OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION

We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences, especially those who are underrepresented in tech and leadership roles. If you’re excited about this role but unsure whether you meet every requirement please apply anyway. We value potential as much as experience.

WE’VE BEEN PIONEERS BEFORE. WE’RE DOING IT AGAIN.

The University of Manchester has always stood at the forefront of progress. We helped usher in the computer age in 1948 with the world’s first stored-program computer “The Baby” and Alan Turing helped shape what would become the foundations of AI right here on campus. Home to 25 Nobel laureates, and in the city that helped shape the industrial revolution we’ve always been a place where innovation meets impact.
Manchester 2035 is our long-term strategy to be recognised globally for our research, learning, and civic contribution and AI has a critical role to play, transforming how we teach and learn, reimagining research practices and reshaping operations.
We’re exploring how this fast-moving technology can support our mission: to advance knowledge, transform lives, and make a difference on a global scale.
Artificial Intelligence is already reshaping how we learn, research, and work, but we’re at the early stages of this journey. AI is starting to touch every part of university life, from how we support students, to how we conduct research, to how our professional services operate. But for AI to make a real difference, people across the University need the skills, confidence, and curiosity to use it well.
That’s why we’re looking for an AI Skills Lead: to help our community build the confidence and capability to use AI in informed, inclusive and impactful ways.

THE ROLE:

As our AI Skills Lead, you’ll drive the University’s learning strategy for AI and data literacy, working across faculties and functions to ensure that every colleague and student is equipped to understand, engage with, and use AI meaningfully.
This is your opportunity to shape how one of the UK’s leading research universities harnesses AI to drive innovation, enhance education, and transform operations.
We’re looking for someone to lead the development of AI and data literacy across the University. Someone who can connect the dots between strategy and action, between emerging technologies and real-world challenges, and most importantly, between people.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

You’ll be part of a small, high-impact Skunkworks innovation team, reporting directly to our Director of AI Innovation and influencing strategy across the institution.

This is a new and evolving role, so you’ll have plenty of space to shape it, but some of the things you might find yourself doing include:

• Designing a University-wide approach to AI skills from short-term needs to long-term capability
• Working with teams across research, teaching, and operations to understand their learning goals
• Supporting academic and professional services colleagues to build AI into their own work
• Building or sourcing learning content and resources that are inclusive, engaging, and accessible
• Nurturing a culture of experimentation encouraging teams to explore, test, and share what works
• Keeping up to date with how AI is developing and what it means for the sector
• Connecting with partners, peers, and innovators across higher education and beyond

We are flexible, collaborative, and focused on impact. It’s a space where ideas are welcomed, failure is part of the process, and progress is made together.