Digital Systems and AI Manager

Digital Systems and AI Manager

Reporting to: Director of Finance & Operations
Salary: £40,000 - £47,000 (dependent on experience)
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Location: Hybrid - London based with 3 days in the office per week. Termly inter-regional travel to Manchester and Birmingham offices.

At FBB, strong relationships make our work with young people possible. Behind those relationships, our staff need reliable systems, useful information and technology that makes their working lives easier.

As we grow, we want to strengthen our core digital systems and build a thoughtful, practical approach to AI. We are looking for a proactive, organised Digital Systems and AI Manager to bring these priorities together. You will improve the tools we use every day, including our CRM, and help us find where AI can make a meaningful difference across fundraising, operations, communications and programme delivery.

You will be someone who enjoys getting to know people, understanding how they work and finding practical ways to make things better. You will be ambitious about what technology can help us achieve, patient when supporting colleagues and keen to learn alongside them. You will care about FBB’s work with young people and understand how your skills can help our people do their best work for them.

Before you skim the job description, please remember you don’t have to tick all the boxes for the role to apply. We all experience a bit of imposter syndrome, including the staff here at Football Beyond Borders. If this role pulls you and you believe you could make a difference then apply anyway or reach out to us to discuss more!

Who are we?

Check out this short video!

Football Beyond Borders is an education charity supporting young people to thrive in school through their passion for football. Established in 2014, we now work with 3000 students across 130 secondary school programmes in Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Lancashire, Yorkshire, London, Kent and Essex. Alongside this, we have built strong partnerships with brands such as Nike.

Young people are at the heart of everything we do. Their experiences shape our decisions, our programmes and our partnerships. We’re working in a system that too often limits their potential, and we know that making a difference means working hard and differently. FBB can be fast-paced and intensive at times, so our working culture and the support we give our staff matter.

We place relationships at the heart of our work. That applies to our colleagues as much as our young people. We don’t believe work should be the thing you dread on a Sunday evening. If you’re keen to throw yourself into new environments and develop meaningful relationships with people from all walks of life, FBB could be the workplace for you.

We’re also BIG on learning. We make space for reflection, collaboration and development, with opportunities to learn from colleagues across Brand, Comms, Operations, Culture and Programmes, as well as access external training.

Your first six months

You will spend time understanding how our teams work and where technology can make the biggest difference. Your initial priorities will be to:

• Build a clear AI roadmap: identify useful opportunities with teams, agree priorities and evaluate initial pilots.

• Deliver priority Salesforce improvements: work with the teams using it to identify and address their most important needs.

• Strengthen everyday IT arrangements: review support routes, equipment processes and recurring issues with Agilis, and put agreed improvements into practice.

• Build staff confidence: introduce practical training, guidance and support, and gather feedback to understand what is helping.

Key responsibilities

You will work closely with teams across the organisation to identify needs, design solutions and embed systems and ways of working that grow with FBB.

Digital systems and data

• Lead all updates, changes and improvements to Salesforce, making sure changes are planned, tested, documented and communicated, and that the system fully supports income needs, including pipeline tracking, funder reporting and data insights.

• Manage and maintain FBB’s core digital systems (Salesforce, Google Suite, Slack, Charlie HR, Xero and website), ensuring they are secure, GDPR-compliant and well-integrated.

• Maintain data quality standards, and build dashboards and reporting that give teams and SLT clear visibility of progress against goals.

• Support the launch of a new FBB website with the Head of Communications.

• Track and report on agreed KPIs for digital and AI adoption and efficiency gains, feeding into organisational planning.

AI and innovation

• Lead the development and delivery of FBB’s AI strategy and roadmap, identifying where AI can create efficiency, insight and impact across fundraising, programmes, communications and operations.

• Identify, pilot and evaluate AI tools, scaling what works across the organisation.

• Develop and maintain a staff-facing AI use policy that ensures safe, ethical and GDPR-compliant use of AI tools.

• Keep up to date with developments in AI and digital tools in the charity and education sector, and report on progress, impact and recommendations to SLT.

• Attend relevant sector forums and keep improving our use of systems and AI, so our infrastructure stays efficient and fit for purpose as we grow.

IT and suppliers

• Act as FBB’s main point of contact with our IT partner, Agilis, building a strong working relationship between staff and Agilis with clear routes for support and feedback.

• Monitor Agilis’s service against agreed standards, tackling recurring issues and working with them to improve the service.

• Ensure all three offices (London, Manchester and Birmingham) have reliable, high-speed wifi, and that devices and infrastructure meet security and compliance standards.

