The UK government is offering salaries of up to £200k for top developer and data scientist talent as part of a major recruitment drive, as it looks to “transform” government systems with AI.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has increasingly sought to cosy up to the country’s tech community, as he looks to implement AI tools across government and digital infrastructure across the country in a bid to boost economic productivity.
10 Downing Street, Starmer’s office, said it was looking for “elite teams of engineers” in a bid to “fundamentally rewire the state”, in a letter to the Society for Technological Advancement (SoTA), a tech community which organises hackathons and panel discussions.
The letter said candidates don’t need any experience in government, and recruitment was exclusively from industry and academia.
Dated June 11, the letter was sent just over a week before Starmer’s chief AI advisor Matt Clifford announced he was stepping down from his role for personal reasons. Sifted understands that No. 10 is currently considering whether or not to replace Clifford.
“For those that make it through we can guarantee you the most impactful work of your career and support and guidance from the existing No10 Data Science team,” the letter reads. “You will be protected as much as possible from bureaucracy and given the tools and support you need to deliver your mission.”
The salaries advertised are higher than many top government ministers and Starmer himself, who earns £172k.
The UK government said it was offering contracts or secondments, between 6-18 months, with the potential to extend, adding that it could negotiate secondments with employers.
Candidates would be “transforming key areas of the government system through the applications of data science and AI”, as well as improving the quality of public facing services and delivering projects for the NHS, new infrastructure and housing.
Launched in 2024, SoTA is a non-profit which says its mission is to promote “techno-optimism and foster technoscientific progress” across the UK.
The UK government letter is the latest move by top government officials to strengthen ties with the country’s tech community.
During London Tech Week, Starmer hosted an invite-only party for tech chiefs the likes of DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis and Revolut’s Nik Storonsky and finance minister Rachel Reeves spoke at a drinks reception for startups and VC held by lobby group Startup Coalition.
Sifted approached 10 Downing Street for comment.
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/uk-government-hiring-tech-talent/
