The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is recruiting for a director general responsible for emerging technology and artificial intelligence – and is offering a salary of up to £174,000 a year to the successful candidate.
Ollie Illot, former director of the AI Security Institute and deputy principal private secretary to the prime minister, has served as DSIT’s interim DG for AI since August last year.
A newly-launched recruitment campaign for the permanent DG role says the department is seeking someone who can “maximise opportunities and manage risks to ensure successful implementation and scaling of emerging technology for the UK’s advantage”.
It says the DG for emerging technology and AI will lead the UK government’s strategy, investment and regulation for the sectors – including quantum computing, semiconductors, robotics, engineering biology and advanced materials.
“The role is responsible for joining up and aligning strategies across these interlinked domains, ensuring that policy, investment, and regulatory approaches are coherent and mutually reinforcing,” the advertisement says.
“The DG will balance innovation and risk, ensuring the UK remains globally competitive while safeguarding national security and public trust. The DG will oversee the implementation of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the AI Security Institute, and the development of AI regulation, and will lead DSIT’s work on online safety and digital harms.”
According to the advertisement, the DG will lead a multidisciplinary team of 500 staff, including policy professionals, technical experts, analysts and programme managers.
They will be tasked with fostering collaboration between civil servants and AI researchers, building inclusive capability, and supporting staff working on sensitive and high-pressure issues such as deepfakes and national security.
According to the person specification for the role, the successful candidate must have senior leadership experience of shaping technology, digital or economic policy at national or international scale.
Other vital qualities include “strong judgement and decision-making ability in complex and fast-moving environments” and “a track record of successfully building credibility with expert communities and appropriately immersing intellectually in diverse fields of interest.”
Writing in the application pack for candidates, DSIT perm sec Emran Mian said the rapid convergence of AI with frontier and emerging technologies is increasingly central to the UK’s economic future and national security.
“Government needs to be a confident partner: backing growth and international competitiveness, while making sure the policy and regulatory foundations keep pace and command public trust,” he said.
“The director general for emerging technology and AI is the senior leader who will make that real.
“You will need to operate in a highly interconnected stakeholder landscape where pace, public value and national security considerations sit alongside innovation. We are not looking for someone to be the most technical person in the room – but we are looking for deep technical curiosity, strong judgement, and the ability to empower experts while setting clear direction and building coalitions that deliver.
“For the right leader, this is a rare chance to help shape the UK as a serious global player in the technologies that will define the next decade and beyond.”
According to the job advertisement, the SCS Pay Band 3 role can be based in Darlington, London or Manchester.
It is open to applications until 23:55 on 22 March.
