Head, AI for Medicines Safety

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for the Beyond ADMET: AI for Medicines Safety regulatory sandbox.
• Lead delivery of the programme's strategic priorities, ensuring alignment with the MHRAs strategy and wider government ambitions for AI and life sciences.
• Serve as the senior leader for the programme, ensuring delivery of agreed outcomes, benefits and impact.
• Identify future opportunities for innovation, collaboration and capability development across the AI for Safety portfolio.

• Act as the senior scientific and technical leader for the programme, ensuring activities are grounded in robust evidence and scientific excellence.
• Provide expert leadership across areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational modelling, pharmacology, toxicology, healthcare data science, drug development and regulatory science.
• Guide the evaluation of emerging technologies, methodologies, datasets and validation frameworks relevant to regulatory decision-making.
• Ensure programme outputs generate meaningful evidence that can inform future regulatory approaches, guidance and policy.
• Promote innovation while ensuring appropriate standards of quality, transparency, safety and governance.

• Oversee delivery of the programme through effective governance, assurance and performance management arrangements.
• Lead programme boards, steering groups and governance forums.
• Ensure risks, issues, dependencies and opportunities are identified and managed appropriately.
• Oversee programme resources and budgets, ensuring value for money and effective use of public resources.
• Work closely with the Technical Lead, Programme Manager, and Regulation & Policy Lead to ensure effective operational delivery against agreed objectives and milestones.

• Build and maintain strong strategic relationships across industry, academia, government, healthcare organisations, patient groups and international regulatory networks.
• Represent the MHRA as a senior spokesperson and thought leader on AI-related regulatory science initiatives.
• Lead engagement with senior external stakeholders to promote collaboration and maximise programme impact.
• Champion dissemination of programme findings, learning and best practice.
• Foster strong connections across the MHRA's wider portfolio of AI initiatives and regulatory sandboxes

• Lead and develop a high-performing multidisciplinary team.
• Create an inclusive culture that encourages innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Manage senior staff, including technical leadership roles and programme management resource.

• Support the development of future regulatory policy, guidance and frameworks relating to AI-enabled technologies.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the MHRAs capability in AI, advanced analytics and regulatory science.
• Contribute to wider MHRA strategic priorities including evidence-based regulatory decision-making and improvements in patient safety.
• Promote the MHRA's reputation as an international leader in innovative regulation.

• While the immediate focus of this role is the successful delivery of the Beyond ADMET: AI for Medicines Safety regulatory sandbox, the postholder will be expected to provide leadership and expertise across the Agency's evolving AI, data and regulatory science agenda.
• Champion the MHRA values and Civil Service behaviours, promoting an ethical, positive and inclusive working environment.
• Proactively maintain and develop professional knowledge and expertise, sharing learning and best practice with colleagues.
• Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in response to emerging technologies, scientific developments and changing business needs.

Essential

• Recognised expertise in either:
• Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science or Computational Modelling; or
• Pharmacology, Toxicology, Drug Development, NAMs or related life science disciplines.
• Broad understanding of the wider AI and medicines development ecosystem, with the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams spanning both domains.
• Ability to evaluate scientific evidence and emerging technologies and translate findings into regulatory and strategic recommendations.

Essential

• Degree in a relevant scientific, technical or healthcare discipline (or equivalent experience).
• Postgraduate qualification (MSc, PhD or equivalent experience) in a relevant field such as artificial intelligence, computational biology, pharmacology, toxicology, data science, bioinformatics, pharmaceutical sciences or a related discipline.

Essential

• Experience leading complex strategic programmes, scientific portfolios or major innovation initiatives, and successful delivery of their outcomes.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and leading highly specialised technical experts.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders, operating effectively across organisational boundaries and working collaboratively with external partners including academia, industry, government and healthcare organisations.