AI Governance Manager

AQA Education; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK education provider is seeking an experienced AI Governance Manager to lead the development and implementation of AI governance frameworks. This role involves assessing risks, conducting audits, and ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards. Ideal candidates have expertise in AI ethics, strong stakeholder management skills, and experience in compliance roles. Benefits include flexible working options, a comprehensive health coverage, and a generous pension scheme.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Enhanced pension scheme

25 days annual leave

Comprehensive health coverage

Eco-friendly transport schemes

Qualifications

• Experience in AI ethics, risk management, and compliance frameworks.
• Experience implementing AI governance and compliance strategies.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to communicate effectively.

Responsibilities

• Assess AI-related risks while ensuring compliance and accountability.
• Conduct audits and provide training on responsible AI practices.
• Develop and maintain AI governance framework and operational processes.

Skills

AI ethics

Risk management

Compliance frameworks

Stakeholder management

Problem-solving mindset

Communication skills

Education

Degree or equivalent professional qualification

Certifications in data protection or AI ethics/governance

Tools

Explainability tools

Bias detection software

Model monitoring solutions

MS Office, particularly Excel

Job description

Are you ready to shape the future of ethical AI? This is your chance to lead AI governance in an organisation where your expertise ensures compliance, mitigates risks, and drives ethical AI adoption. If you thrive on creating frameworks that balance innovation with responsibility, you'll make a lasting impact here.

You'll develop and implement AI governance frameworks that align with legal, regulatory, ethical, and international standards. Working across the organisation with technical teams, projects, legal experts, and business stakeholders, you'll embed responsible AI practices and compliance into our AI‑driven future.

Responsibilities

• Assess and mitigate AI‑related risks, ensuring transparency, fairness, explainability, privacy, and accountability.
• Conduct audits, compliance reporting, and drive AI‑related governance initiatives, including incident management.
• Provide training and guidance on responsible and ethical AI for business stakeholders and leadership.
• Develop, implement, and maintain AQA's AI governance framework and related operational processes.
• Ensure the organisation operates in alignment with and adherence to any and all relevant legal, regulatory, and organisational governance and policy requirements, influencing, guiding and where necessary facilitating compliance.
• Promote the effective and proportionate delivery of AI related governance through a variety of mechanisms including:
  • effective stakeholder engagement / communication
  • creation and delivery of training & awareness content
  • application of consultative technical expertise / subject matter knowledge
  • delivery of governance, risk management and related performance monitoring / reporting
  • collaborative management and leadership skills
• Foster a positive culture of responsible and ethical AI use throughout the organisation, ensuring adequate and proportionate compliance with all relevant domestic / national and international DP and AI regulations.
• Provide business stakeholders and senior leadership with regular assessments and reporting covering AI governance health, compliance performance and any related risks / issues and suggestions for how they might be addressed.

The Enterprise Technology Division sits within the Corporate Services Division, enabling the centralised delivery of core corporate services. In addition, Enterprise Technology operates in close partnership with Assessment Technology and Programme Management, collectively delivering the full IT service portfolio of current operations to future change programmes.

As the AI Governance Manager, you operate within the (Enterprise Technology) Data Protection and Compliance team, reporting to the Group Data Protection & AI Ethics/Governance Lead. This role is a management position that requires collaboration and close working with cross‑functional teams, wider team members, technical teams, legal, and business units.

Qualifications

• Experience in AI ethics, risk management, and compliance frameworks.
• Experience implementing AI governance, policies, risk mitigation and compliance strategies.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to communicate complex concepts effectively.
• A proactive, problem‑solving mindset with a commitment to responsible AI.
• Relevant certifications such as AIGP, CIPP/E, CIPM, or strong understanding of AI/ML principles, algorithms, technologies, and related risks / challenges / benefits.
• Proficiency in tools and platforms for AI governance, such as explainability tools, bias detection software, and model monitoring solutions.
• Knowledge of AI lifecycle management, including data collection, model training, and deployment.

Desired Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent professional qualification.
• Certifications in data protection (e.g., CIPP/E, CIPM, PC.dp) or AI ethics / governance (e.g., AIGP).
• Experience in a similar governance or compliance role.
• Two to three years' experience working in a data or similar governance role.
• Experience of developing and maintaining effective working relationships with a range of partners and stakeholders.
• Experience of successfully delivering organisational wide governance programmes and/or frameworks.
• Proven experience of working with senior level stakeholders, including third party suppliers, auditors, and regulatory bodies.
• Experience in successfully delivering change through collaborative matrix management rather than hierarchical relationships.
• Strong communication skills, both orally (large/small groups) and in writing, enabling the conveyance of complex information to business users.
• Excellent change management skills, tools, and techniques.
• Strong IT skills; accurate and proficient user of MS Office, particularly Excel, and other systems.

Benefits

• 35‑hour week with flexible working options.
• Enhanced contributory pension scheme (up to 11.5% employer contribution).
• 25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 with service, plus bank holidays and Christmas closure.
• Comprehensive health coverage from day one, including Bupa PMI and Health Cash Plan.
• Eco‑friendly transport schemes, including electric vehicles and cycle‑to‑work options.