If you’d like to be considered for this opportunity we encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment as if applications are high the role will close before the closing date given.
Principal AI Coach (AI Adoption)
Closing date: 2nd September 2026
Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking.
Package: £45,560 - £72,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience)
Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application.
Ready to play your part?
At AWE, it’s not just a job, it’s far more than that. Our shared purpose is to help keep the nation safe. Could this role be the opportunity for you to play your part?
The Principal AI Coach plays a senior, hands‑on role in helping colleagues across AWE discover, understand and use AI in their day‑to‑day work. Working alongside the AI Adoption Lead, they deliver practical training, coaching and real‑world examples that bring AI to life for teams, while lightly coordinating AI Coaches to ensure support is consistent and user‑focused. They act as a key link into Learning & Development, shaping how people learn AI in an engaging and evolving way.
At its core, the role builds confidence, curiosity and safe, effective use of AI to help individuals and teams achieve better outcomes.
Key Accountabilities
- AI Enablement Impact: Drive real-world adoption of AI by helping people understand how it can support their specific roles and outputs.
- Hands-On Training & Coaching: Deliver practical, engaging training and coaching that builds confidence, curiosity and capability across the workforce.
- AI Coach Coordination: Support and coordinate AI Coaches (including B2 roles), ensuring a consistent and high-quality experience while contributing directly to delivery.
- User-Centred Approach: Ensure all activity is grounded in real user problems and opportunities, not generic or overly structured training.
- Communities & Culture: Build and sustain AI communities of practice and champion networks that encourage exploration, sharing and peer learning.
- Dynamic Learning Approach: Continuously evolve training and enablement approaches to reflect rapidly changing AI tools and user needs.
- Practical Value Delivery: Support the identification and use of simple, high-impact AI use cases that demonstrate tangible benefits quickly.
- Cross-Organisation Alignment: Work with L&D, business areas and AI teams to ensure coherent and connected enablement activity.
- Responsible Use: Promote understanding of safe, responsible AI use, ensuring people know both the opportunities and limitations.
Who are we looking for?
We do need you to have the following:
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant field such as Digital Technology, Data, Computer Science, or similar.
- Strong experience in training, coaching or enabling the adoption of technology within a complex organisation.
- Proven ability to help people learn and apply new tools in their day-to-day work, ideally including AI or automation.
- Experience working directly with users to solve real problems and improve outcomes, not just delivering theoretical training.
- Hands-on experience using digital or AI tools to support practical use cases.
Whilst not to be considered a tick list, we’d like you to have experience in some of the following:
- Qualifications or certifications in AI, digital transformation, learning & development, or change management.
- Familiarity with enterprise AI tools (e.g. M365 Copilot, Power Platform or similar).
- Understanding of learning design or change/adoption approaches.
- Background in regulated or secure environments.
- Skilled in working with Learning & Development teams or external training partners.
- Proven ability to support communities of practice and capability‑building initiatives.
Work hard, be rewarded:
We ask a lot and set the bar high because our work truly matters. In return we offer balance, with award winning benefits including:
- 9-day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.
- Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).
- Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.
- Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.
- Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
- Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).
- Discounts – access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.
- Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.
Due to the classified nature of the work involved, there are limited opportunities to work from home in this role. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will spend the majority of their time working on site.
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Next steps:
Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we’d love to receive your application.
Important things you need to know:
- We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.
- You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.
- We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.
- Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.
Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.
Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.
