Digital Transformation Lead

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Digital Transformation Lead (web and CRM)

Contract: Fixed term / contractor (up to two years)Salary: £53,000–£56,000 FTEHours of work: Full-time role, five days per weekReports to: Director of Fundraising, Marketing and CommunicationsLocation: Hybrid, primarily home-based, with travel to Lambourn, Cheltenham and London as needed.

About Retraining of Racehorses

Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is British racing’s official aftercare charity, dedicated to safeguarding the welfare of former racehorses and supporting them to thrive beyond the finish line. As demand for our services continues to grow, robust digital infrastructure is essential to improving traceability, strengthening engagement with owners, and delivering measurable welfare outcomes.

RoR is undertaking a significant multi-phase redevelopment of its public website, members’ platform and CRM ecosystem to create a modern, integrated and insight-led digital environment.
This is a pivotal role that will shape how technology supports the charity’s long-term strategy and impact.

The role

We are seeking an experienced digital transformation lead to shape, deliver and embed RoR’s web and CRM redevelopment programme.

This role requires a highly capable all-rounder with strong technical fluency, strategic mindset and proven delivery experience. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with internal teams, external stakeholders and RoR’s digital supplier to ensure the programme delivers lasting organisational value.

Once appointed, the digital transformation lead will act as the central point of accountability for all web-and CRM-related activity and will play a key role in supporting organisational readiness for change.

Key responsibilities

Strategic programme leadership

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of RoR’s digital transformation programme.
• Fully scope the redevelopment with internal teams and key external stakeholders prior to project kick-off and ensure our digital partner is fully briefed on requirements.
• Working with our digital partner, translate organisational needs into clear functional specifications, priorities and phased deliverables.
• Work closely with RoR’s digital supplier to refine scope, challenge assumptions and ensure best-practice delivery.
• Introduce innovative approaches and technologies, including appropriate use of AI, where these enhance efficiency, insight or user experience.
• Support budget oversight across the programme, ensuring strong value, transparency and cost control.
• Establish clear governance, reporting and risk management.
• Ensure delivery remains aligned to organisational strategy and operational priorities.

Organisational change and adoption

• Lead organisational adoption of new and redesigned platforms and processes, ensuring teams are supported through change with appropriate training, documentation and guidance.
• Foster a digitally confident culture that enables teams to maximise the value of new systems.

User experience, search visibility and accessibility

• Lead the definition of user personas and end-to-end journeys across all platforms.
• Oversee information architecture, navigation and wireframing to ensure intuitive, accessible user experiences.
• Direct user testing before, during and after build, embedding continuous improvement.
• Working with our digital partner, implement SEO best practice across the website, ensuring strong technical foundations, optimised structure and effective metadata.
• Work closely with the marketing team to ensure content is structured and written to maximise discoverability across search engines and emerging AI-driven search platforms.
• Establish governance so future content continues to meet best-practice standards.
• Ensure platforms meet recognised accessibility standards and reflect inclusive design principles.
• Use analytics, heatmapping and user insight to inform ongoing optimisation.

Content and platform readiness

• Lead a comprehensive content audit to rationalise existing material and support the creation of revised sitemap structures.
• Align digital architecture with supporter journeys, campaigns and organisational messaging.
• Oversee content migration planning and governance.

Data, reporting and insight
A central objective of the redevelopment is to enable RoR to operate as a truly insight-driven organisation.

• Working with our digital partner, design and implement a reporting framework within the CRM that supports operational, strategic and board-level decision making.
• Establish live dashboards providing visibility of key metrics such as membership activity, horse lifecycle data, training and competition engagement, donations and supporter behaviour.
• Ensure effective data integration across platforms to enable accurate tracking, improved accountability and stronger traceability.
• Working with the marketing team, embed segmentation capability to support targeted communications and reduce manual data handling.
• Lead the development and implementation of RoR’s data retention policy, ensuring compliance with GDPR and sector best practice.
• Work in partnership with the marketing team to design and implement a structured annual renewals process across all membership groups, using CRM automation to improve retention, strengthen engagement and support income forecasting.
• Champion data quality, privacy and governance standards across the organisation.
• Enable a shift from retrospective reporting to forward-looking insight, helping teams identify trends, risks and opportunities earlier.

Testing, launch and continuous improvement

• Implement rigorous testing at every stage.
• Develop phased launch plans in partnership with the digital supplier and internal marketing team.
• Monitor performance post-launch and lead iterative refinement.
• Establish a long-term product roadmap to ensure the platform continues to evolve alongside organisational needs.

Stakeholder and supplier management

• Build strong, credible relationships across RoR, bringing teams with you through change.
• Act as the primary liaison with digital suppliers and relevant external partners.
• Engage stakeholders in a structured, collaborative way that supports adoption and long-term success.

Person specification

Essential experience:

• Proven track record leading complex website and CRM transformation programmes.
• Strong technical fluency across digital platforms, integrations and data structures.
• Demonstrable success implementing reporting frameworks, dashboards and data governance processes.
• Strong working knowledge of GDPR, data protection and retention frameworks.
• Experience implementing technical and on-page SEO within website redevelopment projects.
• Understanding of how evolving AI-driven search influences content structure and visibility.
• Experience managing external suppliers and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Deep understanding of user-centred design principles.

Desirable experience:

• Experience delivering or integrating an online learning management system or digital training platform.
• Experience working within the charity or not-for-profit sector.
• Experience working with membership organisations.

Skills and attributes

• Strategic thinker with excellent programme delivery capability.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail.
• Commercially aware and solutions-focused.
• Confident collaborating with multiple internal teams and senior stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and operational levels.
• Proactive, pragmatic and outcomes-focused.
• Positive, can-do approach with the credibility to lead a major organisational initiative.

Why this role matters

This programme is more than a technology upgrade, it is core organisational infrastructure that will strengthen traceability, improve engagement, support welfare outcomes and enable more informed decision making.

The successful candidate will play a defining role in building a digital ecosystem that allows RoR to operate more effectively and deliver greater impact for former racehorses.

How to apply

To apply for this role, please send your CV and a covering letter outlining why you are suitable for the position to Vicky Vine Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communication, vvine@ror.org.uk by 5pm Friday 10 April 2026. First interviews will take place w/c 11 May.