Safety.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
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 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.
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.
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 500 words) to outline examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. Your examples should demonstrate how you meet each of the points in the ‘skills and experience’ section.
Your CV should be no more than 2 pages in length and should demonstrate your work history and relevant experience. It should be well structured, succinct and written in clear language.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the CV.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
It will not be possible to provide feedback to applicants who are unsuccessful at the application stage.
Stage 1: Experience interview
The interview will assess the candidate’s core skills, relevant experience, and technical expertise of the role. The candidate will also be asked to undertake a written task.
We highly recommend l using the Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection (STARR) framework when structuring your answers. In your examples you should include evidence on ‘how’ you demonstrated the requirements and the impact of your work, as well as ‘what’ you did.
Interviews will take place via MS Teams from w/c 20 January 2025.
Stage 2: Behaviours Interview
If you progress, you will be invited to a second interview to evaluate key behaviours aligned with the organisation’s principles and the Civil Service framework.
For Behaviours, use the link here to understand the expectations at the grade of role you are applying for: Level 4 – G7. You can find out definitions of Strengths here.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on CV.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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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 :
- Name : Hannah Merchant
- Email : hannah.merchant@dsit.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : active.campaigns@dsit.gov.uk
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