HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Directorate: Digital Technology Services (DTS)

Pay Band: G6

Job Title: Head of AI Product

Location: National

Successful applicants will be expected to be office based 3 days per week in any HMCTS Office (subject to business availability).

Term: Permanent

Interview: Video conference via Teams

Level of Clearance: To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Security Clearance (SC) level as a condition of appointment.

Important salary details:

New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum.

Existing Civil Servants applying on promotion, will usually be appointed on the salary minimum of the new pay band, or receive an increase of 10 percent on the current base salary, whichever is higher (This is restricted to the pay maximum of the new band).

Government Digital and Data (GDD) will be used to determine if you will be paid an additional allowance, on top of your basic salary.

This role aligns against Product Manager from the Government Digital and Data Framework, at Head of Product level.

Introduction:

These are exciting times at HM Court and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). As an agency of the MoJ, we support the judiciary across England and Wales to deliver justice by running courts and tribunals and processing outcomes, and we are looking for talented people to help us achieve our ambitions in revolutionising the justice system. It will be challenging, and rewarding in equal measure, providing a frontline contribution to the public.

HMCTS Digital and Technology Services (DTS) is a specialist technology directorate which provides support to HMCTS in the use of IT and Digital.

DTS is committed to being a great place to work and part of our offer is brilliant training opportunities and support from expert colleagues. As well as that you’ll find flexible working, an inclusive culture and a place where your opinion is valued.

Please follow the link below for further information about HMCTS. www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service

Job Description:

The Head of AI Product provides senior leadership and strategic ownership for the design, development and delivery of AI‑driven digital products within HMCTS. The role exists to ensure that AI products deliver measurable value for users and the justice system, are responsibly and ethically designed and deployed, and align with departmental strategy and public service priorities.

Working at the intersection of technology, policy and service delivery, the role leads multidisciplinary teams to take AI products from discovery through to live operation, ensuring continuous improvement of mature services. The post holder acts as the recognised authority on AI product management within their portfolio, shaping long‑term product vision, influencing organisational strategy, and embedding modern product practices across teams.

Key Responsibilities:

Provide strategic leadership and ownership of AI products, ensuring they deliver clear user, operational and organisational value.
Set and maintain a compelling product vision and roadmap aligned to HMCTS strategy, priorities and user needs.
Lead product discovery and delivery in parallel, ensuring evidence‑based decision making through continuous user research, experimentation and data analysis.
Prioritise product features and outcomes based on user needs, operational impact, technical feasibility, ethical considerations and value for money.
Work closely with engineering, design, policy, legal and operational colleagues to deliver high‑quality AI products at pace.
Act as the acknowledged subject‑matter expert for AI product management, advising senior stakeholders on AI capabilities, limitations, risks and opportunities.
Ensure responsible and ethical use of AI, including management of risks such as bias, hallucinations, transparency and explainability.
Embed robust product governance, performance metrics and operational support models to ensure products are scalable, resilient and sustainable in live service.
Line manage, coach and mentor product managers and other members of the product community, building capability and supporting professional development.
Contribute to wider organisational strategy by influencing standards, ways of working and best practice for AI and product management across HMCTS.
Represent HMCTS externally where required, engaging with cross‑government partners, suppliers and the wider AI and digital community.
You will work with Senior leaders within HMCTS and MoJ; Justice AI Unit colleagues; Digital, Data and Technology professionals; policy, legal and operational teams as well as cross‑government digital and AI communities; technology suppliers and partners; justice system stakeholders. Engagement is frequent and typically involves influencing, advising, negotiating priorities and representing HMCTS interests.

Skills & Experience:

Proven ability to analyse and synthesise qualitative and quantitative data to inform strategy, prioritisation and performance measurement.
Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and influencing across organisational boundaries without direct authority.
Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives for senior leaders and non‑technical stakeholders.
Strong stakeholder management skills, including engagement with senior leaders, policy teams and external partners.
Experience building high‑performing teams through coaching, mentoring and creating inclusive, psychologically safe working environments.
Demonstrated commitment to ethical, user‑centred and accessible design of digital services in a public sector or similarly complex environment.
You are a credible leader who can command the confidence and trust of senior leaders across the department. You are confident at setting direction and credibly driving forward priorities by delivering through others, outside of your immediate team. You are collaborative and capable of providing constructive challenge to others when required.

Essential Criteria:

Extensive experience delivering and scaling AI‑powered digital products that are widely adopted and deliver demonstrable user value.
Expert knowledge of modern product management practices, including agile and lean delivery, continuous discovery, experimentation and outcome‑based road mapping.
Strong understanding of AI technologies, capabilities and limitations, including large language models, data quality considerations, system prompting and mitigation of hallucinations.
Being able to address complex, ambiguous and high‑impact problems where there is no single clear solution.
Exercising significant judgement in defining product strategy, resolving trade‑offs inherent in AI systems, and determining appropriate levels of risk. Decisions shape product direction and influence wider organisational strategy, with only the most sensitive or precedent‑setting issues escalated to more senior leadership.
Budget planning and prioritisation, ensuring that investment in AI products delivers value for money and supports sustainable live services.
Confident leadership

Application process:

This role will be recruited using a combination of Government Digital and Data (GDD) Profession Capability Framework and Success Profiles Frameworks during the sift and interview process.

Experience - As demonstrated in your application form.
Technical - As demonstrated at interview. During the interview, you will be assessed against the Government Digital and Data (GDD) Capability Framework.

Presentation - You will be required to prepare a short presentation. Details will be provided when invited to interview.

Behaviours - You will be required to provide evidence of the following key behaviours at G6 Level:

Behaviour 1 - Seeing the Big Picture
Behaviour 2 - Making Effective Decisions
Behaviour 3 - Managing a Quality Service

Level of Clearance - To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Security Clearance (SC) level as a condition of appointment. To meet these requirements, you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 5 years.

Reserve List:

HMCTS run a Reserve List, where candidates who are unsuccessful at interview by only a few points, can be offered other roles, at the same band, for up to 12 months. You will be able to view your status via the application screen. If you have been added to the Reserve List, your status will show either Merit or Reserve list.