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The governing body is advertising for a significant new role to help shape the future
The Welsh Rugby Union is advertising for a new technical director to shape the future of the game in Wales. The role, which comes with a salary of up to £160,000 a year, will report directly to elite performance director Dave Reddin.
It will be a key position at the governing body going forward, with the successful candidate tasked with ensuring Wales return to the top five of the world rankings in both the men’s and women’s game.
The new technical director will have to live in Wales and have “proven leadership in elite high-performance environments”. The desire is for someone who has played the game at elite level, has knowledge of the Welsh rugby system and is a Welsh speaker.
Applications are open until December 18, with interviews to begin early in the New Year.
The WRU’s job advert states: “Welsh Rugby is building for sustained international success. Our ambition is clear: the Men’s and Women’s senior teams consistently ranked in the world Top 5 and competing for honours annually in the Six Nations and the latter stages of Rugby World Cups. We want consistently competitive clubs challenging at the top end of their competitions, supported by pathways that produce more and better players for the professional and international game.
“As Technical Director, you will shape one of the most influential roles in Welsh Rugby: leading the creation, alignment and execution of a unified Welsh Rugby DNA, a clear national identity, shared philosophy and connected player development system that consistently produces more and better players for the professional and international game across the Men’s and Women’s pathways.
“This is a high-profile leadership position at the centre of performance, talent, coaching and innovation. You will set direction, create alignment and embed standards across a complex ecosystem, operating with pace, credibility and resilience.”
Reddin, the man behind the current seismic restructure that will see the number of professional teams cut from four to three in the near future, will be a key deciding voice on who gets the new job.
The following are seen as essential requirements for the role.
- Proven leadership in elite high-performance environments, with a deep understanding of winning performance strategies and the behaviours, standards and systems required to succeed consistently at the highest level.
- Experience in identifying, managing and developing talent, with a strong affinity for the development of young players.
- Ability to foster and manage close working relationships with national coaches, discipline leads, clubs and stakeholders to ensure a cohesive approach.
- Strong performance planning capability across short-, medium- and long-term objectives.
- Experience delivering key business objectives within the financial and performance targets set for each season.
- Experience using data and measurement processes to inform and accelerate the coaching process.
- A growth mindset with strong evidence of continued professional development.
- Understanding and belief in the concept of a long-term developmental DNA for Welsh Rugby.
- Proven experience with budgeting, contracts, risk and compliance in high-performance sport.
- High resilience and confidence operating in a role with intense public scrutiny.
- Commitment to live in Wales and be fully present and engaged in the role in a full-time capacity.
The new WRU technical director will work closely with Wales head coach Steve Tandy and the remaining three Welsh regions to build strong relationships and alignment in the men’s and women’s game.
The WRU says: “We are seeking a proven leader from the highest levels of high-performance sport, someone with the presence to unify stakeholders, the judgement to set direction, and the drive to embed standards at national scale.”
The new position comes as Huw Bevan leaves the WRU this month after three years in various senior positions, including interim performance director most recently. Bevan’s departure for Leicester Tigers was announced in October, with Reddin saying at the time: “Everyone at the Welsh Rugby Union wishes Huw Bevan all the very best in his new role at Leicester Tigers.
“We are hugely grateful to Huw for his service to Welsh rugby over the last three years in various leadership roles, most recently as interim rugby performance director.
“Huw’s tenure has taken in both the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups and he has also made significant contribution to the WRU One Wales strategy, from its launch in June 2024 right up to the evolution in our approach to the performance game in Wales currently taking place. I’m personally very grateful to Huw for his support for me in the last four months.
”Huw will stay with us through to December, and we will consider future structures for the performance department in due course.”
