The Role 

The Director of Impact & Innovation is a senior leadership role, responsible for setting strategic direction across areas of impact, research, digital and tech and innovation. You will ensure that London Sport is able to clearly evidence need as well as demonstrate the impact of sport and physical activity in reducing the inequalities in access and opportunity to live an active life, across London. Central to our strategy is behaviour change, and this role will identify opportunities to harness new technologies and digital tools to drive behaviour change and increases in physical activity. 

As part of our desire to undertake cutting edge research, this role will develop our ability to act as a think tank for the sport and physical activity sector in London and beyond, using data and insights as a basis for effective thought leadership, advocacy and influence across a breadth of stakeholders and policy areas. 

You will lead a high performing team to have a significant and influential role in delivering against our mission for all Londoners to live longer, healthier and happier lives through being active.  

What you’ll do: 

Responsible for setting the direction, developing an impact led culture and implementing approaches that: 

• Enable our strategic decision making and resource allocation to be based on evidence of need, opportunity and beneficiary impact 

• Develop London Sport’s continuous learning culture to maximise the knowledge we gain through our work, and ensuring this is applied to improve outcomes of both our own projects and those of our partners 

• Allow colleagues to measure and understand impact, and to clearly report and share progress with key stakeholders 

• Develop and share our understanding of measuring system change and impact in place.  

  Direct our insight and research work to create value and impact within the organisation and across London and beyond:  

• Develop our organisational skills to act as a think tank for the sport and physical activity sector, using evidence and insights as a basis for effective thought leadership, advocacy and influence across a breadth of stakeholders and policy areas 

• Deliver organisational capacity building in insights aligned to our strategy, in particular themes, priority places and underserved communities 

• Leverage our knowledge to capacity build and support our sector partners.  

Develop our system partner role across London, stimulating enhanced collaboration across impact, insight and data: 

• Foster an environment of understanding and progressing collective impact  

• Develop and influence efficiencies around collaborative insight collection and learning  

• Lead on the development of ‘big data’ sets that progress our understanding of resource allocation, asset mapping and London wide impact 

• Work with the CEO, Board, existing and non-traditional partners to horizon scan, forecast and develop innovative new approaches to support our strategy. 

Direct our work to capitalise on the potential of technology, digital and innovation to support physically active lives by: 

• Enabling the surfacing of challenges and barriers to physical activity and innovating to uncover potential solutions  

• Developing and delivering tools and solutions that support partners to reduce inactivity 

• Supporting our partners to enhance their digital and innovation capabilities  

• Work with the Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications to leverage the value of our expertise, products and tools through funded and corporate partnerships so they contribute to our income diversification goals. 

• Play a full and dynamic role within the organisation’s Senior Leadership Team, actively contributing to effective management of the organisation. 

• Working with the CEO, play a key role in Board engagement including through the quarterly Board meeting cycle, taking responsibility for the provision of regular progress reports that enable the Board to easily follow our progress against our strategy goals. 

• Lead the Impact and Innovation directorate, building and maintaining a high performing and motivated team to ensure excellence in the output and activities of the organisation. Demonstrate inspirational leadership enabling the team members to thrive in our supportive culture and develop to their fullest potential at London Sport. 

Who you are: 

• A senior manager with a proven track record in delivering results, leading effective teams, managing budgets and operating confidently at a senior level. You’ll probably have strong strategic skills plus an understanding of how to develop, and deliver, impactful and effective strategies and action plans. 

• Ability to integrate a whole organisational approach to impact, including strategic alignment, outcome measurement and effective management reporting.  

• An experienced influencer and advocate who can create collaboration and shared vision around PAN London impact amongst senior partners and stakeholders.  

• Understanding of how to utilise research and insight for maximum impact including partnership building, knowledge development, influencing and advocacy, and as a value proposition. 

• Experienced and innovative problem solver who can lead on leveraging opportunities around insight, data and technology to strengthen London Sports value proposition to its stakeholders and deliver against our objectives.  

• A track record of managing impactful partnerships between a range of partners preferably with excellent communication skills and a knowledge of how to work with funders, local authorities, policy makers, charities and/or non-profit purpose driven organisations.  

• The ability to understand complex information, such as data and analytics, translate it into strategy and convey it simply to a range of audiences. 

• You can demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion in relation to London with a lived experience of day to day life in London. 

• You are creative and enjoy working as part of a team.