Job Description

Digital Catapult is looking for a Senior Responsible Innovation Manager to embed responsible practice across our organisation and the partners we work with. This role suits someone who works confidently at the intersection of innovation, deep tech, and societal impact.

You will bring your domain expertise and experience to inform how the organisation addresses responsible technology innovation, and you will engage closely with technologists, partner organisations, legal and executive stakeholders. The role spans our responsible innovation approaches towards emerging technologies – such as AI, creative technologies, and quantum, both internally, in innovation and research projects, and externally, in support of the organisations we work with.

The role sets out to guide and operationalise responsible innovation and enable the practical application of ethics in developing transformative and deep technologies across complex industries. As the regulatory and sociotechnical landscape around these technologies is moving quickly, we need someone who tracks that closely and who is confident translating that into actionable recommendations to inform our organisational strategy and shape our capability.

WHAT YOU’LL DO (Duties)

• Act as subject matter expert and primary advisor on responsible technology innovation across Digital Catapult, supporting senior leadership and legal stakeholders.

• Bring a risk-aware, human-centred and responsible perspective to the organisation, advising on how we work with industry and how we develop and use technology.

• Lead and champion responsible technology innovation practice across Digital Catapult programmes, fostering a culture of responsible innovation.

• Provide strategic guidance and mentorship to project leads and teams to integrate ethics, risk management, and harm mitigation into their ways of working from the outset.

• Conduct risk assessments, consultations and training services for organisations, including startups and enterprise level partners.

• Provide advice and consult on the responsible initial application of novel technologies, as well as on novel applications of existing or more established technologies.

• Work closely with academic partners on responsible innovation and technology risk research

• Facilitate internal learning on responsible technology, building awareness and practical capability among colleagues, working with innovators and technologists.

• Monitor and enable compliance with regard to responsible technology innovation standards, regulations, best-practice and emerging industry requirements.

• Examine the socio-technical impacts of emerging technologies across complex systems and sectors.

• Contribute to Digital Catapult's external position on responsible technology innovation through industry engagement and published work.

Requirements

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR (Experience)

• Bachelor’s or Master's degree in a field related to technology ethics or governance, such as Computer Science, Social Sciences, Design or Law.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Working experience developing and implementing responsible technology frameworks, policies, or guidelines within an organisation.

• Proven experience in embedding ethical, legal, and social considerations into the design, development, and deployment of AI or data-driven technical solutions.

• Ability to engage and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (design, data science, engineering, legal, business) to deliver responsible innovation outcomes.

• Confidence in communicating and advocating for responsible technology practices to both technical and non-technical audiences, including delivering training or awareness programmes.

• Evidence of staying current with emerging trends, technologies, and regulations in deep technology and responsible innovation; with proven knowledge of trends and regulations in Artificial Intelligence.

• Experience in producing robust, evidence-based artefacts (such as guidelines, checklists, or impact assessments) to support responsible technology implementation and governance.

Salary: c. £60,000-70,000 pa (subject to skills and experience) + discretionary bonus + competitive benefits package

Deadline for applications: Thursday September 3, 3 pm BST (we do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so you are encouraged to submit your application at the earliest opportunity)

Like the sound of what we do but unsure if this is the right role for you? If you are interested in joining Digital Catapult and hearing about our latest vacancies, please email across your CV to digital-catapult@jobs.workablemail.com

Pre-Employment Background Checking Process

Due to the nature of our work across government and public sector contracts, including working with sensitive information, all applicants will need to successfully complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance process prior to starting employment.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We recognise and value the advantages and opportunities that come with having people from diverse backgrounds working with us and it is our ambition to build an organisation which is representative and reflective of UK society.

We welcome applications from neurodivergent candidates, candidates from minority and underrepresented groups and from candidates with more or less experience, provided the requisite skills can be demonstrated.

As members of the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy. Please do speak with us about adjustments that could support you through our interview process.

Digital Catapult is an equal opportunities employer.

Benefits

• We are in the UK’s Top 100 Best Workplaces and placed in the UK’s Best Workplaces in Tech and Large Organisations.
• Digital Catapult is a Disability Confident Committed Level 1 Employer.
• Excellent holiday package: 25 days annual leave, Bank Holidays and 3 days between Christmas and New Year:
• Double-matched pension up to 10% of your salary;
• Discretionary company bonus
• 4% of your salary to use towards selecting benefits that work for you, including health cash plan, Private Medical Insurance; buying holiday, topping up your pension;
• E-Vehicle Scheme; Cycle2Work; Tech Scheme; Gym Discounts; Give As you Earn; PerkPal;
• Life insurance 4x salary;
• Free to access EAP & Financial Wellbeing advice;
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave;
• Hybrid working - with great offices to work from 2 days per week with some roles needing to be onsite more regularly to ensure the successful delivery of our work;
• Investment in your ongoing learning and development with us;
• Company social events throughout the year and free office snacks!

We have a vibrant and engaging culture where all voices are heard and a variety of employee led affinity groups who champion initiatives and provide opportunities for feedback to be shared.

We use moments in the year to educate everyone at Digital Catapult on different aspects of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and to raise awareness.

We also enjoy socialising and having fun together through a variety of company-wide events held throughout the year including our football team, running and climbing groups and volunteering activities.