SC Cleared Data Ethicist
Rate: Up to £620 per day (Inside IR35)
Location: London or Manchester (1-2 days per week on-site)
Contract: 6 months
Clearance: Active SC required
We're hiring an experienced SC-cleared Data Ethicist to support the delivery of a high-profile central government data and AI programme. This role focuses on ensuring ethical, responsible, and transparent use of data and AI technologies, balancing innovation with public trust, compliance, and societal impact.
This is a hands-on advisory and governance role, working closely with data scientists, engineers, architects, policy teams, and senior stakeholders to embed ethical principles into data-driven services and decision-making processes.
Key Requirements- Active Security Clearance (SC) - must be current and transferable
- Proven experience as a Data Ethicist or in responsible AI/data ethics roles within central government or regulated environments
- Strong understanding of ethical frameworks for data and AI (eg fairness, accountability, transparency, explainability)
- Experience applying ethical principles to AI/ML models and data-driven products
- Knowledge of UK regulatory and ethical standards (eg GDPR, ICO guidance, AI assurance frameworks)
- Familiarity with bias detection, mitigation, and fairness evaluation techniques
- Experience working with data governance, risk, and compliance teams
- Understanding of cloud-based data and AI platforms (Azure/AWS)
- Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, including ability to challenge constructively
- Experience working in Agile, multidisciplinary teams
Responsibilities
- Define and implement data ethics and responsible AI frameworks aligned to government standards
- Assess ethical risks in data use, analytics, and machine learning models
- Provide guidance on fairness, bias mitigation, transparency, and explainability
- Review and challenge data-driven solutions to ensure ethical compliance and public trust
- Collaborate with delivery teams to embed ethics into design, development, and deployment processes
- Support the development of ethical impact assessments and governance controls
- Work with legal, policy, and technical teams to ensure regulatory alignment
- Contribute to documentation, standards, and audit readiness
- Promote a culture of ethical data use across teams and stakeholders
Working Pattern
- 1-2 days per week on-site in London or Manchester
- Remaining days remote, offering a flexible hybrid working model
If you're an SC-cleared Data Ethicist with strong experience in responsible AI, governance, and ethical data practices within complex environments, we'd like to hear from you.
Reasonable Adjustments:
Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.
If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason , please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.