Senior Researcher Sports Media Gaming & Corporate Affairs Practice London Odgers Executiv ...

About the role Our Sports team sits within our Global Sports, Gaming, Media & Corporate Affairs practice who work with some of the most high-profile clients across their three sub-sectors. We are an internationally focused practice, operating in over 12 countries last year.

Our Sports business is the leading sports executive search partner for many high-profile sporting organisations and bodies including The FA, The RFU, LIV Golf, Women's Super League, Red Bull Racing, and the England & Wales Cricket Board.

This role will support three Sports Consultants and one Sports Associate, and work alongside another Sports researcher.

Simon Cummins, Partner and Head of the Global Sports Practice, joined Odgers in 2004. He currently Chairs Sported, the largest grassroots sports charity in the UK.

Euan Frizzell, Partner and global lead on elite sports performance, joined Odgers in 2017. He brings 20 years' experience in executive search and has placed over 500 senior executives in sport and entertainment businesses.

Jaspar Topham, Consultant, joined Odgers in 2022. He specialises in the intersection of sports and private equity, advising GPs and ownership consortia both pre- and post-deal.

Odgers continues to be unique in being the only global search firm with a dedicated sports, gaming and media practice focusing on executive and senior appointments. We are committed to building on our success and heritage as a global search practice within these fast-paced and constantly evolving industries.

The Opportunity Research is at the heart of everything we do at Odgers. It provides the backbone to each assignment and is key to ensuring that we consistently deliver creative and forward-thinking results that deliver real value to the client and to the final outcome.

Our Researchers play a pivotal role in identifying and attracting exceptional talent for senior-level positions, underpinning the success of every search assignment. This role within the Sports Practice focuses on identifying top talent for our clients by deeply understanding their business needs. This involves mapping the market through rigorous research, sourcing and approaching potential candidates, and assessing their suitability and interest in the role. You will work closely with various Partners and Consultants within the team to achieve this.

You will be confident and capable in managing multiple assignments simultaneously, often under tight timelines. Your ability to engage credibly with senior candidates and clients, assess talent effectively, and navigate complex search landscapes will be critical to your success.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to deepen knowledge of both the Sports industry and the executive and non-executive landscape. Prior experience working with Sports clients is not required but you must bring a genuine interest in the industry.You will also work within our wider practice research team, supporting roles across the practice, into Media and Gaming, when needed. This is a role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, intellectually demanding environment and is passionate about identifying and supporting the next generation of leaders. At Odgers, we're committed to investing in our people. If you're looking for a role that offers development, support, and the opportunity to grow, we would love to hear from you.

About you Critical attributes for this role include excellent communication and report writing skills, meticulous documentation management, a transparent communication approach, and the ability to work with curiosity and at pace. Key skills and qualities should include a combination of:

• Strong interpersonal skills, attention to detail, flexibility, and rigour.
• Confident engaging with senior figures and equipped with the insight and maturity to operate well in a professional environment.
• Operates at pace, setting clear objectives for each stage of the search, and maintains momentum with tenacity and discipline.
• Takes ownership and pride in outputs, always looking for the best results - not just a result.
• Takes pride in individual contribution and collective success, valuing quality, professionalism and shared standards.
• Ability and credibility to build relationships over the telephone and in person. Use conversations to drive market insight before mapping.
• Ability to deliver best-in class research for client assignments and become a trusted advisor to internal and external stakeholders.
• Intellectually curious with a desire to learn, a broad outlook bringing creative thinking, and common sense. Connects ideas, understands context, and stays informed about current affairs and the broader landscape we operate in.
• Coping well with unforeseen change and being able to flex accordingly with the assignment needs. Remains calm when managing multiple priorities, reads the room, and knows when to focus and execute.
• Ability to proactively manage timelines and expectations on a project from inception to completion. A good sense of timing, persistence, and patience required, but most importantly, communication. This includes the ability to effectively manage upwards with your practice lead.
• Interest in the Sports sector and an eagerness to build deep expertise in this area with the support and mentorship of the team.
• Systems literate and fastidious in the use of technology to accurately store information.
• Able to leverage AI tools confidently and responsibly to elevate research quality, while maintaining the interpersonal, thoughtful, and relationship driven aspects that distinguish outstanding search work.
• Ability to work autonomously, in a flat, non-hierarchical company structure with a culture of unity and collaboration.
• A commitment to inclusion and diversity both during the search process and in our internal environment.

About us Odgers is one of the world's leading Global Executive Search firms. Our reputation for excellence and integrity has been established over 60 years and we are a partnership-driven by the client, candidate, and employee experience. We function as trusted advisors to our clients and candidates and engage with a diverse range of leaders for the most influential roles across a wide variety of industries. The service we deliver is creative, insightful, and most importantly, in partnership; we pride ourselves on maintaining personal relationships.

At Odgers, we are proud of our progressive, diverse, meritocratic, and collaborative culture where you will find support, training and career development working with colleagues striving for excellence in all they do. We are UK headquartered with colleagues across 58 Offices in 32 countries specialising in over 50 sectors and functions.

Hybrid Working Our Hybrid working policy is based on the principles of empowerment, mutual trust and flexibility, recognising that we work best when we make choices about when, where and how we work. At the same time, we are reminded that time together is so important. We are a client-service business in which our relationships and our culture provide a significant advantage. Our offices remain critical to how we work; they are a place for collaboration, learning, and support and an anchor for the culture of which we are so proud.

We operate a hybrid working model which would typically see you spending a minimum of 2 days working from the office and the rest remotely. Your work pattern will be reliant on business demands, and we would expect you to manage your time accordingly.

At Odgers, we are committed to fostering a work environment that is safe and respectful of all individuals. We have and will always stand with and support the inclusion and equity of our colleagues, candidates and clients and are committed to improving diversity in all its forms within Odgers.

Unlimited embodies this philosophy and our commitment to inclusion.

We have several initiatives that ensure equity is practised at all levels of our organisation, including our Allies programme, an equitable recruitment process designed to ensure opportunity, our Next Generation council and a meritocratic promotion process.

Sustainability Modern businesses have a duty to be environmentally responsible and operate sustainably. We believe this represents not only sound commercial sense but also recognises our ethical responsibility to minimise the impact of our activities on the environment and to leave a positive legacy for future generations.

We have committed to, and set, science-based decarbonisation targets, and have received verification of these goals from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). These targets will hold us accountable to our sustainability strategy while enabling us to measure our progress. This is complemented by us continuing to provide sustainability insight to our clients and cultivating a track record within sustainable businesses and in placing sustainability leaders.

Corporate Social Responsibility We take Charity seriously - but like to have fun too. Our CSR team are always thinking up new events and activities to get involved in and raise funds for our chosen charity Trusell Trust.

We also have a variety of social clubs and learning opportunities to suit everyone such as the Brunch and Learn Session, Odgers choir, the book club or one of the many sports clubs.

Whats on offer? A competitive base salary, supplemented by our benefits package and discretionary bonus

• 25 days Annual leave + 3 gift days for the Christmas closure + bank holidays
• Private Medical Insurance with Bupa and cash plan with Simply Health
• Group Company Pension
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