Location
Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, Westminster.

Hours
Full Time (hours not specified)

Salary
£79,410 per annum

About the Role
As AI Governance Lead you will provide strategic leadership for Westminster City Council’s AI Governance Framework, ensuring AI adoption is safe, ethical, legally compliant and aligned with corporate priorities, public-sector expectations and the Council’s ambitions. You will design, lead and assure proportionate AI risk classification, governance and approval processes, ensuring relevant cases receive appropriate scrutiny. Your role includes evaluating risks of proposed and existing AI applications, defining and maintaining governance standards, templates, controls and guidance for delivery teams, and preparing papers, recommendations and decisions for senior boards and forums. You will maintain oversight of compliance, assurance outcomes and audit findings while integrating AI governance with the Council’s wider data, information and technology governance arrangements. This includes setting expectations for data ownership, stewardship, classification, lineage, retention, quality and use, and embedding these requirements into strategic procurement, programme delivery, architecture review, service transition and operational change.
You will also maintain records, align governance activities across teams, and provide practical advice to enable colleagues to meet requirements and resolve issues promptly. Delivering targeted support to improve AI capabilities, you will coordinate investigation and resolution of issues, monitor legislative and regulatory changes, and assist senior leaders by producing strategic reports on risks, controls, compliance, benefits, assurance trends and governance maturity. Please refer to the Job Description for further details.

Experience
Significant experience leading or maturing AI, data, information or technology governance in a complex, regulated organisation. Proven ability to translate legal, regulatory and organisational requirements into practical standards and controls. Working knowledge of UK GDPR and other relevant laws and regulations. Experience applying data governance principles to procurement, project delivery, service transition or operational change.

About you
Strong professional judgement in complex circumstances, balancing innovation, risk, ethics, legal compliance and public value. Ability to convert governance requirements into clear, usable processes, standards and guidance. Excellent writing skills to produce clear, concise, evidence-based advice, papers and reports for diverse audiences. Strong interpersonal skills to influence senior stakeholders and multi-disciplinary teams, resolve competing priorities and secure agreement on governance outcomes. Confident communicator able to challenge appropriately, explain complex decisions and advise senior forums. Ready to coordinate assurance activities, maintain records and drive actions to completion. Collaborative approach working with Data Protection, Information Governance, Cyber Security, Architecture, Procurement, Legal and Delivery teams.

Qualifications
Degree or equivalent professional experience in governance, risk, assurance, data, technology, public policy or a related field. Evidence of continuing professional development. Ability to analyse assurance data and emerging developments to identify trends and recommend improvements.

Diversity and Inclusion
Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace and will automatically invite eligible candidates to interview under this scheme. The Council is also committed to increasing workforce diversity and especially encourages applications from candidates from Global Majority backgrounds. Positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 may be applied where candidates of equal merit are considered.