Senior Programme and Delivery Manager - AI

Job description

Job responsibilities

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.

Essential Criteria

You:

• 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

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.

Behaviourswill 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 510 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.

Eligibility Criteria

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

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. 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 HQs (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.

Person Specification

Application form and statement of suitability

Essential

• Application form and supporting statement

Behaviours

Essential

• Seeing the bigger picture
• Communicating and influencing
• Working together
• Delivering at pace

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

UK Health Security Agency

Address

Core HQ or Remote Working

Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London (Canary Wharf)

E14 4PU

Employer's website

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency (Opens in a new tab)