Head of AI Acceleration & Delivery

If you’d like to be considered for this opportunity we encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment as if applications are high the role will close before the closing date given.

Head of AI Acceleration & Delivery

Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking.

Package: Competitive leadership salary depending on experience, performance related bonus, flexible benefit scheme.

Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application.

Let us introduce the role

We are seeking a visionary and strategic leader to join our team as the Head of AI Adoption. The successful candidate will lead the integration of artificial intelligence technologies across our organisation with an emphasis on driving innovation, efficiency, and productivity. The role will lead AI adoption across corporate functions, support engineering and operations colleagues drive AI adoption in these critical functions, whilst collaborating and supporting Science and NTR colleagues with their existing high-performance computing (HPC), machine learning (ML) and AI initiatives.

This role requires deep understanding and significant experience of AI technologies, ideally with application in an engineering or manufacturing environment, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams.

Some of the Key Responsibilities:

• Developing AI Strategy: Crafting a comprehensive AI strategy that aligns with the organization's goals and objectives. Stakeholder Engagement: Communicating the benefits and limitations of AI to both technical and non[1]technical stakeholders to build buy-in and support, lead engagement with key external stakeholders, including MoD, Government, DAIC

• Implementation Roadmap: Creating a detailed roadmap for AI adoption across a range of use cases, including timelines, necessary infrastructure, tools, and personnel

• Identifying Use Cases: Collaborating with business leaders to uncover and prioritize AI use cases with high business value and feasibility

• Monitoring and Evaluation: Overseeing AI experiments and projects to ensure they meet desired outcomes and inform best practices

• Training and Enablement: Providing resources, training, and self-service tools to enable both professional and citizen developers within the organization

• Ethical AI Practices: Ensure ethical adoption of AI, including ethical risk assessments, as well as contribute to AWE guidance on AI ethics

• Strategy Development: Develop and execute a comprehensive AI adoption strategy aligned with the company’s engineering, scientific, and manufacturing goals. Identify and prioritize AI opportunities to enhance operational efficiency, product quality, and customer satisfaction

• Leadership and Collaboration: Lead a multidisciplinary team of AI specialists, data scientists, engineers, and manufacturing experts from across our organisation. Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the organization. Collaborate with other departments, including Operations, Engineering and Science & High Performance Computing (HPC), to ensure seamless AI integration

• AI Implementation: Oversee the design, development, and deployment of AI solutions in engineering and manufacturing processes. Ensure AI solutions meet regulatory standards and industry best practices. Monitor and evaluate the performance of AI systems and processes, making data-driven adjustments as necessary

• Training and Support: Provide training and support to AWE employees on AI technologies and their applications. Ensure AI team members are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to leverage AI effectively

• Research and Development: Monitor emerging AI trends and technologies relevant to engineering and manufacturing. Drive innovative AI solutions to maintain the company’s competitive edge

• AI Ethics & Security: Maintain a robust AI ethics framework built on best practice standards Ensure compliance with the framework including maintenance of ethics risk assessments

• Engage with colleagues across the organisation (e.g. Security and Legal) to both develop proportionate AI centric policies and design appropriate mitigations for the AI risks

Whilst not to be considered a tick list, we’d like you to have experience in some of the following:

• Educated to postgraduate level or equivalent experience

• Experience of leading, managing, and motivating teams to deliver

• Proven experience in leading AI projects within an engineering and manufacturing environment

• Extensive experience in project management, team leadership, and strategic planning

• Strong understanding of AI technologies, machine learning algorithms, and data analytics

• Evidence of effective stakeholder management in a complex multi[1]stakeholder environment

• Track record of driving delivery, continuous improvement, and sustained performance focusing activities on key business issues and outcomes

• Evidence of management interpretation and presentation of performance focusing activities on key business issues and outcomes

• Evidence of leading and managing change

• Experience in problem solving to resolve, minimise, or mitigate risk and maximise opportunities

• Excellent leadership skills with a focus on driving high performance and development

• The ability to translate complex technical concepts into practical solutions

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills

• Proficiency in programming languages commonly used in AI (e.g. Python, R)

• Capable of maintaining a high degree of effectiveness in a multitask role, managing priorities and delivering to challenging timescales

• Able to work at a strategic level to assimilate and analyse information quickly to assess and resolve issues and execute solutions.

• Robust judgement and the ability to seek and challenge information to reach and make decisions

• Strong influencer with excellent interpersonal, engagement, and presentation skills to executive level

• Proven clear and concise communication skills

• Demonstrable negotiating and influencing skills, and the ability to convince through personal credibility

• Business and financial acumen to provide strategic and tactical insight and thinking depending on the needs of the business

• Ability to drive transformation, change, and continuous improvement through collaboration and leading by example. Demonstrable commitment to and an understanding of diversity, equality, and inclusion

Some reasons we think you’ll love it here:

AWE has wide range of benefits to suit you. These include:

• 9-day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.

• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).

• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.

• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.

• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.

• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).

• Discounts – access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.

• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

The 'Working at AWE' page on our website is where you can find full details in the 'AWE Benefits Guide'.

Next steps:

Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we’d love to receive your application.

Important things you need to know:

• We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.
• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. 
• We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.
• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.

Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.