Governor – Digital/AI | Ada – National College for Digital Skills

Peridot Partners; Manchester, Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in the UK is seeking a Governor with expertise in artificial intelligence to join their Board. The ideal candidate will provide strategic insights and guidance on digital innovation, ensuring curriculum alignment with industry needs. This role requires a commitment to the institution's mission of promoting diversity and equipping young people with essential digital skills. This is a part-time position with a time commitment of up to 10 hours per month.

Qualifications

• Professional experience or academic background in artificial intelligence, data science or digital innovation.
• Understanding of AI applications within education, industry or public services.
• Awareness of ethical, legal and societal issues related to AI.

Responsibilities

• Advise on integration of AI into strategic planning.
• Support curriculum development for emerging AI skills.
• Champion responsible adoption of AI tools in operations.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Expertise in artificial intelligence

Insight into digital innovation

Understanding of ethical issues

Experience in governance

Job description

Governor – Digital/AI Ada – National College for Digital Skills

Governor – Digital/AI Ada – National College for Digital Skills

Bring your AI and digital expertise to the Board at Ada by becoming a Governor and working to support our mission ‘to educate and empower the next generation of diverse digital talent’.

• Location: Greater London and Manchester
• Closing date: Rolling applications

Founded in 2015, Ada is named after Ada Lovelace, a computing pioneer. She created a program for the ‘Analytical Engine’, a prototype computer which has been called the first computer programmer.

We operate from two campuses in London and Manchester. When we opened, we were the first new FE college in England since 1993. Since then, we have worked with over 1,300 young people.

Ada is a unique and supportive environment that bridges the gap between education and employment. Our industry-leading sixth‑form college and apprenticeship programmes develop students’ tech talents and offer opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds to connect with future employers.

We are a charity that relies on philanthropic support to transform the lives of diverse young people. We work with employer partners and industry experts to develop real‑world curricula, creating a pipeline of ambitious job‑ready employees.

Who we are

Ada is a specialist further education college, whose mission is ‘To educate and empower the next generation of diverse digital talent.’ Every sixth‑form student takes Computer Science, and every diverse higher‑level and degree apprentice works in skills‑shortage disciplines within innovative, blue‑chip companies.

The UK has 800,000 unfilled IT jobs, and the digital skills gap costs the UK economy an estimated £63 billion a year in lost GDP, but young people are not adequately supported to bridge this gap. Over 50% of secondary schools in the UK do not even offer Computer Science.

Ada seeks to fill this skills gap by ensuring young people are equipped with skills industry actually needs, empowering those currently underrepresented in UK tech. Our core focus is on reaching individuals from low‑income households, young women and those from ethnic minority backgrounds to address diversity challenges in tech‑focused roles.

Ada focuses on three aims:

• To be the centre of excellence for the teaching and learning of advanced digital skills.
• To offer students a viable, high‑quality alternative to university.
• To be a beacon of best practice for employment‑focused provision.

At present, Ada has 583 learners enrolled across the sixth form and apprenticeship programmes. Ada is the top‑performing college in England for computing BTECs and achieves the highest results in Greater London and Manchester for apprenticeship standards delivered.

32% of learners are female, 60% are from ethnic minority backgrounds, and 46% come from low‑income households. Ada’s diversity metrics are significantly ahead of national averages. We aim to achieve over 50% for each of these metrics by 2025.

About the role

The College is seeking a strategic and forward‑thinking individual to join our Governing Board as a Governor with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI). This role is critical in helping the college navigate opportunities and challenges presented by AI, ensuring our curriculum, infrastructure and strategic direction remain relevant and future‑focused.

Working closely with high‑profile partners, Ada harnesses technology as a positive tool for social mobility and to improve the gender balance in tech‑focused roles.

Having relocated to two new campuses, the College aims to increase its impact and profile. A passionate and committed Board of Governors is vital to realise these ambitions.

Time commitment: up to 10 hours per month.

Who we are looking for

We seek an experienced and forward‑thinking professional to join our Governing Board as an External Member, providing insight and strategic guidance on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation.

As the College continues its digital transformation, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape how emerging technologies enhance teaching, learning, operations and community impact. We need someone who can navigate AI responsibly, ethically and effectively.

Key responsibilities:

• Advise on the integration of AI into the College’s strategic planning and digital transformation.
• Support curriculum development to ensure alignment with emerging AI‑related skills and industry needs.
• Provide insight into the ethical, legal and societal implications of AI use in education.
• Champion innovation and the responsible adoption of AI tools in teaching, learning and operations.
• Identify funding and partnership opportunities related to AI and digital innovation.
• Provide oversight on data governance, privacy and risk management relating to AI technologies.

Person specification:

• Professional experience or academic background in artificial intelligence, data science or digital innovation.
• Understanding of AI applications within education, industry or public services.
• Awareness of ethical, legal and societal issues related to AI.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to contribute to governance and oversight.
• Commitment to the values and mission of further education.

The College and Board are adept at remote working; however, the postholder will need to regularly visit the London campus and be at the Manchester campus periodically.

Equality, diversity and safeguarding

Peridot Partners and Ada – National College for Digital Skills are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.

Peridot Partners and Ada – National College for Digital Skills are committed to promoting equality and diversity. We value differences and aim to support a culture that is diverse. We will conduct equality monitoring surveys at the point of receiving applications and at the time of placement to ensure inclusivity and equitable processes.

The information will be treated confidentially and anonymised in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.