Head of Applied AI Engineering

Build the AI-native UK Government

The Incubator for Artificial Intelligence is a team of ~60 entrepreneurial technologists and operators working at the centre of UK Government. We exist to do one thing: build and ship frontier AI systems that materially change how government works.

We move at startup speed, operate under real-world constraints, and deploy at national scale. Our work sits directly behind the Prime Minister’s priorities and is used by Ministers, departments, and millions of citizens.

The Role

This role exists to own and drive the UK Government’s most ambitious applied AI products.

As Head of Applied AI, you will have end-to-end ownership of AI technical direction, and delivery across the Incubator. You will lead highly empowered engineers, set the technical and cultural bar, and make the calls that determine what gets built, how it gets built, and where the UK places its biggest AI bets.

You will operate at the intersection of frontier AI capability, real-world delivery, and national policy presenting directly to Ministers, the Prime Minister’s Office, and international governments.

This is a builder’s role. Success means shipped systems, real users, and measurable national outcomes.

What You Will Do

You will:

• Own the AI engineeringdirection for the UK Government’s highest-impact use cases, from 0→1 prototypes to national-scale deployment.
• Make high-stakes technical and product decisions under ambiguity, public scrutiny, and political pressure, balancing frontier capability with delivery that actually lands.

• Lead exceptional teams of AI engineers , creating an environment where speed, rigour, and ambition are the norm.
• Build and scale an exceptional engineering team. You'll grow a high-performing group of AI engineers who are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in government, attracting top talent and creating an environment where technical excellence thrives.

• Translate messy political priorities into crisp technical direction, turning unclear mandates into systems that work in practice.
• Set the standard for applied AI in government, influencing how AI products are built, deployed, and governed across the public sector.

• Step into priority work for the Prime Minister, from shaping the next round of AI “big bets” to direct submissions to No10 on future AI strategy.

Who This Is For

We are looking for a high-agency, entrepreneurial AI leader who wants their work to matter at national scale.

You are likely someone who:

• Has repeatedly been trusted with the hardest technical and organisational problems.
• Enjoys ambiguous problem spaces and takes responsibility for creating clarity.

• Cares deeply about engineering qualityand real-world outcomes.
• Is motivated by impact, ownership, and the chance to build things that will be used by millions.

We care far more about what you have built and shipped than where you have worked.

Essential Experience

• Deep technical expertise in applied machine learning (e.g. GenAI, LLMs, NLP, computer vision, or adjacent fields).
• Hands-on experience taking AI systems from concept to production in real-world settings.

• Proven leadership of high-performing engineering teams.
• Strong technical judgement where you’re able to assess trade-offs, anticipate failure modes, and make calls with incomplete information.

• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts to senior non-technical stakeholders.
• Strategic, first-principles thinker with a strong intuition for where AI capability is heading.

Highly Desirable

• Experience working with frontier models (LLMs, agents, multimodal systems), including fine-tuning, evaluation, and deployment.
• Experience running or evaluating AI agents in production environments.

• Track record of making build / buy / partner decisions under startup-like constraints.