{"id":86600,"url":"https://alion.io/job/cohere-technical-program-manager-ai-delivery-for-public-sector-defence-uk","title":"Technical Program Manager, AI Delivery for Public Sector & Defence, UK","company":{"id":270,"name":"Cohere","domain":"cohere.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/cohere","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":85,"open_postings":56,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.393,"repost_share":0.018,"time_to_fill_p50_days":75,"computed_at":"2026-11-06T05:58:05Z"}},"role":"Product","role_family":"Product","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["London, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":154000,"max_usd":288000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":51},"experience_years_min":6,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AI Agents","optional":false},{"name":"Cohere SDK","optional":false},{"name":"Fine-tuning","optional":false},{"name":"Model Context Protocol","optional":false},{"name":"RAG","optional":false},{"name":"AWS","optional":true},{"name":"Azure","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-21T17:39:05Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-07-21","last_verified_at":"2026-11-06T09:52:35Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":107,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":[],"days_open":107},"description":"Who are we?\nCohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems.\nWe’re training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that.\nWe obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft.\nWe are a global technology company headquartered in Toronto with key offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul. Join us!\nWhy This Role?\nWe're seeking an experienced Program Manager to join Cohere's customer-facing Program Management team, with a focus on UK public sector and defence accounts. This is a highly specialised role requiring an individual who understands technical program delivery, the technical complexity of frontier AI models and the unique requirements of government and defence organisations.\nYou will be the critical bridge between our cutting-edge AI capabilities and the specific needs of UK Government and defence organisations. You'll navigate complex procurement processes, stringent security requirements, data sovereignty concerns, and regulatory compliance while ensuring our customers successfully deploy and scale our AI solutions.\nIn this role, you'll collaborate with our Strategic Customer team, Applied ML (AML) Engineering, Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE), Platform, Product, and Go-to-Market teams, serving as the technical program lead and trusted advisor for our most sensitive and high-impact government engagements.\nLocation: UK\nSecurity Clearance: Active Top Secret clearance preferred; candidates with Active Secret clearance or those who are eligible and willing to obtain clearance will also be considered.\nWhat You'll Do\nCustomer Program Leadership:\nOwn end-to-end technical program delivery for UK public sector and defence customers, from initial deployment through production scaling\n\nServe as the primary technical program point of contact for government customers, building trusted relationships with departmental CIOs, IT directors, and technical teams\n\nTranslate complex government requirements (security, compliance, accessibility, bilingualism, data sovereignty) into actionable engineering plans\n\nNavigate government procurement processes, RFP responses, and contractual technical obligations.\n\nStrategic Communication:\nProvide clear, timely, and objective communication across Cohere's engineering organisation, customer stakeholders, and government leadership\n\nTranslate between AI/ML technical concepts and government-appropriate language for decision-makers who may not have deep technical backgrounds\n\nPresent technical roadmaps and status updates to senior government officials and departmental executives\n\nRepresent Cohere's technical capabilities in sensitive government and defence contexts.\n\nComplex Program Management:\nCreate and manage project schedules that account for government timelines, security review processes, and ministerial approval cycles\n\nIdentify and manage dependencies across government departments, security authorities, cloud service providers, and internal Cohere teams\n\nNavigate risks unique to government deployments: privacy compliance, security authorisations, technical and infrastructure constraints\n\nDrive alignment between product development priorities and specific government requirements.\n\nTechnical Delivery & Execution:\nEnsure on-time delivery of AI solutions that meet government-grade security, privacy, accessibility, and performance standards\n\nCoordinate technical work across multiple teams: model customisation, security hardening, integration with government systems, bilingual support\n\nEstablish governance checkpoints appropriate for high-stakes government deployments\n\nProblem-solve complex technical challenges in air-gapped, on-premises, or highly regulated environments.\n\nYou May Be a Good Fit If:\nRequired Experience:\n6+ years of experience as a customer-facing Technical or Engineering Program Manager in AI/ML consulting, technology transformation, or enterprise software delivery.