It’s a fascinating time to be at the heart of competition and consumer protection as our lives become increasingly digital and as we grapple as a society with the unique power of large technology firms.
If you want to be at the forefront of investigating and understanding firms’ machine learning and artificial intelligence systems in order to protect consumers, this position offers an exciting opportunity to play a crucial role in the Data, Technology and Analytics (DaTA) unit at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The CMA is the UK’s world-leading body established to make sure competition works in people’s favour and businesses treat their customers fairly. The DaTA unit is helping the CMA to stay ahead, using the latest in data engineering, machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques.
As Assistant Director of Technology Insight, you will have substantial opportunity to make a real difference, shaping how we think about the regulation of data and technology markets, and the activities and systems of large technology companies that affect our lives.
Working with DaTA technologists and data scientists, you will contribute substantially to the CMA’s programme of work to build its algorithmic analysis toolkit. Specifically, you will help build the CMA’s capability to monitor, analyse and assess the impacts of firms’ sociotechnical systems (including systems that apply machine learning), and to evaluate the extent to which they are compatible with consumer protection and competition law. In doing so, you will contribute to the development of AI regulation.
You will also work with multidisciplinary teams investigating complex cases and projects with a data or technology focus, helping to determine the key areas for investigation and the technical evidence and analysis required to assess them. You will provide strategic direction for the data science and technologist input to cases and oversee the work of other data scientists and technologists working on your cases.
Additionally, you will lead on the DaTA unit and CMA’s work with the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF), working with two CMA colleagues from the DaTA and Digital Markets Unit (DMU) (the new unit in the CMA to oversee the regulation of large technology firms). Specifically, you will lead one of the key workstreams of the DRCF’s workplan on algorithmic processing, working with other regulators on the oversight of algorithms and how AI systems should be regulated in the UK.
To considered for this role you will require an active interest in technology and digital markets AND in one or more of the following: competition policy, consumer protection, or regulation of AI and technology markets.
Substantive experience or research experience, either in applying AI / machine learning systems, or of investigating and auditing large-scale sociotechnical systems is equally important.
The CMA prides itself on being a great place to work and strives to ensure that staff can grow and develop their skills. As well as being a hugely rewarding, diverse and stimulating place to work, you will have an opportunity to work for the public good whilst stretching and developing yourself in doing so.
We offer generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme, 25 days leave and generous maternity/paternity leave provision, plus interest-free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme and favourable consideration of flexible working.
To find out more about this opportunity and working for the CMA please click the apply button.
Closing date: 11:55 pm on Monday 13th June
The CMA is an accredited Disability Confident Employer and are Stonewall Diversity Champions. As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds and recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles.
