1. Job Title
Head of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance
2. Grade & Salary Band
Grade 6 —£. Exact offer depends on location and capability.
3. Business Area / Department
Ministry of Justice — Justice AI Unit, Service Transformation Group
4. Location(s) & Flexible Working
Petty France, London or Cardiff (regular travel to London will be required). Full-time with
hybrid and flexible working by agreement.
5. Role Purpose
As the lead for AI governance within the Justice AI Unit, reporting to the Chief AI Officer,
you will design, implement, and oversee robust yet proportionate frameworks, policies,
and controls that ensure every AI system remains secure, ethical, and lawful.
You will be a key member of the Government Security Profession and work closely with
colleagues across security, risk, data, and digital functions. Your role includes briefing
senior leaders on strategic AI risks, guiding delivery teams throughout the AI lifecycle,
and championing best practices across the justice system.
Your remit spans governance, ethics, technical guidance and assurance, and incident
response. You will play a central role in embedding a culture of excellence in safe and
responsible AI across the department and its partners.
6. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
MoJ is one of the largest government departments, employing over 90,000 people
(including those in the Probation Service), with a budget of approximately £9.5 billion.
Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts
and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.
Further information can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
7. The Service Transformation Group
The Justice AI Unit is part of the Service Transformation Group (STG). STG is unique,
both within the Ministry of Justice and across government. This group unites our digital,
data, transformation, security, project and AI capabilities with some of our largest
operational agencies, including:
• The Legal Aid Agency, which provides funding for legal advice and
representation for those who cannot afford it.
• The Office of the Public Guardian, which supports people in planning for
someone to make decisions on their behalf should they lose capacity.
• The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, which compensates victims of
violent crime for physical or psychological injuries.
Service Transformation Group leads on delivering key justice services, and the
modernisation and digital transformation of the MoJ. The Groups ensures that our public
services are simple, seamless and offer excellent value for money.
8. The Justice AI Unit
The Justice AI Unit is an interdisciplinary team of AI specialists, designers, technologists,
and operational experts working to embed responsible AI across the justice system. We
exist to enable the safe and ethical adoption of AI across the MoJ and its agencies,
helping our people deliver faster, better and more human services.
What the Justice AI Unit does:
• It sets and continually evolves a department-wide AI vision and Action Plan in
partnership with policy, data, digital and operational teams etc. as well as
external R&D bodies;
• It enables end-to-end governance and ethics by maintaining a unified AI portfolio,
developing risk-assessment tools and embedding expertise into assurance
processes;
• It scans, pilots and scales core AI digital products and acts in an advisory
function to other changes teams.
• It acts as an AI talent incubator, recruiting, developing and embedding specialists
across justice programmes to maximise opportunities and share best practice;
• It supports the equipment of the MoJ workforce through a Justice AI Academy
that offers literacy programmes, technical training, certifications, adoption support
and culture-change initiatives;
• It informs the shape of the future workforce by assessing AI’s impact on users
and staff and informing proactive workforce planning and re-skilling;
• It partners with experts across government, industry, and academia to encourage
innovation and growth.
Guided by a strong public-service mission, the Justice AI Unit lives by three core values:
• Human-centered - We will design AI tools that augment human capabilities and
put the needs of users first
• Put safety and fairness first - AI in justice must work within the law, protect
individual rights, and maintain public trust.
• Innovative-We embrace responsible innovation, constantly exploring new ways
AI can improve justice outcomes.
9. Key Responsibilities
As Head of AI Governance, you will:
• Create and apply AI governance and risk management frameworks that fit with
the wider digital and corporate governance strategies. You’ll make sure risk
management is built into key processes like developing AI systems, designing
secure architectures, and purchasing technology.
• Look after the organisation’s AI risk register, making sure all AI-related risks are
clearly recorded, with the right controls and actions in place to handle them.
• Lead department-wide AI risk reporting, making sure senior leaders understand
key risks, and working across teams to manage issues that affect multiple parts of
the organisation.
• Ensure that all AI activities comply with relevant laws, regulations, standards
and policies (e.g. Government Security Framework, DSP-SOR, ISO 27001, NIST AI
Risk Management Framework, the EU AI Act, and the UK AI White Paper) and
staying on top of changes in legal and policy landscapes to keep the organisation up
to date.
• Build ethical, secure, and safe practices into every stage of the AI model
lifecycle and supplier chain and make sure the MoJ’s AI and Data Ethics
Framework is put into practice.
• Oversee the technical and security testing of AI platforms and models to
ensure they meet required standards.
• Lead checks on suppliers and their AI systems, making sure they meet MoJ’s
expectations for responsible and secure AI use.
• Manage the publication of ATRS (Algorithmic Transparency Recording
Standard) reports, promoting openness and accountability in how AI is used.
• Advise senior leaders and teams across the department on AI governance, risk,
and compliance matters.
• Build and lead a small expert team that focuses on reviewing high-risk AI models,
assessing suppliers, and helping teams across the MoJ follow AI policies and
standards.
• Be an active participant in the cross-government AI and security community and
contribute to collective capability building.
10. Person Specification / Essential Criteria
The successful postholder for this role will be able to demonstrate:
• Good knowledge of AI ethics, bias, and data protection law.
• Experience of leading information risk assessment and corporate risk management
in complex landscapes.
• An ability to apply accreditation and assurance methodologies, with an
understanding of protective security principles and risk management.
• Experience of secure ML ops, model lifecycle and Large Language Model assurance
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and
provide tailored advice on how to remedy identified risks by proportionately applying
security, data protection and ethical capabilities, using published guidance,
standards.
**Qualifications**
• Current SC clearance (or willing to obtain).
• CISSP or CCP Security & Information Risk.
11. Desirable Criteria
• Track record with regulators or government bodies.
• AI governance certification
• Experience of red teaming
• Knowledge of public-sector procurement rules
• ISO 27001, ISO 31000, ISO 27005 and ISO/IEC 42001
• Awareness of corporate governance good practice standards
• Knowledge of system architectures and ability to articulate the impact of
vulnerabilities on existing and future designs
12. Civil Service Behaviours (Grade 6)
• Leadership
• Communicating & Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing & Improving
• Delivering at Pace
13. Benefits & Working Pattern
• 25 days leave plus bank holidays, rising with service.
• Civil Service pension; extensive learning & development.
• Flexible hours, hybrid working, wellbeing support.
14. Security Clearance Required
Security Check (SC)
15. Application Process & Timelines
• CV and 1,250-word statement of suitability.
• Sift mid-July [placeholder].
• Panel interview and technical exercise late July.
• Offer subject to security and reference checks.
16. Contact Point for Further Information
[placeholder-email] | [placeholder-phone]