Public Sector Lead, Defence & Security
Scale AI · London, United Kingdom · 16h ago
About Scale
Scale builds AI systems for decisions that matter. We started out providing the data and evaluation behind many of the world's leading models, and we still work with the major frontier labs on research and post-training. Today we also build full applications: we take an organisation's own data and expertise, forward deploy alongside their teams, and build the systems they come to rely on, powered by the Scale GenAI Platform.
The Role
Defence is under pressure to adopt AI at pace. The 2025 Strategic Defence Review and the Defence AI Strategy push for AI to move from experiment to operational capability, Defence Digital and UK Strategic Command are driving digital and data programmes across the department, and the enabling organisations are being asked to field reliable systems, not pilots. Scale wants to play a foundational role in building the dependable AI applications that shift depends on.
We're looking for someone to lead that work across UK defence and the national security community. You'd own our commercial relationships across the Ministry of Defence and its enabling organisations - Defence Digital, UK Strategic Command, DE&S, and Dstl - and the broader defence and security customer base.
This is a critical role reporting directly to the new Public Sector leader. You'd carry a number, win deals yourself, and build a small team behind you as the work grows. It suits someone who has sold into defence before and knows how it actually makes decisions, not just how the org charts look.
What you'll do
- Own our commercial plan and pipeline for UK defence and security
- Find, shape, and close deals yourself, from the first conversation through to contract and into delivery
- Use the relationships you already have across the MOD, Defence Digital, UK Strategic Command, DE&S, Dstl, and the security and intelligence community
- Work the defence routes to market, and know which are worth the effort and which aren't (the Defence Sourcing Portal, DASA, JOSCAR registration, single-source arrangements, and the main CCS frameworks)
- Be a credible counterpart to senior military and civil service leaders, and turn what they need into work we can actually deliver
- Navigate the security clearance, accreditation, and information-handling requirements that come with defence work
- Stay close to our product and delivery teams so what we sell is what we build
- Hire and lead a small team over time, and help shape the wider UK public sector plan as a team with the Central Government Lead and Public Sector leader.
What we're looking for
- You've sold and delivered technology or transformation work into UK defence or national security, either from a vendor or SI or from inside the MOD or the Armed Forces
- You know at least one part of defence well (MOD, UK Strategic Command, DE&S, Dstl, or a single Service) and how it buys
- You understand defence and public sector procurement: frameworks, tenders, single-source rules, and buying that runs through a lot of stakeholders
- You've opened doors, run complex pursuits, and owned the result
- You have relationships with senior people in defence
- You hold, or are eligible to obtain, UK security clearance (SC as a minimum; DV desirable)
- You do your best work when things are ambiguous and moving quickly
People who tend to fit this have spent years leading UK defence work at companies like Palantir, Anduril, BAE Systems, QinetiQ, Leidos or Babcock, at consultancies and systems integrators like Accenture, Deloitte, EY or PA Consulting, or in senior commercial or programme roles inside the MOD, DE&S, or the Armed Forces.
Nice to have
- Experience with AI or data-heavy platforms
- Regulated, mission-critical, or classified government programmes
- You've built or run a small commercial team before
Why join
You'd be building this market, not maintaining it. There's no playbook to inherit, which is rather the point. The deals you win, and the way you win them, will shape how Scale works with UK defence for years.
PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.
About Us:
At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Ernst & Young, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.
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