The Government Digital Service is seeking to recruit two senior managers to respectively oversee the organisation’s work on service transformation and the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies by public bodies.
GDS, which now sits within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, is currently advertising a pair of deputy director-level posts in the areas of: public sector AI delivery; and service design and transformation. Each of the positions offers a potential annual salary of up to £117,800.
The AI-delivery directorship sits within a Public Sector AI Adoption Unit that has been newly established in GDS. The successful candidate’s main brief will be to run an AI Exemplar Programme which the job advert describes as a “high-profile, cross-government initiative led by GDS to pilot and scale AI projects within departments”.
The key responsibilities of the position will include “establishing the process for reporting on delivery, [and] cross-government engagement across the portfolio” of exemplary AI projects, as well as “building extensive and trusted relationships across GDS, central government and the wider public sector” and leading efforts to “establish what is required for GDS regarding future public sector AI adoption”.
The postholder will play a key role in driving GDS’s collaboration with other parts of government, while spearheading work on “identifying and seizing opportunities to enhance public service delivery from an end-to-end perspective more widely, and pilot new concepts to demonstrate effective and efficient public-service models”.
The advert adds: “Public sector AI adoption is a core part of the activity GDS will deliver to create an efficient and productive public sector. As outlined in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, AI has enormous potential for the civil service and the citizens it serves. It will give us the reach and potential to improve lives, drive economic growth and increase productivity. We must harness this by integrating AI safely and securely within the design and delivery of public services.”
The deputy director of service design and transformation will have a remit to “lead and incubate ideas that drive end-to-end service journey transformation within the public sector”.
The job advert says: “This role is pivotal in shaping the future of digital government, ensuring seamless, proactive, and experience-centred public service delivery. You will work across departmental boundaries, setting the strategic direction for end-to-end service transformation, collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders to identify and pilot innovative solutions, ways of working and operating models that demonstrate best practices for a world-leading digital government.”
The main responsibilities of the post include overseeing work to “develop and incubate innovative ideas that drive comprehensive service transformation across government”, as well supporting efforts to “pilot new concepts to demonstrate effective and efficient public service models”.
The chosen candidate will be expected to help GDS “develop the means by which we set standards for and measure the quality of digital government services,” while also “monitoring a portfolio of products and transformation initiatives through to delivery” and “track the quality and performance of key government digital services”.
The aim of this work will be to “drive up service quality, embedding service- and product-centred ways of working, to ensure continuous improvement”, as well as to “drive different ways of working across public and private sectors, using innovative procurement and commercial methods to build mutually beneficial partnerships” – including with SME providers.
Applications for the AI delivery and service transformation posts are both open until 11.55pm on 17 May.
The adverts say: “The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.”