Director Incubator for AI

SCS2 - Director, Incubator for AI (i.AI) - Up to £130,000 - Hybrid - London, Bristol or Manchester

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is seeking an exceptional leader to become the Director of the Incubator for AI (i.AI), a flagship team within the Government Digital Service (GDS). This is a unique opportunity to lead a high-performing, mission-driven team that is building AI tools to transform public services and improve lives across the UK.

As Director, you will act as the CEO of i.AI, responsible for setting strategic direction, overseeing delivery, and ensuring the team thrives within government. You will report to the Director General for Digital Centre Design and play a key role in shaping the future of AI in the public sector.

The Incubator for AI is a dynamic, agile technical delivery team that prototypes and scales AI solutions for use across government. Since its inception, i.AI has delivered 11 products in Alpha, Beta or Scaling, written over 11 million lines of code, and supported thousands of citizen interactions monthly through tools like Caddy.

Our mission is to harness the opportunity of AI to improve lives, drive growth and deliver better public services. We work openly, collaboratively and with a strong sense of public purpose.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction and delivery of i.AI's portfolio, ensuring alignment with ministerial priorities and emerging technologies.
• Inspire and manage a multidisciplinary team of around 80 staff, including AI engineers, product managers and service designers.
• Champion innovation methods and best practices in rapid prototyping and technical delivery.
• Represent i.AI at senior levels across government, including with Ministers and senior officials.
• Build partnerships with UK AI companies, academia and the wider public sector to scale impact.
• Ensure responsible and ethical AI development, embedding fairness, transparency and public trust in all products.

Person Specification

We are looking for a strategic, empowering and technically credible leader who can:

• Deliver complex transformation through new technologies in large-scale environments.
• Lead diverse, high-performing teams through change.
• Communicate technical concepts clearly to a wide range of audiences.
• Build coalitions and influence across government and industry.
• Demonstrate deep knowledge of AI technologies and their practical applications.
• Develop and implement governance frameworks that prioritise fairness, accountability and transparency.

Experience in leading AI start-ups, incubators or venture-style teams is desirable but not essential.

This is a unique opportunity to lead how AI is used across government to improve public services, inform national policy, and deliver real-world impact at scale. If you're passionate about AI and serving the public good, this is your chance to make a lasting difference.