• Oversee the asset register and equipment lifecycle and distribution, making sure staff joining, leaving or changing roles have a smooth tech experience.

• Manage spend on digital systems and AI tools within an agreed budget, and work with suppliers and contractors on contracts, renewals and improvements.

Staff confidence and learning

• Lead the upskilling of the wider staff team in technology and AI, acting as the go-to advisor across FBB and building this into induction and staff development.

• Design and deliver an ongoing programme of training, drop-in support and updates, including tailored AI training, so staff build lasting confidence and skill.

• Build and maintain a living resource library of guides, FAQs, walkthroughs and process documentation.

• Champion a culture of digital and AI literacy, encouraging safe, sensible experimentation within teams.

Who you’ll be working with

You will work with colleagues across FBB to understand what they need from our systems and help them build confidence with technology and AI.

Your key relationships within FBB will be with:

• The Director of Finance & Operations, who you will report to.

• Colleagues across fundraising, operations, communications and programme delivery, working together to identify needs and embed new systems and ways of working.

• The Head of Communications, who you will support with the launch of a new FBB website.

You will also be FBB’s main point of contact with Agilis, our IT partner, and work closely with technology suppliers and contractors.

Development in the role

This role offers the opportunity to deepen your expertise in Salesforce and digital systems, develop your approach to responsible AI adoption and build your skills in leading projects and helping people learn.

You will have room to shape FBB’s AI roadmap and test new approaches with colleagues across the charity. Working closely with the Director of Finance & Operations, you will connect your technical work to wider organisational priorities and see how the improvements you make affect people’s working lives.

You will also have access to FBB’s learning and development opportunities and external training budget, with scope to identify relevant training, qualifications and sector networks that support your development in the role.

Perks of the job

• FBB has a significant Learning & Development Budget each year for training opportunities and qualifications.

• FBB has a generous wellbeing budget for staff which they can access for out of work activities that support their wellbeing.

• Access to exclusive events and merch through our partnerships with Nike and others.

• Generous annual leave policy with a minimum of 35 days leave per year including a Christmas shutdown.

• Access to free, confidential support through our Employee Assistance Programme.

• Staff away days and regular team bonding days.

• Working for a recognised and respected name in the sector which acts as a springboard to future roles.

Person specification

Experience, skills and knowledge

Important things about you...

• You have practical experience introducing AI tools or helping an organisation adopt them. You can explain the problem you were solving, how you involved colleagues and what you learned, and you have a good understanding of responsible and ethical AI use.

• You have experience managing or implementing a CRM system, ideally Salesforce, in a charity, education or fundraising setting.

• You have experience working with an external IT provider or technology suppliers, with a good working understanding of hardware, hybrid IT set-ups and IT security.

• You have experience designing and delivering training or support that helps colleagues build lasting confidence with new technology and tools.

• You have strong project management skills and can show how you have managed competing priorities and improved a system or process.

• You are a confident user of a wide range of digital tools (e.g. Google Suite, Slack, Xero, HR and AI tools), with a working knowledge of GDPR and data security.

• You can build strong relationships with colleagues at all levels, listen to what they need and explain technology in ways that feel clear and accessible.

• You enjoy solving problems, pay attention to the details and are committed to using your skills to help FBB’s staff and young people thrive.

Also consider applying if any of the following apply to you...

• You have Salesforce Administrator experience or certification.

• You have experience working within fundraising teams or with funder reporting.

• You have an understanding of the education, charity or youth sectors.

Recruitment process

Football Beyond Borders aims to be representative of the community we are working with. We recognise that having the strongest workforce possible means hiring and developing the best people across all races, ethnicities, religions, age groups, sexual orientations, gender identities and abilities.

We’re not just committed to being an equal opportunity employer; we actively celebrate diversity in all its forms. Let us know if we can do anything to make the application or interview process more accessible. If you are invited to interview, we will at that point ask you for any accessibility requirements or preferences.

FBB is committed to adopting a safe recruitment process and follows the NSPCC safer recruitment procedures that have safeguarding at their heart. The appointment will undergo an enhanced DBS check.

Shortlisting, interviews and reference checking

All applications will be taken seriously and applicants will be contacted regarding the outcome of their application.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a screening call, followed by an interview for candidates progressing to the next stage.

• Screening calls: Wednesday 2nd December 2026

• Interviews: Tuesday 8th December 2026

References from the previous and current employer may be taken up for shortlisted candidates. Please let us know about the sensitivity of taking up references prior to an interview.

To apply

Please complete the application form.

Application deadline: Sunday 29th November 2026, 11:59pm
Start date: Monday 18th January 2027