Security Strategy & Enablement Lead
17 hours ago
London
Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Manchester Job Summary The AI Security Institute is the world's largest and best-funded team dedicated to understanding advanced AI risks and translating that knowledge into action. We’re in the heart of the UK government with direct lines to No. 10, and we work with frontier developers and governments globally. We’re here because governments are critical for advanced AI going well, and UK AISI is uniquely positioned to mobilise them. With our resources, unique agility and international influence, this is the best place to shape both AI development and government action. Security Engineering at the AI Security Institute (AISI) exists to help our researchers move fast, safely. We are founding the Security Engineering team in a largely greenfield cloud environment, we treat security as a measurable, researcher centric product. Secure by design platforms, automated governance, and intelligence led detection that protects our people, partners, models, and data. We work shoulder to shoulder with research units and core technology teams, and we optimise for enablement over gatekeeping, proportionate controls, low ego, and high ownership. Job Description What you might work on: • Help design and ship paved roads and secure defaults across our platform so researchers can build quickly and safely, • Build provenance and integrity into the software supply chain (signing, attestation, artefact verification, reproducibility), • Support strengthened identity, segmentation, secrets, and key management to create a defensible foundation for evaluations at scale, • Develop automated, evidence driven assurance mapped to relevant standards, reducing audit toil and improving signal, • Create detections and response playbooks tailored to model evaluations and research workflows, and run exercises to validate them, • Threat model new evaluation pipelines with research and core technology teams, fixing classes of issues at the platform layer, • Assess third party services and hardware/software supply chains; introduce lightweight controls that raise the bar, • Contribute to open standards and open source, and share lessons with the broader community where appropriate If you want to build security that accelerates frontier scale AI safety research, and see your work land in production quickly, this is a good place to do it Role Summary: Act as the connective tissue of the AISI security function. This role blends chief of staff energy with product thinking and delivery focus. You’ll own the team’s narrative, planning, communication, and rhythm, ensuring security is seen as valuable, accessible, and outcome-driven across AISI and beyond. You’ll also connect security to AISI’s frontier AI work, making model lifecycle risks, safeguards, and evidence legible to leadership and partners, and aligning security delivery with AI safety objectives. Responsibilities: • Lead internal strategic planning, OKRs, delivery coordination, and progress tracking, • Own security comms: presentations, dashboards, monthly updates, and assurance packs, • Develop reusable material for onboarding, stakeholder engagement, and external briefings, • Coordinate cross-cutting initiatives, risks, and dependencies across the function, • Represent the CISO in meetings and planning forums as needed, • Build and maintain relationships across AISI (engineering, research, policy) and with DSIT security stakeholders, • Translate technical work into stories and narratives aligned to AISI’s mission, • Shape an integrated security + AI risk narrative, covering model lifecycle and how safeguards map to AISI’s mission, • Define and track outcome-oriented metrics that include AI surfaces (e.g., eval/release-gate coverage, model/weights custody controls, GPU governance posture, thirdparty model/API usage patterns, key AI incident learnings), • Curate enablement materials for AI/ML teams: secure/vetted patterns for model and data handling, use of external model APIs, and roles/responsibilities across shared responsibility boundaries, • Coordinate AI-governance touchpoints with DSIT and internal leads (e.g., readiness for NIST AI RMF/ISO 42001 where relevant), partnering with GRC to ensure consistent evidence and narratives, • Maintain a clear stakeholder map across research, platform, product, and policy; run the operating rhythm that keeps security and delivery aligned. Responsibilities: • Lead internal strategic planning, OKRs, delivery coordination, and progress tracking, • Own security comms: presentations, dashboards, monthly updates, and assurance packs, • Develop reusable material for onboarding, stakeholder engagement, and external briefings, • Coordinate cross-cutting initiatives, risks, and dependencies across the function, • Represent the CISO in meetings and planning forums as needed, • Build and maintain relationships across AISI (engineering, research, policy) and with DSIT security stakeholders, • Translate technical work into stories and narratives aligned to AISI’s mission, • Shape an integrated security + AI risk narrative, covering model lifecycle and how safeguards map to AISI’s mission, • Define and track outcome-oriented metrics that include AI surfaces (e.g., eval/release-gate coverage, model/weights custody controls, GPU governance posture, thirdparty model/API usage patterns, key AI incident learnings), • Curate enablement materials for AI/ML teams: secure/vetted patterns for model and data handling, use of external model APIs, and roles/responsibilities across shared responsibility boundaries, • Coordinate AI-governance touchpoints with DSIT and internal leads (e.g., readiness for NIST AI RMF/ISO 42001 where relevant), partnering with GRC to ensure consistent evidence and narratives, • Maintain a clear stakeholder map across research, platform, product, and policy; run the operating rhythm that keeps security and delivery aligned. Person specification Essential • Background in strategy, product, cyber security, or technical programme leadership, • Exceptional written and verbal communication; able to switch fluently between technical and executive audiences, • Operates independently, prioritises well, and holds delivery to account, • Curious about how teams work, not just what they deliver, • Values structure, clarity, and momentum, • Practical familiarity with AI/ML concepts sufficient to translate between security, research, and policy Key Competencies • Planning and roadmap ownership, • Internal comms and storytelling, • Operating rhythms, documentation, and delivery support, • Cross-functional leadership across engineering, research, and policy, • Outcome-focused metrics and OKRs that reflect security posture Desirable • Experience enabling research or ML organisations, and aligning security narratives with AI safety goals Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: • Take home task at interview 2 will be sent. Alongside your salary of £54,415, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £15,764 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. ___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 ___, 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. Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our ___ for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Selection process details This vacancy is using ___, and will assess your Experience and Technical skills. 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 demonstrate how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role. In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the CV. Interview Process Overview The recruitment process for this position will comprise of four stages: Initial Interview This stage will explore candidate’s relevant experience and their motivation for applying to The AI Security Institute. Task-Based Assessment Candidates will be asked to complete a practical assessment aligned with the responsibilities of the role. Technical Interview Those who successfully complete the task will be invited to discuss their approach and methodology in a follow-up interview. Final Interview Shortlisted candidates will attend a final interview with senior members of the department. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Further Information 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. 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 ___. A ___ 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. Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade. 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; for further information ___. 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 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 For further information on National Security Vetting please ___. 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. Feedback Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. This vacancy is using ___, and will assess your Experience and Technical skills. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is . People working with government assets must complete ___ checks. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is . People working with government assets must complete ___ checks. Nationality requirements This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups: • UK nationals, • nationals of the Republic of Ireland, • nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK, • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the ___, • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS), • individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020, • Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service ___Working for the Civil Service The ___ sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's ___. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. The ___ sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's ___. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the ___ and the ___. This vacancy is part of the ___ initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job Contact : • Name : Ben Dewar-Powell Recruitment team Further information Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance . If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages at: