AI programme manager job description template (UK)

An AI programme or project manager delivers a set of AI projects on time and on budget, and makes sure the benefits show up. The craft is ordinary programme management, applied to AI agents, chatbots and copilots, with extra attention to adoption and responsible use. This template is based on the 5 UK AI programme manager ads we have listed (posted between 30 Jul 2026 and 19 Oct 2026). None of them state pay or say who the role reports to.

What an AI programme manager does

These are the duties that come up again and again in the ads, in our words.

Plan and run several AI projects at once, from start-up to rollout.
Agree scope, requirements and success measures with sponsors.
Keep plans, budgets, risks, issues and status reports up to date.
Bring technology, finance, HR, operations and governance into the work at the right time.
Run impact assessments with legal, compliance and data teams where the rules require them.
Track adoption and benefits after go-live.

3 of the 5 ads mention Copilot.

Who it reports to

These roles sit with the programme they deliver. At WPP that is the Enterprise AI programme, with projects sponsored by senior business leaders and the CIO organisation. At Tripadvisor it is the Service Excellence team in customer service, where the project manager works with the AI Automation Lead.

None of the 5 ads state the reporting line. Put it in yours: it tells candidates how senior the job is.

How cross-functional it is

Programme managers bring many teams into the work. WPP's Senior Project Manager works with technology, finance, HR, operations and governance, plus the AI Centre of Excellence and outside partners. Tripadvisor's adds legal, compliance and data teams for impact assessments and UK GDPR, and quality and workforce planning teams to see how AI changes agents' workload.

Typical pay from our ads

None of the 5 AI programme manager ads we have listed (posted between 30 Jul 2026 and 19 Oct 2026) state pay, so we can't give a figure yet.

More pay data: salary benchmarks. Pay counts only when the ad states it.

What good ads include

The pay. None of these 5 ads state it.
Who the role reports to, and which teams it works with. None of these 5 ads give a reporting line.
Which AI tools are approved, and what the person can change about them.
How success will be measured in the first year.
The contract (permanent or fixed term) and the office pattern.
Whether any coding is needed. If it isn't, say so, so people from operations, HR and L&D know they can apply.

A job description you can adapt

Replace the text in square brackets. The structure follows the ads above; the wording is ours, so you can use it freely.

[Job title, for example AI Programme Manager]

About the role. [One or two sentences on what has happened so far, for example which AI tools you have and who uses them, and what this person will change.]

Reports to: [role and team]. Works with: [the teams named above that apply to you]. Contract: [permanent, or fixed term of X months]. Location: [office, hybrid pattern, days in the office].

Pay: £[x] to £[y] a year, plus [main benefits].

What you will do

Plan and run [number] AI projects across [teams], from start-up to rollout.
Keep plans, budgets, risks and status reports, and report to [sponsor] every [fortnight or month].
Book legal, data protection and security reviews for each project.
Track adoption and benefits after go-live.

How we will measure success: [two or three measures for the first year, for example usage, time saved in named processes, or benefits signed off by finance].

What you will bring

Experience running technology or change programmes, using [methods, for example Agile or PRINCE2].
Experience managing budgets, risks and senior sponsors.
Some experience of AI, automation or data projects.
[Say if no coding is needed.]

Next: how to hire an AI programme manager, including where the role sits, reporting lines and a first 90 days.

Advertise your AI programme manager role

List it on Second Wave AI Jobs. We link straight to your own ad, so applications come to you.

Free to post until 31 Jan 2027, then paid. Founding employers keep launch pricing.

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Questions

What should an AI programme manager job description include?

What the role does, who it reports to, which teams it works with, which AI tools are involved, how success will be measured, the contract, the office pattern and the pay. Of the 5 UK AI programme manager ads we have listed, none state pay and none give a reporting line.

How much should we pay an AI programme manager?