Director - Strategy and Research

Public Digital; London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Director to lead impactful global development projects. This role involves strategic client engagement, fostering relationships with key stakeholders, and driving digital transformation initiatives. The ideal candidate will possess a blend of entrepreneurial spirit and leadership skills, ensuring teams deliver high-quality outcomes. With a focus on collaboration and inclusivity, this position offers the chance to make a meaningful difference in the digital landscape while enjoying a supportive work culture that prioritizes personal and professional growth.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance (30 days plus public holidays)

Private healthcare

Flexible working arrangements

Focus on learning and development

Buddy system for support

Prioritized mental health initiatives

Qualifications

• Expertise in leading digital strategy and research engagements.
• Experience in consulting with global development clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead client engagements with accountability for delivery and impact.
• Develop trusted relationships with leaders and their teams.

Skills

Digital Strategy Development

Stakeholder Management

Team Leadership

Research and Analysis

Business Development

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

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.

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)
• Private healthcare

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.