Chief Technology Officer – CTO

Shaping TFG’s technological future by developing and communicating a strategic vision for

how tech can drive innovation, growth, and change within our company and in sport.

About Twenty First Group

TFG is a global sports intelligence agency. Our mission is to deliver groundbreaking sports intelligence, helping our clients get ahead and stay ahead. We combine data science, engineering, and design to help some of the biggest names in sport, including the Premier League, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Ladies Professional Golf Association, Tottenham Hotspur, AON, VISA, Arctos, The FA, Sky Sports, FIFPro, Ladies European Tour, and Sky Bet & Gaming. Together with our clients, we are shaping the future of sport.

We have a new 5 Year Growth Plan which sets out an ambitious path to becoming a truly global business, shaping the biggest opportunities in sport and delivering an exponential growth in revenues and profits. TFG’s new CTO will play a crucial and fundamental role in helping the business deliver this exciting growth plan.

Scope and Impact

As our company continues to mature and grow, we are now looking for a CTO to join and lead our growing Technology Team – and potentially Data Science Team (*see below) – to provide team leadership, strategic direction and drive innovation.

Our Technology Team works with our Data Science, Commercial and Design Teams to deliver best-in-class solutions to the full portfolio of our clients. Our Technology Team will also form part of ‘TFG Labs’, a new initiative to ensure that we continue to stay at the cutting-edge of R&D and innovation. The CTO role is therefore fundamental to leading client project delivery (for example Data Transformation projects) and ensuring that we stay true to our mission of delivering groundbreaking sports intelligence.

As a minimum, the CTO will lead the Technology Team and form part of TFG’s Leadership Team. *However, we are also curious to speak to Tech leaders who either have experience in or could potentially lead both Tech and Data Science teams (and in doing so facilitate even greater cross-team collaboration and innovation).

We are constantly looking for the outliers in the market to join our team. The talent who has something beyond the core skills, who like to think differently and challenge the status quo. Those who share our passion for sport, and our desire to constantly move the needle. Most importantly people who share our values and desire to make a lasting, positive impact in sport.

Roles & Responsibilities

As CTO you will play a pivotal role in aligning TFG’s technology strategy with our business goals. As such, your responsibilities will span across various domains, encompassing both strategic and leadership functions:

Technology Strategy:

• Defining and executing TFG’s technological vision.
• Staying abreast of technology trends and emerging technologies, assessing their relevance to our business, and recommending innovative solutions that provide competitive edge for us and our clients.

Team Leadership and Management:

• Leading and managing our Technology Team, which includes software developers, engineers, IT professionals and – potentially – our Data Science Team.
• Assisting with prioritisation, providing guidance, mentorship, and resources to ensure efficient and effective project execution.

Technical Architecture and Infrastructure:

• Working alongside our Head of Architecture to design our technical architecture and infrastructure, ensuring scalability, security, and reliability.
• Evaluating and adopting suitable technologies to streamline operations and enhance performance.

Commercial impact:

• With data transformation becoming a key need amongst our clients – and hence forming a key part of our proposition – you will play a key role in joining our Commercial Team in pitching to clients and subsequently executing Tech projects.

Product Development:

• Collaborate with our Commercial Team to productionise our intelligence, overseeing the entire product lifecycle, from concept to launch.

R&D & Innovation:

• Leading on R&D efforts, experimenting with new technologies, and continue to foster our culture of creativity and curiosity.
• Play a lead role in ‘TFG Labs’ – our newly launched centre for innovation.

Cybersecurity and Risk Management:

• Ensuring robust cybersecurity measures across the business, developing and implementing strategies to mitigate risks and protect sensitive data.

Strategic Partnerships:

• Forge strategic partnerships with technology partners, startups, industry leaders and universities – for example, commercial partners for TFG Labs.

Budgeting and Resource Allocation:

• Creating and managing technology budgets, allocating resources optimally to ensure effective resource management.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Collaborate with other executives such as the CEO, CCO and CDS to understand client and business needs and ensure our technology solutions align accordingly.
• Foster collaboration between Teams (e.g. Technology and Data Science), especially in the event that the CTO is across both teams (*see above).

Requirements

You must have or be:

• The right blend of intelligence: a healthy mix of soft and hard skills – at TFG, we value EQ as much as IQ.
• The ability to live up to TFG’s values: Integrity, Curiosity, Positivity and Unity.
• Technically proficient: with a deep understanding of software development, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and emerging tech trends such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills: essential for guiding and motivating the technology team and articulating complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders (internal and external).
• A strategic thinker: in particular the ability to align tech strategies with our broader business goals and industry trends.
• Problem-solving and decision-making capability: adept at identifying and solving complex tech challenges through decisive decision-making.
• Exceptional business acumen: understanding of the sports industry, market dynamics, and competitive landscape and how we can leverage technology to drive revenue growth and gain a competitive edge.
• Adaptable and agile: with the rapidly evolving tech landscape, you must be adaptable and open to learning new methodologies – to keep TFG and our clients ahead of the curve.
• The desire to collaborate and network: building strong relationships with external partners, clients, industry peers, and internal/external stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills: to enable the Technology Team to manage complex IT projects, set priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Willing to travel: part of our Technology Team is based overseas, and some clients meetings will also require overseas travel.
• UK citizenship or the ability to work in the UK: This is a permanent full-time role, predominantly based in London.

Please also let us know if you have any notable Certifications and Qualifications which could be relevant and might set you apart from other candidates.

The Way We Work

How we’re enabling ownership, belonging and structured flexibility:

• A culture of positivity, curiosity, unity and integrity, which we live and breathe every day
• A team of 60 people who genuinely enjoy spending time together, with regular in-person and remote events to foster connection
• Hybrid-first approach; we optimise for office and remote working to be valued equally, and to be equally valuable
• We have performance review cycles 3x a year using our transparent career progression framework, and dedicated personal development time
• We have a Pay Philosophy to ensure a transparent and comprehensive pay review process

Package

• Salary commensurate with our internal / external benchmarking framework
• Eligibility for equity options
• Eligibility for a bonus scheme

Benefits

• Flexible working
• Private health insurance
• Income protection insurance
• Occupational life cover
• Pension
• Personal days (e.g. birthdays)
• Cycle to work scheme

Equal Opportunities Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and believe in the power of a diverse, inclusive team.

We welcome all applications from all suitably qualified people, regardless of race, sex, disability, religion / belief, sexual orientation or age.

Please let us know if you require anything which would enable your success throughout our interview process.

We are proud supporters of Women in Data®.  Connect, engage and belong to the largest free female data community in the UK – visit: www.womenindata.co.uk to join our community.

APPLY HERE: Chief Technology Officer - CTO