\n\nExcellent executive communication and stakeholder management.\n\nExperience working with government, defence, or heavily regulated customers (public sector, defence contractors).\n\nProven track record managing complex, multi-stakeholder technical programs with stringent compliance requirements.\n\nBachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree or technical certs a plus.\n\nTechnical Background:\nStrong understanding of enterprise software deployment architectures (cloud, on-premises, hybrid, air-gapped)\n\nWorking knowledge of or experience with modern AI: LLMs, agentic systems, MCP, RAG, fine-tuning, evals, and responsible AI would be a strong differentiator\n\nComfortable discussing API integrations, model inference, data pipelines, and ML operations with technical stakeholders.\n\nGovernment & Defence Acumen:\nDeep understanding of how government organisations procure, evaluate, and deploy technology\n\nFamiliarity with UK government requirements: data sovereignty, privacy laws (Privacy Act), accessibility standards, official languages obligations, security classifications\n\nUnderstanding of defence and national security considerations in AI deployment\n\nExperience with Algorithmic Impact Assessments or AI ethics frameworks is a strong asset\n\nEligible to obtain UK government security clearance (Top Secret preferred)\n\nNice to Have:\nActive UK government security clearance (Secret or Top Secret) - preference for active Top Secret clearance\n\nBackground in or strong familiarity with UK defence, intelligence, or critical infrastructure sectors\n\nExperience with GC Cloud services (Azure, AWS GovCloud) or Protected B/C environments\n\nProject management certification (PMP, PgMP) or government-specific methodologies.\n\nSecurity Clearance Requirements\nThis role requires eligibility for UK government security clearance.\nPreference will be given to candidates who currently hold an active UK government Top Secret (TS) clearance, as this will enable immediate engagement with our most sensitive defence and national security customers.\nHowever, we will also consider exceptional candidates who:\nCurrently hold UK government Secret clearance and are eligible for TS upgrade\n\nDo not currently hold clearance, but are eligible and willing to undergo the Top Secret clearance process\n\nHave a previous government security clearance that has lapsed\n\nPlease note that obtaining Top Secret clearance can take 12-18 months. Candidates without active clearance will work on non-classified public sector accounts while the clearance process is underway.\nWhat Makes This Role Unique\nThis isn't typical program management-it's a highly specialised role at the intersection of frontier AI, national security, and public sector digital transformation. You'll work on some of the UK’s most sensitive and impactful AI deployments, helping government organisations harness cutting-edge technology while maintaining the highest standards of security, ethics, and accountability.\nIf you're passionate about responsible AI adoption, understand the unique constraints and opportunities within government, and want to have an outsized impact on how the UK leverages AI to serve its citizens, this role is for you.\nFull-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:\nA weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent in your local currency for lunch.\n\nFull health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health.\n\nRRSP matching, 401K, Pension Scheme.\n\n100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months, for either parent.\n\nAnnual enrichment benefits:\nArts & culture, fitness/wellness, quality time, and a workspace improvement credit.\nEducation & learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching.\n\n6 weeks of paid vacation (30 working days!)\n\nBudget for traveling to other offices if you are remote, plus an annual company offsite.\n\nHow and Where We Work:\nCohere is remote-friendly, but we also have offices in Toronto, London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul with more opening soon.\n\nFor those in the office: a daily lunch program, plenty of snacks, and regular community and social events.\n\nFor those not near an office: a co-working benefit so you can work alongside others in your city.\n\nEveryone receives a $500 home office stipend to set up your workspace properly.\n\nIf any of the above doesn’t line up exactly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply.\nWe strive to create an inclusive work environment for all; we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.\nWe may use AI-enabled tools to screen and assess applicants against the criteria for this position. This helps our recruiters identify potentially qualified candidates, but it doesn't limit the applications our recruiters may review or consider.\nBeware of Scams: Cohere will never ask for payment or third-party services (e.g., CV writing) as part of our hiring process. All legitimate roles are listed on the Cohere careers page and LinkedIn only, with all communications from Cohere employees coming from an @cohere.com or @cw.cohere email alias. 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