Named in honour of Alan Turing, the Institute is a place for inspiring, exciting work and we need passionate, sharp, and innovative people who want to use their skills to contribute to our mission to make great leaps in data science and AI research to change the world for the better.

Please find more information about us here.

BACKGROUND

The Public Policy research programme works alongside policy makers to explore how data-driven public service provision and policy innovation might help to solve long running societal problems. Our work is interdisciplinary, with machine learning engineers, NLP experts, data scientists and social scientists collaborating across different projects.

The AI for Public Services team is part of the public policy programme. Our work focuses on working directly with government on the responsible implementation of AI and data science in the public sector in order to improve public services. We conduct foundational research trying to understand potential and actual uptake of AI in the public sector (and its consequences). We also conduct applied research projects looking at how the latest technology can be implemented in government: for example, how the next generation of large language models can be used to improve citizen communication.

ROLE PURPOSE

To support our ongoing work, we are seeking to recruit a Data Scientist focussed on public sector AI. The successful candidate will have two main responsibilities:

• Helping push forward some of our measurement work on the possible space for AI in government and thinking about how the technology can improve public sector productivity.
• Helping advance our work on large language models for government, building out some of our development and testing pipelines.

The successful candidate should have a strong technical background at the master’s level, and enthusiasm for working with the technology for public and social good. However, there is no requirement for extensive experience either with productivity measurement or LLMs – the successful candidate could learn these on the job.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

The successful candidate will:

• Help support our work on AI and public sector productivity measurement, in conjunction with other colleagues on the team. This is a diverse workstream but could involve:
• Automating decomposition of job descriptions into individual tasks using NLP.
• Abstract task definitions.
• Some human labelling.
• Help support our work on LLMs for government, by (for example):
• Writing code pipelines that generate automatic summaries of text.
• Working on dashboards or interactive visualisations of such summaries.
• Working on evaluation protocols and writing code to test and evaluate LLM results.

• Masters-level degree or higher in computer science, engineering, data science, statistics or a related-discipline.
• Experience with data science in Python.
• Demonstrated interest in applications of AI in government and the public sector.
• Understanding of good software practices, including version control (e.g., Git) and package management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex or technical information.
• Ability to organise working time, take the initiative, and carry out research independently, under the guidance of the PI.
• Undertakes coaching/mentoring activities providing advice, guidance, and feedback to help team members work more effectively.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

You will need to register on the applicant portal and complete the application form including your CV, covering letter that outlines how you meet the job specifications. If you have questions about the role please email [email protected].

If you are applying for more than one role at the Turing, please note that only one Cover Letter can be visible on your profile at one time. If you wish to apply for multiple roles and do not want to overwrite your existing Cover Letter, please apply for the role using the button below and forward your additional cover letter directly to [email protected] quoting the job title.

If you are an internal applicant and wish to apply, please send your CV and Cover Letter directly to [email protected] and your application will be considered.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Wednesday 22 November 2023 at 23:59 (London UK GMT)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early or to interview suitable candidates before the closing date if enough applications are received.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This full-time post is offered on a fixed term basis for 12 months. The annual salary range is £42,893 - £48,300, plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits.

The Alan Turing Institute is based at the British Library, in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter. We expect staff to come to our office at least 4 days per month. Some roles may require more days in the office; the hiring manager will be able to confirm this during the interview.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The Alan Turing Institute is committed to creating an environment where diversity is valued and everyone is treated fairly. In accordance with the Equality Act, we welcome applications from anyone who meets the specific criteria of the post regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We are committed to building a diverse community and would like our leadership team to reflect this. We therefore welcome applications from the broadest spectrum of backgrounds.

We are committed to making sure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive. This includes making reasonable adjustments for candidates who have a disability or long-term condition. Please contact us at [email protected] to find out how we can assist you.

Please note all offers of employment are subject to obtaining and retaining the right to work in the UK and satisfactory pre-employment security screening which includes a DBS Check. Full details on the pre-employment screening process can be requested from [email protected].