The posting
Applications for this position close on 25th October 2026 – 23.59pm UK Time
Incubator for AI, i.AI
Help shape how people interact with some of the most ambitious AI products in government
At i.AI, you will help design the interactions, flows and interfaces behind frontier AI products being developed for real public services. Your work will shape how emerging technologies are used to solve real problems for real users - in ways that are useful, trusted, accessible and grounded in evidence.
You will join a multidisciplinary team working at the cutting edge of AI delivery in government. This is an environment for designers who want to tackle hard questions, work through ambiguity, influence product direction early, and help ensure teams build the right things in the right way.
This is a rare opportunity to work on some of the most important and fast-moving questions in government: how AI can be turned into practical tools that improve public services, while staying focused on user needs, ethical considerations and measurable impact.
At i.AI, we do not explore technology for its own sake. We work quickly to understand whether there is genuine value in a problem area by building working products, putting them in front of users, and learning from what happens next. Design is central to that process.
If you are excited by difficult questions, fast feedback loops, and the chance to improve public services through evidence-led design, this is an opportunity to make a genuine impact.
About the role
Interaction Designers work within agile teams to design interaction flows and product interfaces that meet our standards for usability, branding and accessibility. Their work helps teams deliver better products and services, reduce cost and risk, and continuously improve based on evidence.
This is a rare opportunity to work on some of the most important and fast-moving questions in government: how emerging AI technologies can be used to solve real problems for real users, in ways that are useful, trusted and grounded in evidence.
You will work in one of our multidisciplinary product teams, each focused on a different application of AI to a government problem space - for example planning, education, government operations or frontline services. Our goal is not to explore technology for its own sake. We work quickly to understand whether there is genuine value in a problem area by building working products, putting them in front of users, and measuring real impact.
i.AI is an incubator, which means our teams are small, nimble and optimised for learning fast. You will need to be flexible, comfortable with ambiguity, and motivated by turning insight into action. In return, you will have the chance to shape products at an early stage, influence strategic decisions, and ensure teams stay focused on the needs, behaviours and realities of the people they are trying to serve.
If you are excited by difficult questions, fast feedback loops, and the chance to improve public services through evidence-led design, this is an opportunity to make a genuine impact.
What you will work on
- Deliver high-quality, user-centred designs as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Use evidence to challenge assumptions, validate decisions and negotiate with stakeholders
- Build ethical review and evaluation into your work to reduce unintended consequences
- Develop patterns for how people interact with AI, working with teams across i.AI and beyond
- Lead good design practice, including line managing junior designers
- Contribute to i.AI's design community and to GDS and cross-government design communities
- Foster an inclusive team culture built on honest feedback and continuous improvement
Who we think will thrive in this role
You may be a strong fit if you bring some of the following:
- Designs clear, usable, accessible interfaces that work across devices and browsers, grounded in user needs
- Has a track record in user-centred digital product design in a product-led organisation, and knows which tool or method suits the job
- Is proficient across a range of design and prototyping tools, including HTML prototyping (AI-assisted is fine)
- Collaborates well in multidisciplinary teams, iterates designs using data, research and best practice, and builds strong working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
- Communicates clearly and persuasively, bringing clarity and alignment across project and leadership teams, especially when things are ambiguous
- Reflects critically and asks difficult questions, seeing the big picture and its wider implications while staying focused on the minimum viable product
- Contributes to the wider design community, for example by speaking at meetups or writing blog posts
What we offer
Career-defining projects with outsized impact
- Backing from the Prime Minister and No10 to scope and build transformative AI projects.
- Unique opportunities to apply technology that could transform the public sector and impact citizens’ lives.
- Talented, supportive and mission-driven colleagues.
Resources & access
- Access to frontier models and ample compute.
- Extensive operational, product, strategy, design and delivery support so you can focus on shipping.
- Work with experts across national security, policy, AI research and adjacent sciences.
Growth & empowerment
- A team culture and development support that prioritises personal growth.
- Opportunities to own important products early and develop them in small empowered teams.
- 5 days off learning and development, annual stipends for learning and development and funding for conferences and external collaborations.
Life & family*
- Opportunity to work from London, Manchester or Bristol offices.
- Hybrid working, flexibility for occasional remote work abroad and stipends for work-from-home equipment.
- Generous annual leave - 25 days plus one additional day for each year of service
- Generous paid parental leave (up to 39 weeks full pay + option for additional unpaid time).
- On top of your salary, we contribute 28.97% of your base salary to your pension.
- Discounts and benefits for cycling to work, dental insurance, donations and retail/gyms.
*These benefits apply to direct employees. Benefits may differ for people joining through other employment arrangements such as secondments.
Salary
Salary is paid within the grade range shown below. As this is a GDaD role, the maximum salary available includes a non-pensionable technical allowance, and successful candidates will be appointed somewhere within that range depending on assessment. Grade 7 National: £56,850 to £63,980 (maximum includes non-pensionable technical allowance of up to £14,100) London: £61,620 to £68,570 (maximum includes non-pensionable technical allowance of up to £14,100)
Selection Process
Appointment is conditional on successfully completing UK Government SC clearance. Prior clearance is not required—we will sponsor and support you. You should normally have been resident in the UK for 2 of the past 5 years. Employment is conditional on obtaining and maintaining the required clearance(s). More detail on clearance eligibility can be found on the UK Government website: National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK
In accordance with the Civil Service Commission rules, the following list contains all elements of the selection process.
Candidates should expect to go through some or all of the following stages once an application has been submitted:
- A short initial conversation
- Technical take home test
- Second interview in which we’ll review the technical test
- Third interview with wider representation from the team
- Final interview with members of the senior team
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). As part of the application process, we monitor statistics on D&I. You can see how we process this data here: Recruitment privacy notice - GOV.UK.
Salary
£56,850—£82,670 GBP
