Closing date: 27th February 2015

The England and Wales Cricket Board was established on January 1st, 1997 as the single national governing body for all cricket in England and Wales and has its headquarters at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

The formation of the ECB was the culmination of a drive towards creating, for the first time, one unified body responsible for the management and development of every form of cricket for men and women. This included clubs, schools, juniors and youth, disabilities cricket, representative, first class and international cricket - the whole game from playground to the Test arena.

Since 1997, the ECB has developed into a business with annual revenues of over £100m, employing over 300 people and investing millions each year in cricket infrastructure, player development, participation programmes, coach development, competition and tournaments and promotion of the game locally, nationally and internationally.

Under the leadership of a new Chief Executive, Tom Harrison, from January 2015 and following on from the appointment of Gordon Hollins as Chief Operating Officer, the organisation is now looking to appoint a Director – Participation & Growth.

Position Summary 

The primary purpose of the Director – Participation & Growth (DPG) is to develop and execute the recently prepared Strategy to get more people playing cricket more often throughout England & Wales. The DPG will provide clear and consistent leadership to the department for which he/she is responsible, whilst engaging the wider ECB organisation and the game’s key stakeholders in the development of the Recreational Game. The DPG will be the single point of accountability for the delivery of the Participation & Growth Strategy.

Key Measures

• Effective implementation of the Participation & Growth Strategy and annual operational plans
• Increased Growth in participation levels
• Operating within the budget approved by the ECB Board
• Managing the performance of the department’s leadership group

Key Relationships

• Chief Operating Officer
• Department leadership group
• ECB Leadership Team and Department Heads
• Sport England/Sport Wales/DCMS
• ECB Association of Cricket Officials/Chance to Shine/Lord’s Taveners/MCC Foundation/Youth Sports Trust/other
• County Cricket Board Chairmen
• First Class County Club CEOs

Key Responsibilities

1. Participation & Growth Strategy:

• To develop the Strategy and review and refine it annually
• Identify barriers to participation within identified population groups and create innovative solutions to form part of annual plans
• Interpret customer insight to inform the strategy and operational plans
• Engage ECB departments in delivery of the strategy
• Influence external stakeholders to align their strategies with ECB’s to ensure a common direction for the game
• Work closely with Sport England to agree and deliver an agreed set of growth targets

2. Leadership

• To ensure there is an effective organisational structure in place to deliver the strategy 
• To provide expertise and clear direction to a multi-site team to enable them to integrate and effectively execute operational plans
• Coach, counsel, inspire and develop the leadership group whilst managing their performance and holding them to account for delivery of operational plans
• Own the Participation & Growth Strategy, ‘champion’ it within the ECB and inspire the Cricket Community to grow and develop the sport in their area of activity
• Manage and deliver change 

3. Relationships

• To work closely with ECB Leadership Team members to ensure an integrated approach to the delivery of the Participation & Growth Strategy
• Build a strong relationship with management of Sport England to ensure that cricket maximizes opportunities to get more people playing cricket more often
• Develop positive, influential and sustainable relationships with key partners, including Chance to Shine, Lord’s Taveners, MCC Foundation, Youth Sport Trust and others with an interest in cricket.

4. General Management 

• Prepare annual budget submissions designed to maximize returns for the games investment
• Review management accounts monthly to ensure costs are within budget
• Regularly review the performance of the leadership group and agree appropriate improvement plans
• Evaluate the delivery of operational plans on a regular basis and agree amendments within the leadership group if appropriate
• Represent the ECB at functions/events and, where appropriate, make presentations to promote the game

Person Specification

• An outstanding leader with clear vision and accountability 
• Track record of implementing ‘change programmes’ which deliver growth
• Strategic thinker with the ability to convert theory into results and challenge traditional thinking and the status quo
• Experience in commerce with the ability to recognize opportunities and maximize returns on investment
• A background that includes business planning, customer insight, marketing, communications and general management responsibilities’
• Financially astute and used to ‘owning’ budgets
• Evidence of delivering results through teams
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal and influencing skills
• Preferable to have a love of cricket and/or sport

PROCESS

For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact Alistair Milner either by email at amilner@sportsrecruitment.com or by telephone on 020 7092 6966.

Closing date: Friday 27 February 2015