Ofqual is searching for an “exceptional” senior leader to head its artificial intelligence (AI) plans while protecting the integrity of exams. The exams regulator is on the lookout for a director of assessment integrity and innovation to provide “increased leadership capacity” on technology. In the advert for the £81,000 a year job, Ofqual said: “While technology can deliver meaningful benefits for learners, the standards and public confidence underpinning England’s world-leading qualifications must be protected. “Balancing these priorities is central to the role.” The appointee would be responsible for “protecting assessment integrity and test security” from technological risks, including malpractice. They would also shape Ofqual’s regulatory approach to AI and other new technology, making sure any innovation was “safe and beneficial”. Ian Bauckham, the chief regulator, told the Festival of Education this month that written coursework would face “far, far more scrutiny” once reformed qualifications were rolled out to ensure that AI-generated output did not replace pupil’s own coursework. But he acknowledged that AI could “improve efficiency and both cut costs and increase accuracy” in marking. Ofsted has also launched a recruitment round for a lead AI security specialist. Schools Week revealed last week how the watchdog planned to use AI to help summarise survey responses from parents and pupils. ‘Thought leader’ on AI Ofqual said the new director must be an “exceptional senior leader” who would help the regulator “navigate this changing landscape and shape how regulation responds”. It involved anticipating and addressing threats to validity, security and trust across qualifications, and setting up effective ways of preventing and detecting malpractice enabled by AI. The director would also be a “authoritative voice and thought leader” to influence government, regulators and the sector and “shape national thinking” on AI and assessment integrity. Successful candidates should understand the potential and use of technology in assessment, and have experience leading “through ambiguity and making high-stakes decisions with incomplete evidence”. The £70,000-a-year Ofsted AI lead would act as a “subject-matter expert on AI security”, making sure the systems used were “secure, resilient, and compliant”. They would also provide expert cyber security guidance across projects, working with different teams to identify risks and make sure that AI use was compliant with policy and standards. Ofsted said it was committed to making sure its AI use “complies with legal obligations, mitigates risk to the organisation, providers, the public and employees”.