Purpose of the role

The implementation lead coordinates the organisation’s practical participation in the VODG AI Leadership Academy.

Working in partnership with the executive sponsor, the implementation lead translates organisational priorities into practical activity. The role includes assessing organisational readiness, developing the organisational challenge, involving relevant colleagues, coordinating a proportionate test and gathering evidence to support future decisions.

The implementation lead does not need to be a technology specialist or hold an IT role. The most important requirements are an understanding of the organisation, the ability to work across teams and sufficient authority and capacity to coordinate the work.

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Who should take on this role?

The implementation lead should be a senior colleague with responsibility for turning organisational priorities into action.

The role might sit within:

• transformation;
• strategy;
• operations;
• digital or technology;
• data;
• quality;
• finance;
• people and workforce;
• organisational development;
• innovation;
• service improvement;
• programme or project management.

The implementation lead should:

• understand how the organisation operates;
• be able to work across different teams and functions;
• have access to relevant colleagues and decision-makers;
• be comfortable coordinating organisational change;
• be able to gather and interpret practical evidence;
• be willing to identify problems and unsuccessful activity honestly;
• have sufficient time and organisational support to participate fully.

The implementation lead does not need to have “digital”, “technology” or “AI” in their job title.

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Key responsibilities

1. Coordinate the organisation’s participation

The implementation lead will:

• act as the principal operational contact for the Academy;
• coordinate the organisation’s Academy activities;
• keep track of sessions, actions, deadlines and organisational outputs;
• ensure that relevant colleagues are involved at the right points;
• maintain regular communication with the executive sponsor;
• alert VODG promptly to access requirements, participation issues or significant delays;
• help ensure that learning from the Academy is shared appropriately within the organisation.

The implementation lead should not be expected to undertake all the work personally. The role is to coordinate and connect the appropriate people.

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2. Assess organisational readiness

The implementation lead will:

• coordinate completion of the organisational readiness diagnostic;
• gather evidence about the organisation’s current position;
• identify strengths, gaps and dependencies;
• explore readiness across governance, data, systems, people, culture, accessibility, suppliers and measurement;
• distinguish established organisational capability from assumptions or informal activity;
• help identify the readiness priorities that require attention;
• work with the executive sponsor to agree which issues need senior action.

The readiness diagnostic should be treated as a development tool rather than a test or organisational ranking.

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3. Develop the organisational challenge

The implementation lead will:

• identify possible organisational problems, needs or opportunities;
• consult relevant colleagues and stakeholders;
• help distinguish the underlying problem from a proposed technology solution;
• gather evidence that the challenge is genuine and strategically relevant;
• identify the people and groups who may be affected;
• consider whether AI is an appropriate response;
• help narrow the challenge to something proportionate and achievable;
• work with the executive sponsor to secure agreement to proceed.

A strong challenge will begin with an organisational need rather than a product.

For example:

How might we help operational leaders find and use approved organisational guidance more efficiently, while protecting confidentiality, accessibility and professional judgement?

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4. Coordinate the organisational test

Once the challenge and test plan have been agreed, the implementation lead will:

• translate the test plan into practical actions;
• clarify the scope of the activity;
• coordinate colleagues involved in the test;
• establish baseline information;
• confirm roles, responsibilities and reporting arrangements;
• organise participant briefings or local communications;
• ensure that agreed governance conditions are followed;
• maintain decision, action and issue records;
• monitor progress and emerging risks;
• escalate matters requiring executive attention.

The implementation lead is responsible for coordination, not for providing every technical, legal or specialist input personally.

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5. Involve the right people

The implementation lead will help identify and involve colleagues and stakeholders who may include:

• operational teams;
• people drawing on support;
• disabled people connected to the organisation’s work;
• frontline colleagues;
• quality and safeguarding teams;
• data-protection or information-governance leads;
• digital and technology colleagues;
• workforce and organisational-development colleagues;
• finance and procurement;
• communications;
• trustees or governance colleagues;
• suppliers and delivery partners.

Involvement should be proportionate to the challenge and should happen early enough to affect the work, rather than simply validating a decision already made.

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6. Support accessible and inclusive implementation

The implementation lead will:

• identify who could be affected by the proposed activity;
• consider accessibility from the outset;
• help involve disabled people and affected colleagues appropriately;
• identify potential barriers or unintended consequences;
• consider different communication and participation needs;
• ensure that access requirements are reflected in the test;
• challenge activity that could reduce choice, dignity, inclusion or human oversight;
• record how inclusion has influenced the organisation’s decisions.

Responsibility for accessibility should not sit solely with one participant or advisory group. It should form part of the organisation’s challenge design, implementation and evidence review.

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7. Gather evidence and organisational learning

The implementation lead will:

• agree what evidence needs to be collected;
• establish the organisation’s starting position or baseline;
• gather relevant quantitative and qualitative evidence;
• collect feedback from affected colleagues and stakeholders;
• record intended and unintended effects;
• distinguish completed activity from demonstrable impact;
• maintain the Evidence and Learning Log;
• identify where the evidence is incomplete or uncertain;
• provide accurate updates to the executive sponsor;
• report difficulties and unsuccessful elements honestly.

The role is not to prove that the test succeeded. The role is to help the organisation understand what happened and make a responsible decision.

