Artificial Intelligence and Futures Advisor
| Posting date: | 05 August 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £41,156 to £48,817 per year |
| Additional salary information: | National: £41,156 - £45,112 London: £44,942 - £48,817 This role attracts a GSE allowance at the Practioner rate of £2,575 in addition to the advertised salary, subject to satisfying eligibility requirements. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 31 August 2025 |
| Location: | Birmingham |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 418232/1 |
Summary
Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge, and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade. We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation, and efficiency.
Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of construction products regulation planned.
Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence.
Further information can be found on our website here
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Are you looking to apply your STEM expertise to real-world challenges in emerging technology? Do you want to work on projects at the forefront of innovation, helping shape regulation that supports progress while keeping people and places safe? Are you curious about how advances in technology will impact society in the short, medium, and long term; and how OPSS can stay ahead of the curve?
If so, this role could be a great fit for you.
About the Team
You’ll be part of the OPSS Technology Team, working closely with the AI and Futures Leads. The team plays a vital role in helping OPSS understand and respond to emerging technologies, ensuring our regulatory approach remains effective, evidence-based, and future-facing.
We work collaboratively across OPSS and with external partners including industry bodies, trade associations, standards and accreditation organisations, and academic institutions. Some travel to other OPSS and stakeholder sites across the UK will be required.
About the Role
You’ll support the AI and Futures Leads by:
- Leading internal research on Artificial Intelligence and Futures topics—this includes desk-based research, literature reviews, and contributing to working and focus groups.
- Monitoring emerging technologies—gathering insights from a range of sources, assessing their relevance to OPSS, and sharing findings with the right teams.
- Supporting the delivery of external research projects on emerging technology.
- Engaging with the wider technical and academic community to ensure our work is informed by the latest thinking in science and engineering.
- Representing OPSS—deputising for the AI and Futures Leads at meetings and forums to maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders.
- Contributing to horizon scanning—helping identify and assess new technology areas so OPSS can respond proactively.
You may also be required to represent OPSS at internal and external meetings in the UK and internationally.
Why This role Matters?
This role helps OPSS stay informed, agile, and ready to respond to technological change. Your work will directly support our mission to protect consumers and enable innovation—ensuring that regulation keeps pace with the technologies shaping our future.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme