Legal & Governance Director – Rugby Football Union

Location: Twickenham, UK

Closing Date: 11th September

Overview:

Legal & Governance

– Providing reliable, relevant and cost-effective legal advice and support to the RFU, Council and Board.

– Taking decisive action on legal matters, assessing contentious and non-contentious issues and handling in-house legal expertise against the need to seek managed external advice.

– The effective assessment, minimisation, protection and control of risks and vulnerability within the RFU.

– Providing advice on all legal aspects of player and club registration and contracts; ensuring that these issues are handled accurately, effectively, and efficiently at all times.

– Preparing, reviewing and (where appropriate) negotiating key contracts for the RFU. Ensuring that all third party contracts and agreements bring minimum risk and maximum advantage to the RFU at all times.

– To represent the RFU in ensuring the effective handling and successful resolution of all disputes and negotiations.

– To act as company secretary for the RFU and various RFU joint venture and subsidiary companies.

– To be responsible to the Board for ensuring that Board procedures are followed and applicable internal and external rules, regulations and codes of practice are complied with.

– Assisting the Chairman of the RFU Governance Standing Committee with managing the Committee’s role within the RFU, including the preparation of necessary papers, agenda and minutes.

– To be the custodian of the RFU’s constitution – ensuring that this is upheld at all times.

– Ensuring that the RFU governs the game through effective regulatory game governance.

– Ensuring that agreed protocols are strictly adhered to, recommending and implementing, improvements as appropriate.

– Ensuring improvements in probity, governance, and efficiency, to agreed targets and standards.

– Leading and developing the Legal & Governance, Discipline and Safeguarding teams.

– Ensuring that spending is within departmental budgets and personal authorisation limits, securing maximum value for money in the most economic and cost-effective way.

Discipline

– Ensuring the RFU Discipline Policy is adhered to and player and club disciplinary issues are dealt with effectively, efficiently, and in accordance with agreed, fair, and robust procedures.
– Ensuring effective investigation and prosecution for all RFU Disciplinary casework, including appeals.
– Ensuring effective provision of advice on all disciplinary issues.
– Monitoring disciplinary trends with a view to improving disciplinary standards and procedures throughout the game.

Safeguarding

– To be responsible for safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults within the game.
– Ensuring effective education around the RFU Safeguarding Policy within the RFU, Clubs and CBs to promote and raise awareness of safeguarding issues.

Qualifications and Experience:

– English law or other EU qualified solicitor/ barrister, with a substantial knowledge of English law.
– Credible post qualification legal experience in private practice or in-house roles, ideally having trained with a leading city or national law firm.
– Proven leadership experience at senior manager level including setting of and delivering against strategic and annual business plans.
– Experience of leading and managing teams and individuals.
– Experience of working with a diverse range of stakeholders and proven success at building and maintaining excellent working relationships with these stakeholders.
– An understanding and knowledge of the laws of rugby union and how the game is run and managed.

The successful candidate will be a dynamic, strong, collaborative leader with a desire to get the best out of people and teams. The role requires an ambitious, innovative and a visionary leader with clear determination and belief and ability to install these qualities in others. A strategic thinker and planner with the ability to draw a wider variety of elements into a common strategy and purpose is essential. First rate communication, negotiation and contract drafting skills along with creative problem solving skills and excellent judgement in ambiguous situations are critical for this role. Excellent communication and influencing skills with the ability to establish, maintain and invest time in a wide variety of internal and external relationships effectively communicating complex topics and concepts to a diverse audience are vital. Sound commercial awareness and understanding is essential for the role.

How to Apply

Click to apply HERE