Senior programme and delivery manager

Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London – Canary Wharf (Core HQs), Remote.

Job Summary

This post sits within the Data Science and Geospatial Division, a Deputy Director led function that is part of the Analysis and Intelligence Assessment Directorate of the Chief Data Office.

The AI Delivery Team is responsible for accelerating the responsible adoption of AI within UKHSA. It is headed by a G6 and includes two SEOs. This G7 Senior Programme and Delivery Manager role will be integral to shaping AI policy, strategy and governance within UKHSA.

The post holder will need to work with and through senior and technical stakeholders, to identify ongoing and emergent demand. Understanding of requirements and prioritising these against a set of defined criteria will be fundamental to the role; this includes the risks and consequences from the decisions made on what projects to pursue or decline.

We Are Looking For Individuals Who Can

• Speak data and are comfortable acting as a translator between technical and non-technical stakeholders to present complex analysis and messages in a compelling way to enable effective decision making.
• Work comfortably with technology and innovation to define supporting policies and processes, including identification of user needs translating these into new products or services.
• Develop and maintain great relationships and networks with a range of stakeholders, particularly at a senior level, to achieve collaboration on common goals and deliver significant business outcomes.
  
  

Job Description

The post holder will:

• Develop and implement AI policies and strategies to support UKHSA, DHSC and wider government priorities.
• Monitor, oversee and support UKHSA’s AI strategic approach delivery
• Lead UKHSA’s response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan
• Influence and integrate AI to internal strategies, guidance and ways of working
• Lead the development of policy papers, briefings and submissions on AI-related topics.
• Engage with key stakeholders, including industry leaders, academia, regulators and international partners to shape AI policy and promote responsible AI adoptions
• Monitor and evaluate emerging AI trends, risks and opportunities to inform policy decisions.
• Represent UKHSA in cross-departmental working groups and discussion
• Lead the engagement activities to inform the strategic work and wider work of the AI Delivery Team.
• Develop engagement strategies to ensure the team’s work is informed by key stakeholders
• Represent the policy area and develop an understanding of AI policy and regulations and how they interact with other areas, identifying and considering key interdependencies and risks.
• Work with technical team leads to support prioritisation and efficient use of resource.
• Support on Spending Review and other investment portfolio activities.
  
  

The Post Holder Will

• Develop and implement AI policies and strategies to support UKHSA, DHSC and wider government priorities.
• Monitor, oversee and support UKHSA’s AI strategic approach delivery
• Lead UKHSA’s response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan
• Influence and integrate AI to internal strategies, guidance and ways of working
• Lead the development of policy papers, briefings and submissions on AI-related topics.
• Engage with key stakeholders, including industry leaders, academia, regulators and international partners to shape AI policy and promote responsible AI adoptions
• Monitor and evaluate emerging AI trends, risks and opportunities to inform policy decisions.
• Represent UKHSA in cross-departmental working groups and discussion
• Lead the engagement activities to inform the strategic work and wider work of the AI Delivery Team.
• Develop engagement strategies to ensure the team’s work is informed by key stakeholders
• Represent the policy area and develop an understanding of AI policy and regulations and how they interact with other areas, identifying and considering key interdependencies and risks.
• Work with technical team leads to support prioritisation and efficient use of resource.
• Support on Spending Review and other investment portfolio activities.
  
  

Person specification

Central Pillars Of The Role

• Oversight: manage the central oversight bodies that provide strategic direction, sponsorship, and promotion of outputs.
• Governance: coordinate a standardised set of guidance materials and ways of workings to ensure conformity and consistency to approach.
• Performance: work across UKHSA and externally with key partners, to ensure outputs are policy-relevant and drive strategic outcomes.
  
  

You

Essential Criteria

• have a strong understanding of AI technologies, their applications, and policy implications
• have experience in policy development, strategy, or regulatory frameworks, ideally in AI
• have strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess risks and opportunities
• can confidently grip a complex portfolio in a high profile and fast-moving area.
• have experience of designing and implementing stakeholder engagement strategies.
• can build and support positive working relationships at all levels and are confident in dealing with a range of individuals.
• are proactive, with a track record of managing and prioritising your workload independently, under tight deadlines.
• can identify the strategic drivers as well as relevant issues and trends, particularly from stakeholders.
• can work independently and as part of a team (including with others from outside the team or organisation), balancing a range of competing priorities whilst ensuring deadlines are met.
• have excellent communication skills, both written and oral. You are confident presenting complex issues in written form clearly and concisely, particularly to people who may have no background in or be familiar with this area of work.
  
  

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working in health security and in AI-related policies/programmes
• Familiarity navigating complex policy and regulatory environment
  
  

Alongside your salary of £54,416, UK Health Security Agency contributes £15,764 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
  
  

Selection process details

Stage 1: Application & Sift

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

At sift stage you will be assessed against the 10 Essential Criteria listed in the job advert.

You Will Be Required To Complete An

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1000-word Supporting statement
  
  

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible)

Longlisting : In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria
  
  

The pile that 'meets all essential criteria' will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting : In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following essential criteria:

• You can confidently grip a complex portfolio in a high profile and fast-moving area.
  
  

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Please do not exceed 1000 words, we will not consider any words over and above this number.

Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

Success Profiles

You will be invited to a single remote interview.

Interviews will be held week commencing 8th September 2025, please note these dates are subject to change.

Behaviours will be tested at interview.

During the interview we will assess you against the following behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing (Lead behaviour)
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
  
  

You will also be asked to prepare and present a 5–10 minute presentation. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

For Temporary Appointments , if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.  You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQ’s. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQ’s (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The successful candidate can alternatively chose to work remotely.

Security Clearance Level Requirement  

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK .

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Eligibility Criteria  

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).  

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here:

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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 candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Link Below

Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) 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 European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• 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
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

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 Code (opens in a new window) 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 recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

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.

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 Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

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 : Carmelita Goodwin
• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: