The Government is entering the final stretch in its search for a Chief AI Officer, with just five days remaining for applications to one of the most senior and high-profile AI roles in the public sector.
Based within the Government Digital Service (GDS), the Chief AI Officer will take on a wide-ranging and strategically vital brief: spearheading the adoption of artificial intelligence across central government and helping departments translate ambition into delivery.
This Senior Civil Service 2-level position offers a salary of up to £175,000 and can be based in London, Manchester or Bristol, with hybrid working. But the real draw lies in the scope.
GDS describes the role as an opportunity to lead “enormous impact through harnessing the power of AI for the public good,” working closely with senior ministers including the Secretary of State for DSIT and the Prime Minister himself.
The postholder will sit at the heart of the government’s AI capability, overseeing the AI Incubator (i.AI), a Public Sector AI Adoption Unit, and newly formed frameworks designed to support collaboration with startups, academic institutions and industry.
They will be expected not just to scale prototypes, but to help departments embed AI into operational delivery, from improving casework and compliance to enabling smarter decision-making and personalising citizen services.
In recent months, DSIT has ramped up its investment in AI governance and infrastructure, launching a national AI Safety Institute and expanding its responsible AI advisory network. The Chief AI Officer will play a critical role in ensuring this momentum translates into results, balancing innovation with ethics, and ensuring public trust in how government uses increasingly powerful technologies.
“This is a dynamic and changing brief,” the job posting notes, pointing to the unprecedented pace of development in AI and the growing appetite across government to deploy it at scale.
As such, the successful candidate will need both deep technical knowledge, in areas such as machine learning, natural language processing and computer vision, and proven leadership experience in digital transformation. They must also be a credible and inclusive voice, capable of influencing both experts and senior decision-makers across Whitehall.
The appointment follows a string of recent moves to strengthen digital and data leadership within government, including GDS’s reintegration into DSIT in early 2025 and a broader push to modernise the way public services are designed and delivered.
With responsibility for building capability across departments, setting cross-government standards, and embedding principles of transparency and fairness into AI deployment, the new Chief AI Officer will help define what “good” looks like, not just for government, but for the wider public sector.
Applications close on Monday 29 July 2025. Interested candidates are advised to apply via the “EasyApply” process or contact CAIO@global-resourcing.com for more information.