Across government, artificial intelligence is becoming a powerful enabler of improved services, operational efficiency and better decision-making. The opportunity now is to move beyond experimentation and build AI products that work reliably in real operational settings, with solutions that are secure, well-governed, measurable and useful to the people who rely on them.
Ofgem plays a vital role in the UK’s energy system, protecting consumers and enabling a more secure, fair and sustainable energy future, and applied AI is a key component of how we will modernise and innovate.
Ofgem is on a significant transformation journey. Within the Digital, Data and Security Services (DDSS) directorate, we are building a modern data and AI capability that embeds advanced technologies into products and services. This includes the use of large language models, AI assistants and agentic systems to support regulatory delivery, improve efficiency and enhance user experience, all within a strong framework of governance and responsible AI.
As a Senior AI Engineer, you will play a critical role in designing, building and operating AI-enabled applications, shaping the engineering patterns, architecture and delivery practices that allow AI to be used safely at scale.
You will work at the intersection of software engineering, data and AI, focusing on the practical application of advanced AI models within secure and scalable digital services. You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to take AI solutions from prototype to production, with a focus on reliability, observability, security, cost control and measurable user value.
This is a genuinely hands-on engineering role in a fast-moving area, with the chance to build reusable patterns for how Ofgem designs, deploys and runs AI-enabled services.
You will combine engineering expertise with a strong understanding of AI capabilities, contributing to innovative solutions while ensuring that systems are reliable, secure and aligned with organisational standards.
Job overview
You will be responsible for:
- Designing, developing and deploying AI-enabled applications and services, using platforms such as Azure AI, Copilot Studio and Azure OpenAI.
- Building and operating advanced AI solutions, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines and agentic AI systems integrated with trusted data sources.
- Applying strong software engineering practices, including APIs, version control, CI/CD and automated testing, to ensure robust and scalable AI solutions.
- Evaluating and refining prompts, workflows and model configurations to optimise performance, reliability and user outcomes.
- Operationalising AI solutions into live services, ensuring performance, cost, security and compliance are effectively managed.
- Monitoring and maintaining AI systems in production, identifying issues and driving continuous improvement.
- Collaborating with data scientists, engineers and product teams to transition experimental AI capabilities into production-ready services.
- Engaging stakeholders to identify AI use cases, assess feasibility and define expected value and outcomes.
- Ensuring compliance with Responsible AI, data governance and security requirements across all AI implementations.
- Designing for observability, evaluation and continuous improvement, including monitoring model behaviour, usage, performance, cost and quality over time.
- Creating reusable engineering patterns, technical documentation and reference implementations that help Ofgem scale AI delivery beyond individual prototypes.
We are looking for:
A skilled, pragmatic AI engineer who enjoys turning emerging AI capabilities into production-ready services that solve real user and organisational problems.
You will bring strong software engineering experience, combined with hands-on knowledge of modern AI technologies and platforms.
You may come from software engineering, machine learning, data engineering or applied AI, but you will be able to demonstrate:
- Experience delivering AI-enabled applications into production environments
- Strong programming capability, particularly in Python and cloud-based platforms
- Practical experience working with large language models and modern AI systems
- The ability to design and integrate AI solutions within complex digital architectures
- Experience working within multidisciplinary teams in an agile or product-led environment
- Experience applying engineering discipline to AI systems, including testing, evaluation, monitoring, security and maintainability.
Experience within government or regulated environments, and familiarity with responsible AI practices, would be beneficial.
This is an opportunity to help define what production AI looks like inside a critical government organisation, not as isolated experiments, but as secure, reliable services that support better regulation and better outcomes for consumers.
You will help shape how advanced AI technologies are embedded into services, ensuring they deliver real, measurable value while remaining secure, ethical and reliable.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Strong experience delivering AI-enabled applications in production (Lead Criteria).
- Proven software engineering capability using Python and cloud platforms (Lead Criteria).
- Experience operating large language model-based systems.
- Experience working in multidisciplinary delivery teams.
- Proven experience of developing AI use cases and recommendations.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience delivering AI in regulated or public sector environments.
- Experience with agile or user-centred delivery approaches.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Changing and Improving
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- You will also be asked to prepare a presentation. Full details of the presentation will be included in the invitation to interview.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £49,452, OFGEM contributes £14,326 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
Ofgem can offer you a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes:
- 30 days annual leave after 2 years;
- Excellent training and development opportunities;
- The opportunity to join the generous Civil Service pension which also includes a valuable range of benefits;
- Hybrid working (currently 1 day a week in the office but this is kept under review), flexible working hours and family friendly policies.
Plus lots of other benefits including clean and bright offices based centrally, engaged networks and teams and an opportunity to contribute to our ambitious and important targets of establishing a Net Zero energy system by 2050.
This exciting blend of professional challenge and personal reward identifies career opportunities at Ofgem as something to get excited about.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience.
Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), your career history and qualifications.
You will then be asked to provide a 1,250 word ‘personal statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the criteria listed in the role profile. In the event of receiving a large number of applications, an initial sift may take place on just the lead criteria indicated in the essential criteria.
The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity.
Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by [https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn].
At Ofgem, we expect our staff to carry out their roles with honesty, fairness and openness. They should follow the Civil Service code and be free from any influence or bias. We are committed to making sure interests are recognised, declared and managed appropriately so that we can fulfil our duties as an energy regulator.
Our Conflicts of Interest policy outlines the types of interests Ofgem staff must declare before onboarding, and the rules they must follow throughout employment so that we can clearly demonstrate that our decisions are not influenced by private interests.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window).
Working for the Civil Service
Please note this Post is not regulated by the Civil Service Commission.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact
Recruitment team
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of these Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via [email protected].
If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website.
Attachments
DDSS Role Profile Senior AI Engineer (2B) - Opens in new window (pdf, 199kB)
DDSS Candidate Pack, Senior AI Engineer - Opens in new window (pdf, 1988kB)
Terms and Conditions - Opens in new window (pdf, 335kB)