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8. Escalate issues and seek decisions

The implementation lead will:

• identify issues requiring executive attention;
• explain the implications clearly;
• present evidence rather than relying on opinion;
• clarify what decision is required;
• identify the consequences of delaying a decision;
• recommend when activity should continue, change, pause or stop;
• ensure that decisions and their rationale are recorded;
• avoid proceeding beyond agreed authority.

The implementation lead should have direct access to the executive sponsor at the agreed organisational checkpoints and when urgent escalation is required.

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9. Participate in the Academy

The implementation lead will normally be expected to:

• take part in the organisational onboarding meeting;
• contribute to the Opening Leadership Summit;
• attend the Organisational Readiness session;
• participate in the Governance Lab;
• attend implementation-lead workshops and clinics;
• contribute to the Organisational Challenge Lab;
• participate in the Workforce, Inclusion and Change session;
• coordinate the organisational application period;
• contribute to the Midpoint Evidence Review;
• participate in the Strategy, Investment and Pace Forum;
• prepare the organisation’s contribution to the Member Learning Showcase;
• contribute to the Final Organisational Review.

The detailed calendar, preparation requirements and participation expectations should be confirmed before the organisation commits.

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10. Develop the next-stage plans

Towards the end of the Academy, the implementation lead will:

• translate the strategic decision into practical actions;
• identify responsible owners;
• establish milestones and dependencies;
• draft the 90-day implementation plan;
• develop the longer-term organisational roadmap;
• identify capability, resource and supplier requirements;
• propose appropriate progress measures;
• identify unresolved risks;
• prepare an executive or board update;
• confirm what support or decisions will be required after the Academy.

The executive sponsor will review, approve or formally sponsor these plans through the organisation’s appropriate governance route.

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Partnership with the executive sponsor

The implementation lead and executive sponsor should operate as an organisational partnership.

The implementation lead should not be expected to carry organisational accountability that properly belongs with the executive sponsor, executive team or board.

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Internal partnership checkpoints

The implementation lead should prepare evidence and recommendations for four structured conversations with the executive sponsor.

Checkpoint 1: Readiness

Prepare:

• principal readiness strengths;
• evidence supporting those strengths;
• significant gaps or uncertainties;
• dependencies requiring executive attention;
• recommended readiness priorities.

Output

Agreed Organisational Readiness Priorities

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Checkpoint 2: Test approval

Prepare:

• refined problem statement;
• proposed test scope;
• affected groups;
• governance conditions;
• evidence requirements;
• success and stop criteria;
• resource and decision requirements.

Output

Approved Organisational Test Mandate

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Checkpoint 3: Midpoint evidence

Prepare:

• progress against the original plan;
• evidence gathered;
• emerging benefits;
• difficulties and unintended consequences;
• changed assumptions;
• updated risks;
• recommendation to continue, revise, narrow, pause or stop.

Output

Confirmed Direction for the Final Phase

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Checkpoint 4: Final decision

Prepare:

• final evidence;
• organisational learning;
• value and cost considerations;
• workforce and inclusion implications;
• outstanding dependencies;
• stop, adapt or scale recommendation;
• proposed 90-day actions;
• longer-term priorities.

Output

Strategic Direction Decision and Implementation Plan

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Expected organisational contribution

The implementation lead should expect to contribute:

• preparation for Academy sessions;
• attendance at implementation-lead and joint activities;
• internal coordination between sessions;
• consultation with relevant colleagues and stakeholders;
• completion of practical Academy tools and outputs;
• evidence gathering and record keeping;
• regular communication with the executive sponsor;
• preparation of recommendations and plans.

The organisation should provide sufficient time and authority for the role. Participation should not be treated as an informal addition to an already full workload without organisational support.

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The implementation lead is not expected to

The implementation lead is not expected to:

• be an AI or technology specialist;
• undertake all implementation activity personally;
• make executive or board decisions;
• carry sole accountability for organisational AI activity;
• provide legal, data-protection, cyber-security or procurement assurance;
• guarantee that the use case will succeed;
• defend the original idea if the evidence does not support it;
• resolve significant organisational barriers without executive support;
• approve expenditure outside the role’s authority;
• act as the organisation’s only source of AI knowledge.

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What good implementation leadership looks like

An effective implementation lead:

• understands the organisation and its strategic context;
• builds productive relationships across teams;
• translates broad ambition into practical next steps;
• asks for evidence;
• keeps records proportionate and useful;
• involves affected people early;
• considers accessibility and inclusion throughout;
• identifies dependencies before they become barriers;
• communicates difficulties honestly;
• escalates issues promptly;
• avoids allowing technology or supplier enthusiasm to drive decisions;
• remains open to stopping or changing the activity;
• keeps the executive sponsor informed and involved;
• turns organisational learning into realistic plans.

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If the implementation lead changes

If the implementation lead leaves the organisation, changes role or can no longer participate:

1. The organisation should notify VODG promptly.
2. The executive sponsor should nominate a suitable replacement.
3. A structured handover should be completed where possible.
4. The replacement should receive access to the relevant Academy materials and organisational records.
5. VODG should hold a short briefing or onboarding conversation with the replacement.
6. The organisational challenge, progress, decisions and outstanding risks should be reviewed.
7. Testing may need to pause if there is no appropriate person able to coordinate it safely and effectively.