Head of Data, Systems, and Impact

Role Overview

• Lead the development and delivery of the Premier League Foundation’s data strategy, ensuring that data collection, governance, analysis and reporting processes are robust, efficient, and aligned with organisational priorities.
• Oversee the systems that enable effective grant management, monitoring, evaluation and learning across the Foundation and the network of football club charities.
• Provide strategic leadership for the Foundation’s Salesforce platform, ensuring it is well‑governed, optimised, secure and consistently adopted across the organisation and the network of club charities.
• Lead and line manage the Senior Impact and Insight Manager and Senior Salesforce Manager, fostering a high-performing team and a culture of shared learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure the Foundation’s data, systems and processes support high‑quality monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), enabling strong programme design, evidence generation and impact reporting.
• Drive high‑quality, timely and transparent reporting across the Foundation, ensuring rigorous accountability for impact and clear articulation of value, credibility, and outcomes, including strategic leadership of the Foundation’s social return on investment (SROI) approach.
• Manage department budget and lead the procurement, commissioning, and performance management of external suppliers, partners, and system developers, ensuring robust due diligence, value for money, compliance, and alignment with organisational standards.
• Act as the Foundation’s lead for data protection, providing strategic oversight of information governance, ensuring high‑quality and consistent programme data, and assuring the safe, ethical, and lawful use of data in line with legislation and best practice.
• Lead the Foundation’s Data and Impact Working Group, upholding governance standards and ensuring timely, high‑quality papers, reports and recommendations are prepared and shared with members.
• Work with the Chief Executive and senior leaders to establish meaningful KPIs, performance frameworks and impact indicators that reflect organisational and funder priorities.
• Ensure effective processes are in place to capture and analyse data to demonstrate outcomes, value for money and broader social impact.
• Oversee the development and enhancement of dashboards, automated reports and analytical tools that support performance management and organisational insight.
• Act as the senior relationship manager for the Foundation’s Salesforce Partner, overseeing roadmaps, procurement, contract management, and technical assurance.
• Translate organisational and stakeholder needs into intuitive, efficient, and user-centred system configurations.
• Champion innovation and best practice in CRM, grant management, MEL, data governance and analytics, including exploring and evaluating AI‑enabled approaches.
• Support the network of football club charities by providing guidance on data quality, system usage, monitoring frameworks and reporting requirements.
• Ensure teams have the skills, training and tools needed to use Salesforce and related systems effectively, driving organisation‑wide adoption and capability.
• Monitor system performance, adoption metrics, and data quality indicators, identifying opportunities for improvement and working with Premier League colleagues to benchmark practice.
• Keep up to date with developments in data governance, MEL, CRM systems, and sector best practice, adapting approaches as the organisation evolves.
• Represent the Premier League Foundation professionally with internal and external partners, always reflecting the organisation’s values.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the role in support of the Foundation’s objectives.

Requirements

• Education to degree level in a relevant subject, or equivalent professional experience in data strategy, MEL, CRM, or system management roles.
• Significant experience leading data, evaluation, or systems functions within a complex organisation, ideally within a charity, public sector, or grant‑making context.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing external suppliers, with the ability to balance strategic leadership and hands‑on problem solving.
• Understanding of Salesforce architecture, governance, declarative configuration, automation tools (e.g., Flow, Process Builder), reporting and dashboard creation.
• Proven expertise in monitoring, evaluation and learning methodologies, including development of theories of change, KPIs, impact frameworks, and assessment of SROI or similar value‑for‑money approaches.
• Strong knowledge of data protection legislation (including UK GDPR) and best practice in data governance, with experience embedding compliant and ethical data management processes.
• Experience managing large datasets and complex information flows, with excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work confidently across all levels of an organisation.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts and analytical findings into accessible insights for diverse audiences.
• Strong project management skills, including delivering system change projects, managing competing priorities and coordinating cross‑functional work.
• Experience chairing committees or working groups including responsibility for preparing, reviewing, and sharing timely papers and reports.
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and safeguarding best practice.
• High levels of computer proficiency, particularly in Salesforce, Microsoft Office, and analytical tools; advanced Excel and data handling skills essential.
• Experience with Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack, grant management systems or sector‑standard monitoring and evaluation tools is desirable.
• Willingness to travel within England and Wales as required.
• A satisfactory enhanced DBS check.