i.AI
Onboarding Lead - i.AI
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Salary- £44,620—£47,355 This role closes on 4th October 2026 at 23:59
About the Incubator for AI (i.AI)
The Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (i.AI) is the UK government’s engine room for building products that shape national outcomes. We will be building tools used daily by thousands of civil servants, directly impacting millions of citizens. We take on the hardest problems in government, backed directly by No10, and solve them with a small, high-performing team. Our work is shaping how government adopts AI in practice; through what we build, who we hire, and the standards we set.
About the role
The central Recruitment Operations team across i.AI and AISI is responsible for attracting, selecting and onboarding the exceptional technical and policy talent needed to deliver on our mission. We are a small, high-performing team that enables the organisation we support to hire and retain the world-class engineers and policy professionals who do the work that matters.
The team covers end-to-end recruitment for all of the AI Security Institute and the i.AI, as well as onboarding, process improvement and operational delivery. We work closely with Hiring Managers, the People Team, GRS, and a range of internal and external stakeholders. The team is building out its infrastructure and processes as the organisation scales rapidly.
This is an exciting time to join Recruitment Operations focusing on the Incubator for AI. We are building something from scratch, and the person in this role will have genuine scope to shape how i.AI onboards its people — with a direct and visible impact on the experience of every new joiner.
Role Responsibilities
Primary objective:
To improve the efficiency of i.AI’s onboarding processes and enhance the new joiner experience — ensuring every candidate who joins i.AI, however complex their circumstances, has a smooth, well-managed and professional onboarding journey.
Core responsibilities:
- Complex Candidate Onboarding (~50% of time): Own the end-to-end onboarding journey for all non-standard candidates — those requiring visa sponsorship, security clearances, non-standard pay arrangements, or other bespoke handling. Candidates include secondees, Amber contractors, fellows, SCS and above, and those with conflicts of interest.
- Process Improvement & Efficiency (~35% of time): Lead a programme of work to improve onboarding processes and self-serve capability. This includes working with GRS, facilitating workshops, defining and documenting onboarding SLAs, and creating new joiner and contractor guidance.
- Recruitment Account Management (~15% of time): Maintain recruitment accounts for up to 8 live roles across the organisation, supporting Talent Partners with campaign administration and candidate management.
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Success Metrics:
- First 90 days: All non-standard RU candidate journeys are actively managed and on track; initial GRS engagement has taken place; onboarding SLAs are drafted for review.
- 6 months: Self-serve onboarding guidance is live; GRS workshop completed; onboarding process is measurably faster and more consistent.
- 1 year: The function is running smoothly and the postholder has taken on all complex candidates across both CS and RU pipelines.
Person Specifications
Essential Criteria:
- Experience managing complex HR, onboarding or people operations processes — including cases with non-standard requirements (e.g. visa, security clearance, contractor arrangements)
- Strong organisational skills — able to manage multiple cases, deadlines and stakeholders simultaneously without losing accuracy or pace
- Process improvement mindset — comfortable identifying inefficiencies, designing solutions and building guidance that reduces manual effort
- Excellent written communication skills — able to produce clear, accessible guidance and documentation for a range of audiences
- Strong stakeholder management — able to work confidently with candidates, hiring managers, HR teams and external partners
- High level of discretion and sensitivity — this role involves handling complex personal circumstances, pay cases and sensitive information
- Self-starter — able to work independently and make sound judgements without close supervision
Preferred Criteria:
- Experience working with visa, immigration or security clearance processes in a government or large organisation context
- Familiarity with government recruitment systems such as GRS, Civil Service Jobs or equivalent ATS platforms
- Experience facilitating workshops or cross-team process improvement initiatives
- Understanding of Civil Service HR frameworks, pay policies and contractor/secondee arrangements
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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, engineering, 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 for learning and development, annual stipends for learning and development, and funding for conferences and external collaborations.
Life & family
- Hybrid working, flexibility for occasional remote work abroad, and stipends for work-from-home equipment.
- Contract: 24 month Fixed Term Contract - please feel free to ask about this.
- Generous annual leave — 25 days plus one additional day for each year of service.
- Generous paid parental leave (up to 39 weeks full pay, with the option of 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.
Selection Process
Sift
Applications will be assessed on CV and personal statement. Candidates should demonstrate their experience against the essential criteria, with particular focus on their ability to manage complex onboarding or HR processes and their approach to process improvement.
Stage 1: Experience Interview
Stage 2 — Structured Interview
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a structured interview assessing experience and behaviours against the person specification. The interview will include a short exercise or presentation element — details to be confirmed at shortlisting stage.
Stage 3 – SCS Leadership Panel
Reasonable adjustments are available at every stage
Salary
£44,620—£47,355 GBP
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