‘Absurd’: Government seeks quantum tech chief – no experience necessary

The government is recruiting a senior official to oversee billions of pounds of quantum investment despite saying candidates do not need any background in the technology.

A job advert for a deputy head of the Office for Quantum published on Tuesday says the successful candidate could oversee the rollout of the UK’s national quantum programme, help shape the purchase of large-scale quantum computers and work with companies and investors to bring more money into the sector.

But the £69,675-a-year Grade 6 role explicitly states: “You do not need a background in quantum to apply”. Experience working in science, technology or industrial policy is also listed as desirable rather than essential.

The advert has drawn criticism as Britain tries to turn its early lead in quantum research into commercial companies and keep pace with countries including the US and China.

Ameer Kotecha, chief executive of the Centre for Government Reform and a former Foreign Office civil servant, told City AM the recruitment approach was “absurd”.

“The person in charge of purchasing quantum computers is not expected to have a background in quantum,” he said. “How can you have a non-subject-matter expert engaging with world-leading physicists at the National Physical Laboratory and UKRI?”

The government committed £2bn to quantum earlier this year, including £1.2bn towards buying large-scale quantum computers through its ProQure programme.

The advertised role could help shape that programme, which aims to buy machines for government use by the early 2030s.

Other responsibilities include deciding where quantum infrastructure funding should be directed, working with companies looking to invest in Britain and helping government departments adopt the tech.

Applicants are instead required to show skills including leadership, communication, commercial awareness and the ability to assess complicated scientific evidence.

Kotecha said those abilities were important but questioned why experience in the field itself was not required for a role carrying responsibility for highly technical investment decisions.

“Experience working in science is not even judged as essential; it’s judged to be of secondary importance,” he said. “It is hard to imagine as a more specialist area than quantum.”

Britain bets billions on quantum

The recruitment comes after ministers stepped up efforts to make Britain one of the leading countries for commercial quantum technology.

Quantum computers use the behaviour of particles at very small scales to tackle some calculations that conventional computers struggle to perform.

Potential uses range from designing drugs and new materials to finance, energy and national security, although the most powerful machines remain under development.

Britain has built a sizeable research base in the sector and is home to more than a tenth of the world’s quantum companies, according to government figures.

In June, ministers also committed £10m to a National Quantum Standards Network led by the National Physical Laboratory, aimed at setting common technical standards as products begin to reach the market.

The government has estimated that the sector could eventually contribute £212bn to the UK economy and support 100,000 jobs.

Earlier this year, then tech secretary Liz Kendall said Britain needed to learn from the AI industry, where some of the country’s strongest companies and researchers have ultimately been drawn towards better-funded US businesses.

“Too many people feel they have to move to the US in order to get the funding and support they need to grow and scale their company,” she said at the time.

The Office for Quantum role would have direct responsibility for trying to address some of those problems, including meeting quantum companies, helping secure UK investment and representing government in discussions with investors.

Kotecha told City AM: “You hear constantly of people in the private sector people with their heads in their hands because they feel like their point person in government in a relevant department just has absolutely no domain expertise.”

Britain is also competing with governments prepared to spend heavily to secure companies, researchers and intellectual property in technologies with potential military and economic uses.

“Quantum is an area where, by its nature, there is international competition,” Kotecha said. “The UK is frankly in a race with other countries to seize the benefits of this tech.”

Civil service expertise under scrutiny

The job ad also comes during disruption to Whitehall’s technology machinery following the restructuring of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

City AM previously reported warnings from tech executives that breaking up DSIT risked distracting officials and weakening relationships with businesses at a time when Britain was trying to attract investment in AI and other emerging technologies.

Kotecha said the quantum advert reflected a broader issue in Civil Service recruitment rather than simply the recent departmental changes.

He argued that officials were too often recruited around general management behaviours before moving between jobs every few years, limiting the specialist knowledge built up inside departments.

“Officials are meant to be the deep wells of expertise that advise their ministers,” he said. “Instead, even the permanent bureaucracy struggles to acquire expertise, both from taking on people unqualified for roles and then moving them far too often.”

The job advert says applicants will be assessed on Civil Service behaviours including leadership, “seeing the big picture”, delivering at pace and making effective decisions.

Candidates do not need previous quantum experience, but must demonstrate an ability to assess complex scientific and technological evidence and present issues to ministers.

The eventual responsibilities will also depend on departmental priorities, meaning the successful candidate will not necessarily oversee every area listed in the advert.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has been approached by City AM for comment.