Research Operations Professional - AI Safety Institute
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 27th January 2025
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About the job
Job summary
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.
AI Safety Institute
Advances in artificial intelligence (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 government’s paper on Capabilities and Risks from Frontier AI published in October. AI can be misused – this could include using AI to generate disinformation, conduct sophisticated cyberattacks or help develop chemical weapons. AI can cause societal harms – there have been examples of AI chatbots encouraging harmful actions, promoting skewed or radical views, and providing biased advice. 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 and have launched the AI Safety Institute. 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
Our high performing research operations team, embedded within AISI’s Research Unit, is recruiting an Operations Specialist (HEO) to equip AISI technical staff with the tools and environment to deliver our shared mission.
The research operations team plays a critical role in creating the environment for our technical team to deliver its mission and shape the trajectory of AI safety research. The research operations team is charged with solving the many operational challenges that face a ‘start-up inside government’: success in this mission not only amplifies the quality and pace of AISI’s technical output, but also serves as a blueprint for how governments can move quickly to respond to new technical challenges.
This will not be a ‘typical’ operations position: you will not only build core operations practices, but you will also help shape the delivery of key strategic capabilities for AISI with exposure to technical staff and leaders.
The successful candidate will have a wide-ranging portfolio of operational responsibilities spanning AISI’s Research Unit. The nature of AISI’s mission, and its role in a fast-evolving technical environment, means that the post-holder will need to be able to adapt quickly to changing requirements. You will:
- Partner with AISI’s world class technical talent: You will embed into AISI’s Research Unit, helping identify blockers and opportunities where the operations team can improve efficiency and performance.
- Develop and execute routine operational workflows that improve the efficiency of AISI researchers: the post holder will be motivated to develop efficient processes that automate or simplify routine tasks.
- Support research teams to assure their activity against AISI’s responsible research guidelines: AISI requires that all research meets expected ethical, legal, commercial and security requirements. The post holder will be expected to support teams to navigate project approval by senior leaders and partner organisations.
- Organise and upgrade the research unit’s day-to-day activities: from helping organise team meetings, workshops and learning sessions to maintaining core documentation and how-to guides, you are excited to contribute to team cohesion and efficiency.
- Take a task-and-finish approach to high priority operational challenges facing researchers: The post holder will excel in building relationships with corporate colleagues and executing at pace to quickly solve problems facing researchers.
- Support outstanding experiences for technical hires as we induct them into the organisation: this helps new technical hires deliver excellent research from day one.
Person specification
We are seeking candidates with professional experience in a similar role.
Essential skills/experience include:
- Track record of delivery: You have contributed to big projects in a professional context (ideally a technical / R&D project), showing skills in the design, set-up and execution phases of these operational projects.
- Creativity and tenacity: AISI routinely pushes against the limits of the civil service’s operational norms; solving these challenges requires the right mix of creativity, tenacity and good judgement to find the right solution.
- Methodical and organised: you instinctively document and systematise processes so they can be repeated more quickly and easily next time. You track work with the right level of rigour for the job, and understand how to leverage software, automations and data to improve the speed of routine operational work.
- Managing parallel projects: You excel in work on multiple complex projects in parallel and deliver them to a very high standard, getting support to reprioritise when you need it. You proactively protect critical deliverables from being knocked off course.
- Independence: You are confident delivering your work with limited oversight, but know how and when to seek support from your manager.
- Excellence: You are motivated by excellence and enjoy solving operational challenges to boost the efficiency and quality of work delivered by technical staff.
- Resilience: You enjoy a fast-paced work environment and remain calm and resilient under pressure.
- Attention to detail: You have excellent written and oral communication skills and catch errors early. You can write a clear, engaging email or guidance document.
- Proactive: You relish getting up to speed on a technical topic quickly, and learning about the pain-points facing technical staff even where these are outside your comfort zone; you are confident exploring solutions to these pain-points with autonomy.
- User-centricity: You instinctively put yourself in the shoes of technical staff when facing an operational challenge, optimising for efficiency in building the solution.
- Mission alignment: You are deeply motivated by AISI’s mission and its role in the wider AI safety and research ecosystem.
Desirable skills/experience
- Experience improving candidate / staff experience for technical talent.
- Experience in a technical / R&D environment, or in a start-up, is highly relevant.
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
AISI colleagues come from all walks of life. We seek to hire talented, dedicated people with a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds, who can work together to advance the field of AI safety.
Our interview process is designed to help us hire the best talent possible, help us get to know you and you to know us, and to ensure every candidate has the opportunity to showcase their strengths as much as possible.
The process for this role will be split across three stages, as follows:
- PAPER SIFT – Candidates will submit a CV and Personal Statement which will be used to assess whether the core criteria of the role are met.
- INTERVIEW 1: This will blend a behaviours and strengths based interview with a short presentation, giving candidates an opportunity to showcase relevant expertise and demonstrate that they have the experience and behaviours we are seeking.
- INTERVIEW 2: This will give candidates an opportunity to meet a senior stakeholder to discuss the role, gain a broader perspective on the organisation, and discuss their motivation for joining AISI.
Our hope is that this a rigorous and rewarding process for candidates and – alongside allow us to identify exceptional talent – gives you a strong insight in what it is like at AISI, and the team we are seeking to build.
We expect the sift to happen W/C 27th January 2024 with interviews commencing shortly after.
In the event of a high number of applications, we will sift using CV's.
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 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 following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
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.
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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).
Diversity and Inclusion
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Tom Edwards
- Email : tom.edwards2@dsit.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : active.campaigns@dsit.gov.uk
Further information
