Senior Advisor - Artificial Intelligence

Tony Blair Institute for Global Change; London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A global advisory organization seeks a Senior Advisor on Artificial Intelligence in London. This role involves advising government leaders on AI's transformative power and implementation. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in AI technologies and public sector experience, with the ability to communicate complex concepts effectively. The position includes global travel and engagement with high-level political stakeholders.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Training and development opportunities

Engagement with global leaders

Qualifications

• Experience advising senior political leaders or public officials.
• Strong grasp of AI/ML concepts and cloud dynamics.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts to non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Identify transformative applications of AI in government.
• Advise on shaping AI strategies and implementation.
• Support governments from concept to execution of initiatives.

Skills

Political acumen

Understanding of AI

Outstanding communication

Strategic thinking

Ability to influence

Education

Experience in AI or data implementations

Public sector experience

Job description

Overview

We don't just talk, we do. Lead the change with us.

At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, we work with political leaders around the world to drive change. We help governments turn bold ideas into reality so they can deliver for their people. We do it by advising on strategy, policy and delivery, unlocking the power of technology across all three. And by sharing what we learn on the ground, so everyone can benefit. We do it to build more open, inclusive and prosperous countries for people everywhere.

We are a global team of over 800 changemakers, operating in more than 40 countries, across five continents. We are political strategists, policy experts, delivery practitioners, technology specialists and more. We speak more than 45 languages. We are working on over 100 projects, tackling some of the world's biggest challenges. We're all here at TBI to make a difference. In a world of ever more complex challenges, we believe diversity of background and perspective is a strength. We pride ourselves on a culture that values and nurtures difference. We are dedicated to unlocking potential, not only for the countries we work in but also for each of our team members. No matter where you're from or who you are, if you're passionate about the transformative power of progressive politics, we invite you to build a better future with us.

Role Summary

TBI's growing Government Innovation and Digital Transformation advisory helps senior political leaders harness the power of technology to support more strategic, effective, and informed governments. As part of this effort, TBI supports senior leaders around the world to harness the potential of technology, data, and increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI). As machine learning and generative AI evolve rapidly, governments face both enormous promise and complex trade-offs. TBI helps leaders cut through the noise - focusing on scalable, responsible AI use and the systems that enable it.

To advance our tech offer and meet growing demand, TBI is expanding its global team of Senior Advisors on Artificial Intelligence within Global Client Solutions (GCS) - our centre of excellence for innovation, policy, and delivery. GCS works alongside TBI's government advisory teams and political partners, providing the cutting-edge insights and tools needed to deliver meaningful digital transformation.

We are looking for professionals who understand how AI works and how governments function. A successful candidate will bring political acumen and be able to convincingly engage senior officials on the political importance and transformative power of Artificial Intelligence. The Senior Advisor is expected to navigate both political and technical worlds, whether advising governments on regulations, co-designing an AI-powered solution with a delivery partner, or helping ministers develop an investment or public procurement strategy for emerging tech. The perfect candidate for this position should be comfortable in both spaces - translating ideas into action and technical concepts into political strategy.

As a central resource, the Senior Advisor on Artificial intelligence will sit within the Government Innovation Team, in GCS, reporting to the Senior Advisor coordinating the AI advisory services work in close coordination with the Senior Director for Government Innovation and AI. The incumbent will be expected to collaborate across policy, partnerships, and technology functions. Critically, the Senior Advisor on Artificial Intelligence will work closely with TBI's country teams, where the real delivery happens - supporting project design, in-country implementation, and high-level government engagement.

To successfully deliver the remit, the postholder will need to work effectively with teams across the Institute, including:

• Other advisors in the Government Innovation Team and in GCS, to ensure our overall engagement with countries is strategic and optimised for maximum impact and sustainability, and to adapt AI in specific subject matter areas (i.e. health) and functional offers (i.e. Delivery Mechanisms)
• Country teams and embedded advisors to ensure the offer evolves and remains relevant for centers of governments.
• Policy & Politics colleagues, to close the gap between progressive policy, thought leadership on cutting edge topics like AI, and hands on implementation.
• Partnerships & Initiatives teams, supporting the development of key partnerships to execute the Institute's vision for change.
• Strategic Communications teams, co-creating collateral that captures lessons learned and highlights successes to a global audience.

As part of the job, the Senior Advisor will:

• Identify transformative but implementable applications of AI in government;
• Help political leaders understand the country's digital readiness;
• Help shaping AI strategies that align with national political priorities, and support implementation;
• Support the design of investment strategies, realistic budgets and the development of institutional capabilities;
• Support policy reform, delivery design, and cross-sector coordination to unlock results;
• Share learnings across TBI's global portfolio to continuously strengthen our offer.

Key Responsibilities

This is a senior role within TBI and will be held by an exceptional candidate with government experience from helping senior political leaders generate change in government and public services, and create opportunities for efficiency and growth, with data, AI and advanced technology; with a bold creativity and ability to translate the art of the possible into action and practical recommendations and choices.

Key Responsibilities will include:

Offer and solution development

• Support the evolution of TBI's AI offer for governments: toolkits, frameworks, and best-practice guides.
• Embed AI into broader digital public service offers (identity, infrastructure, sector innovation).
• Contribute to regulatory design and governance tools (data sovereignty, AI ethics, emerging global norms).
• Translate research and frontier innovation into actionable government strategy.
• Advise on skills and capabilities' development

Project design and delivery

• Identify and shape high-impact AI opportunities in partnership with TBI's country teams.
• Support governments and delivery partners from concept to execution of initiatives
• Advise on critical enablers of success (skills, data policy, procurement, agile governance).
• Provide technical guidance, strategic counsel, and troubleshooting support.

External engagement and partnerships

• Represent TBI in high-level engagements with ministers, donors, and tech leaders.
• Partner with leading firms, startups, and institutions to expand our impact.
• Position TBI as a credible, trusted partner at the intersection of AI, policy, and delivery.

Enabling Systems

• Build internal AI capacity through training, tools, and knowledge sharing.
• Codify lessons from implementation and help scale what works across regions.
• Support country teams to strengthen their capacity to advise governments on AI policies and initiatives

Person Specification

We are seeking experienced and credible AI advisors, with global knowledge, technical fluency and public sector experience ready to work in complex environments with high-level political stakeholders. The candidate does not need to be a coder, but needs to understand how AI works, the conditions for its successful deployment, and how to advise on its strategic use in government and across the public sector.

Essential

• Demonstrated track record of leading or advising on multiple AI or advanced data implementations - ideally across different sectors or countries.
• Significant experience advising senior political leaders or public officials, either directly in government or in multinational/regulatory advisory contexts.
• Strong grasp of core AI/ML concepts (e.g., LLMs, ML, responsible AI), and awareness of cloud, privacy, and digital sovereignty dynamics.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills-able to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences, and navigate political sensitivities with discretion and diplomacy.
• Strategic thinker with a bias for action; skilled at moving from policy concept to delivery plan.
• Comfortable working across political systems and regional contexts (esp. ASEAN or Latin America).
• Willingness to travel globally up to ~30% to support project delivery and external engagement.

Desirable

• Experience in national tech ecosystems in Africa, Latin America, or Southeast Asia.
• Background in AI regulation, digital policy, or government transformation programmes.
• Multilingual (e.g., French, Spanish, Portuguese).
• Experience brokering public-private collaborations or working with international donors.

Closing Date: 2025-10-05