Director - Strategy and Research

TN United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Director of Strategy and Research to lead impactful projects in digital development. This role involves engaging with global institutions to enhance their digital strategies and drive significant change. As a leader, you will foster strong relationships, guide teams, and contribute to business growth while working in a flexible environment. If you're passionate about making a difference and thrive in a collaborative setting, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance (30 days plus public holidays)

Home and remote working flexibility

Focus on learning and development

Buddy system for mental health support

Qualifications

• Expertise in digital strategy development and research in large organizations.
• Proven experience in stakeholder management and team leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead client engagements focused on strategy development and research.
• Develop trusted relationships with leaders and teams in complex organizations.

Skills

Stakeholder Management

Digital Strategy Development

Research and Advisory

Team Leadership

Business Development

Communication Skills

Education

Relevant Degree or Equivalent Experience

Job description

Social network you want to login/join with:

Director - Strategy and Research, London

Client:

Public Digital

Location:

London, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

EU work permit required:

Yes

Job Reference:

f7b7194525b2

Job Views:

3

Posted:

24.04.2025

Expiry Date:

08.06.2025

Job Description:

Location: A mix of working in our London office and remote from home.

You must have the right to work in the UK by the time you take up the role. We are unable to sponsor visas on this occasion.

We are Public Digital, a digital transformation consultancy. We help global institutions that matter thrive in the internet era. We apply the culture, processes, business models and technologies of the internet era to help teams build and run excellent services. Working with the leaders doing strategy, and the teams doing delivery, we operate globally, advising large organisations and governments on six continents.

We’re values-driven and we articulate them in our ‘positions’ on the Public Digital website.

Attitude as much as skill, is critically important to us as a team and we look for entrepreneurialism, initiative, kindness, and a willingness to pitch in. We fundamentally believe transformation is about people, and that change comes from creating great teams and the conditions to successfully empower them.

Role overview

As a Director, you will play a key role in delivering and scaling our portfolio of Global Impact work. You will lead strategy and research engagements with global development clients, such as multilateral development banks, major philanthropic foundations and UN agencies. This could include support for their own digital strategy journeys, advisory on their digital programming and investment portfolios, and supporting them to achieve sustained impact with their partners and investees, including governments, cities, and civil society organisations.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an entrepreneurial leader looking to grow their career in digital development. Most of your time will be spent leading client engagements and building strong, pragmatic working relationships with leaders and digital practitioners in large, complex organisations. You will develop and support our growth by generating and developing new leads, and help strengthen our global reputation. You will be responsible for hiring and coaching junior members of staff as we grow.

What you’ll do for us:

• Lead client engagements focused on strategy development and/or research and thought leadership, with accountability for delivery, impact, our teams, and our commercials.
• Develop strong, proactive and highly trusted relationships with leaders and their teams. You’ll act as an advisor and coach, helping them to shape their portfolios and deliver measurable value.
• Apply your expertise in strategy development, research and advisory to help organisations dramatically increase their digital maturity, and/or improve their digital strategies and investments, in order to improve development outcomes.
• Apply your knowledge and networks in digital development to provide our clients with high-quality intelligence and advice.
• Scope and conduct mixed-methods research and analysis.
• Proactively generate new business development leads and converting these into new engagements.
• Contribute to the life and growth of Public Digital as a values-led business.

Requirements

What we’re looking for

We are searching for an experienced leader who will enjoy the diversity and intellectual challenge that comes with consulting. You want to grow your career in an entrepreneurial environment, and in a firm that’s passionate about improving lives and transforming global institutions that matter.

Your demonstrable experience will make you an excellent leader in this role. You’re seen as an expert in digital strategy development and/or research, applied in large organisations, ideally in the global development sector. You’ve led strategy and research engagements in complex institutional environments and you’re able to confidently communicate the impact of your work.

• You’re able to lead and empower teams to deliver excellent work, from start to finish.
• You’re excellent at stakeholder management and comfortable working closely with senior leaders, as a trusted advisor or consultant and clear communicator.
• You’re a credible coach, facilitating teams to build capability, collaborate and become more self-organising.
• You have a pragmatic and proactive approach to managing and delivering client engagements, including excellent levels of organisation, prioritisation and delivery management.
• You are collaborative, comfortable working in the open, and have an ability to visualise and map concepts and ideas.
• You are committed to developing a diverse, inclusive team and culture where people thrive and do excellent work.
• You are purpose-driven and have strong commercial acumen, with a track record of successfully contributing to business development and/or partnerships.

We especially welcome applicants with experience of working in strategy consulting and/or in a multilateral development bank, UN agency, philanthropy, or government. Knowledge of major trends and topics in digital development, such as digital public infrastructure and digital public goods, is desirable, as is familiarity with service-led approaches to digital delivery and transformation.

What’s in it for you:

• Deliver high-impact work with leading institutions around the world.
• An opportunity to work strategically at a leadership level, helping decision makers to make informed decisions.
• Grow with us: the opportunity to grow and progress rapidly within an engaged, supportive environment.
• Be empowered to do your best work.
• Home and remote working, flexibility in how you deliver work.
• Focus on learning, development and progression.
• Reach a global audience as a thought leader on service design: publish blog posts and other articles; speak at conferences and events as a representative of Public Digital.
• Buddy system and prioritised mental health.
• Generous holiday allowance (30 days plus public holidays).

What’s on Offer:

• Be a part of our amazing work culture, to read more about it please follow this link to our Careers page which gives more details about our culture, employees and benefits.

Important Note: Studies show that women and people who are disabled, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse or from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification and criteria. We're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace where everyone can be their best, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement on the Job Description, please apply anyway - you may just be the right candidate for this or other roles in our wider team.

We encourage early application as we reserve the right, if required, to close this role ahead of the date advertised.