The role will be based at our offices at 2-4 Cockspur Street, London, SW1Y 5BS, in central London. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Informal hybrid working arrangements apply and there is an expectation that staff will attend the office regularly. Work pattern and office attendance will be agreed with successful candidates.

Job Summary

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is seeking an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lead to develop SFO’s strategic approach to AI and advanced data technologies, coordinate AI activities and to drive collaboration on AI with internal stakeholders and partners across the Law Enforcement and Justice system.

SFO investigates and prosecutes the most serious and complex cases of fraud, bribery and corruption – cases that often involve millions of documents and huge volumes of digital evidence. Working under the Roskill model, we bring together multi-disciplinary teams of investigator, lawyers, accountants, and data specialists to tackle high stakes cases.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced data technologies have huge potential to help SFO deliver its mission. SFO is already using Technology Assisted Review, based on machine learning technology, for evidence review. AI could, for example, improve fraud detection, help investigators quickly get to grips with complex datasets and increase the efficiency of our operations. SFO also needs to counter the changing nature of fraud, bribery and corruption as criminals also adopt AI tools.

This is an exciting opportunity to drive AI development across the full range of SFO’s activities and functions with a strong focus on delivering practical outcomes, working in collaboration with partners and ensuring the safe, secure and ethical use of AI.

Job Description

As AI Lead you will be responsible for:

Policy and Strategy

Working with SFO’s Senior Leadership Team, develop and refine the SFO’s approach to AI.
Lead the development of AI-related policies and standards.
Monitor and assess developments in AI best practice and regulation.

Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

Lead AI activity across the organisation, including creating and maintaining a road map of AI-related activity.
Influence and support teams delivering AI solutions, ensuring they align with organisational governance frameworks and policies.
Collaborate with and contribute to joint work with partners within the Law Enforcement and Justice Sector, Government and more broadly to help inform and deliver SFO’s AI approach.

AI Governance

Ensure appropriate governance of AI solutions involving stakeholders from security, data protection, legal, policy and operational delivery teams.

Pilots and experimentation

Lead delivery of targeted pilots to explore AI solutions and concepts.

For more information about the role and for a full list of key responsibilities, please see attached Job Pack.

As AI Lead You Will Be Responsible For

Policy and Strategy

Working with SFO’s Senior Leadership Team, develop and refine the SFO’s approach to AI.
Lead the development of AI-related policies and standards.
Monitor and assess developments in AI best practice and regulation.

Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

Lead AI activity across the organisation, including creating and maintaining a road map of AI-related activity.
Influence and support teams delivering AI solutions, ensuring they align with organisational governance frameworks and policies.
Collaborate with and contribute to joint work with partners within the Law Enforcement and Justice Sector, Government and more broadly to help inform and deliver SFO’s AI approach.

AI Governance

Ensure appropriate governance of AI solutions involving stakeholders from security, data protection, legal, policy and operational delivery teams.

Pilots and experimentation

Lead delivery of targeted pilots to explore AI solutions and concepts.

For more information about the role and for a full list of key responsibilities, please see attached Job Pack.

Person specification

See above and attached Job Pack.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Changing and Improving
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

Changing and Improving

Alongside your salary of £60,899, Serious Fraud Office contributes £17,642 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme. For further details, click here http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/pensions

Generous annual leave provision of 25 days which increases to 30 days after five years’ service plus an additional day in recognition of the King’s Birthday and the option to buy or sell up to five days’ leave per year. Different terms may apply if you are already a Civil Servant.

Discretionary performance-related bonus scheme.

Interest-free season travel ticket, bicycle loan and cycle to work scheme.

Access to the Rental Deposit Salary Advance Scheme which assists employees in meeting the costs of deposits for privately rented homes.

Opportunities for learning and development.

Flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies.

Voucher for eye care and discounted spectacles.

Access to a range of discounts through membership of the Civil Service Sports and Social Club, CSSC Sports and Leisure. http://www.cssc.co.uk/

Maternity and paternity leave provision over and above the statutory entitlements.

Access to My CPS Rewards Gateway. My CPS Rewards offers staff a range of rewards and savings including:

Discounts with high street retailers
Savings on grocery shopping at a range of supermarkets
Special salary sacrifice and recognition schemes
Reloadable gift cards and e-cards
Instant vouchers

Any move to the Serious Fraud Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be required to provide:

A 250 word example of how you meet the behaviour Changing and Improving for the role at the required level.

The behaviour Changing and Improving is a lead behaviour; this behaviour will be assessed first and candidates who do not meet the required standard will not have the remainder of their application considered.

A personal statement of no more than 500 words that explains how your skills and experience meet each of the essential, desirable and technical experience criteria as listed in the job pack.

Please note, desirable experience will only be taken into account if there is a large volume of applications and there is a need for further shortlisting for interview.

A supporting CV outlining your job history and qualifications, (including how you meet the essential technical criteria for the role.)

It will not be possible to provide feedback to applicants who are unsuccessful at the application stage.

Interview stage

Behaviours, experience and technical criteria as outlined in the job pack will be tested at interview.

Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates in the invite to interview.

Sift to take place from 29th September.

Interviews are expected to take place from 13th October

All dates are indicative and subject to change.

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.

This is a fixed-term appointment for 18 months months with a possibility of extension or becoming permanent (subject to business need).

For permanent civil servants joining the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) on a Fixed-term Appointment:

Please note if you accept a Fixed-term Appointment with the SFO the preferred option is for you to transfer from your home department on a loan basis to ensure you can return to your home department at the end of the Fixed-term Appointment. Exceptionally, if a transfer on a loan basis cannot be agreed by your home department, you would transfer to the SFO on the basis that you would lose your permanent Civil Service status but retain your continuity of employment. However, if you face a redundancy situation at the end of the Fixed-term Appointment you will be treated as a permanent civil servant for redundancy and redeployment purposes only. You must have two years’ service to be eligible for redundancy benefits under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Therefore You Should Be Aware That When Your Fixed-term Appointment At The SFO Comes To An End, Your Employment In The Civil Service Will End, Unless

an extension to your Fixed-term Appointment has been agreed by the SFO.
a conversion to permanent status has been agreed by the SFO.
you are successfully redeployed into a suitable alternative post
you secure another Civil Service post through a recruitment process.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

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

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

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 also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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 also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

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 : People and Culture
Email : people@sfo.gov.uk
Telephone : 0207 239 7272 (this is the switchboard)

Recruitment team

Email : people@sfo.gov.uk

Further information

For external competitions there is no appeal against the selection decision. However, individuals have a right to appeal if they feel that the principle of appointment on merit through fair and open competition and the Civil Service Commissioners’ recruitment principles have not been met. Individuals who want to appeal should do this by setting out their grounds for appeal in an email for the attention of Head of HR Operations to HumanResources@sfo.gov.uk. If, after an internal appeal, you still believe that the Civil Service Commissioners’ Principles have not been met, then you can contact the Commission directly: Complaints should be sent in writing to: Civil Service Commission, Room G08 ,1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ. Email info@csc.gov.uk

Serious Fraud Office (UK)

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