Community Director

Sport has the power to bring people together and drive real change in the community – not just through getting people active. It’s also about improving daily life within the communities we serve, in whatever form that help might take.

At Warwickshire CCC, we want to re-write the book on community engagement.  We want Edgbaston to be a hub for local community groups, whether you like cricket or not, seven-days-a-week.  We want to use cricket across the West Midlands and Warwickshire as a catalyst for addressing some of the inequalities in life and bringing people together through a shared love of cricket across the region’s network of recreational clubs.  We also want to make sure that cricket is seen as a safe, welcoming, and inclusive sport, creating opportunities for all – whether that be on the field, in the stands or working in the offices.

This role won’t be easy – the successful candidate will oversee Edgbaston Foundation and Warwickshire Cricket Board and we have ambitions for an integrated charitable foundation that takes our impact to new levels.  But the rewards will be massive.  It’s a chance for you to make a real difference in an area that is one of the most diverse in Europe and help a sport that needs to change. One day you could be running a vaccine centre or food bank at Edgbaston, alongside a Ramadan Midnight League. The next, an employment programme for young adults or weight loss programme for middle-aged cricket fans attending a County Championship game.

If you have the tenacity, drive, and empathy to take on this challenge, we would love to hear from you. And don’t worry if you don’t understand cricket, that’s the last thing on our mind with this job.  We want people from any background who have the experience and attitude to apply.

Department:

Executive Committee

Reports to:

Chief Executive, Warwickshire County Cricket Club (day-to-day).

Chair of Warwickshire Cricket Board/Edgbaston Foundation or new entity (governance and strategy).

Responsible for:

General Manager (currently Warwickshire Cricket Board but may migrate into new entity should this be pursued). This person manages the current team (14) responsible for the delivery of participation projects across Warwickshire and the recreational cricket network.

Community Co-ordinator.

Education & Employability Officer.

Job Purpose:                                                                                                                                      

To provide strategic leadership and take ownership of delivery in all areas of Warwickshire CCC’s community engagement through the Club’s direct activities, as well as those of Warwickshire Cricket Board, Edgbaston Foundation and/or any new charitable entity. Ensuring that Edgbaston Stadium and Warwickshire CCC are viewed positively as an integral part of the region’s sporting and social communities, championing the role of cricket and sport in positively influencing people’s lives.

Key Relationships:                                                                                                                                         

Internal:

• Chief Executive, Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
• Director of Cricket, Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
• Sales & Marketing Director, Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
• Chair of the new charitable entity and wider Trustees.

External:

• The ECB.
• Funding partners (existing and potential).
• Key city community groups.
• Birmingham City Council (and wider West Midlands/Warwickshire Councils).

Key Responsibilities:                                                                                                                                         

• Set the annual community plan in line with the Club’s wider strategic pillar: Transform Community Engagement (2020 to 2024).
• Lead the charitable entities(y) responsible for delivering recreational cricket and social impact projects within Warwickshire and the West Midlands on behalf of Warwickshire CCC and the ECB. This will include creating strategy, securing funds, and managing project delivery.
• Ensure all activities and programmes for the charitable entity have inclusion and diversity as a core focus, as well as embed a culture of inclusion across the staff team and volunteers.
• Secure external funds to develop charitable projects by implementing a diverse income stream portfolio.
• Plan  and  deliver  an  effective  marketing  and  communications  strategy  which  grows  brand awareness of the charitable entity, so it becomes widely recognised amongst the public in the West Midlands and Warwickshire
• Champion excellent charitable governance, compliance, and safeguarding. This includes ensuring effective co-ordination and communication between the charitable entity’s internal stakeholders, namely both the Club’s Board and the charitable entity’s Board.
• Develop a strong network of regional, national, and international contacts within the charitable space that can ensure the charitable foundation grows and develops to become one of the most successful in British sport.
• Manage all key community stakeholder engagement including faith and community groups.
• Develop and co-ordinate the community engagement plan for Edgbaston stadium that ensures the venue become a popular choice for staging events and meetings for community groups, projects and aspirations (eg Eid Prayer on the Colts Ground; Green Lane Majid Islamophobia Conference; Toy Drive; use of the new piazza; etc.).
• Manage all matchday community initiatives (eg ticket offers, schools, community focus activities).
• Manage the Club’s approach to external charity partnership activity across the region.
• Form a close working relationship with the commercial and marketing department, using its public and corporate network to help drive key projects including the community roadshow initiative.
• Work with the Club's Head of Strategy to deliver key strategic inititiatives including EDI, Commonwealth Games and Women & Girls engagement, South Asian community engagement.
• Work with the Club’s General Manager and Finance team to ensure financial and data protection compliance.
• Oversee the effective evaluation and monitoring of the charitable foundation’s activities and implementation of recommendations for growth.
• Work with the Director of Cricket and Team Operations Manager to build strong relationships with the professional staff and ensure that individuals support the community strategy as appropriate.
• Work alongside the Birmingham Phoenix General Manager and Community Team to  assure consistency of message and integration of activity across teams.

Key Performance Indicators:                                                                                                                  Success in this role will be determined by the following Key Performance Indicators:

• Project/Programme outcomes achieved.
• Income growth based on yearly projections.
• Growth in number of supporters/donors.
• Growth in number of recurring supporters/donors.
• Growth in number of followers and engagement on communication channels.
• Maintain high level satisfaction rates from employees.
• Maintain high level satisfaction rates from volunteers.
• Maintain high level satisfaction rates from a public awareness survey, with reference to under- represented groups.
• Maintain high level satisfaction rates from range of different participants, with reference to under- represented groups.
• Development of specific groups and networks with objectives met.
• Completion of required charitable governance activities.
• Effective annual safeguarding training and regular review of practise, implementing improvements were necessary.

Please note, this list is indicative and not exhaustive.

Person Specification

Requirements:

Experience

• At least five years of work experience in a complex and evidence-oriented non-profit/social change organisation.
• Deep understanding of the power and influence of sport (with a preference for cricket knowledge) to change lives for the better.
• Ideally, but not crucial, practical knowledge of leading a sport based charitable foundation.
• Experience working in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced, and results-oriented culture, including willingness to operate outside of your formal role to ensure the success of the broader organisation.
• Proven ability of researching community needs and building strong community relationships, then turning this knowledge in to a coherent strategy that has been executed to results 

Skills

• Strong understanding of the requirements set within charity governance and law, such as data protection, privacy, and safeguarding, in terms of programme delivery as well as communications and fundraising activities.
• Excellent team management skills, including coaching others to build knowledge, skills, and mindsets related to EDI.
• Ability to think across the spectrum, from strategy to execution – working comfortably with Boards and funding partners as well as grass-roots partners and community groups.
• Wide-ranging income generation knowledge, from direct front-line fundraising to strategy development, assisted by experience of managing effective marketing and communications strategies.
• Ability to identify and harness the growth potential in people, projects, and activities, especially when starting from junior or under-developed levels.
• Strong skills in execution and managing projects to completion without having a direct management relationship.
• Exceptional relationship building skills, including the ability to build rapport and engage effectively with a wide range of diverse individuals representing different stakeholders, including private and public sector organisations, individuals, and community groups as well as through distinct cultural and socio/economic contexts, both remotely online and in-person.

Personal Attributes

• Adaptability, resilience, and flexibility to collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders, across a range of different communication tools, e.g. video conference calls, e-mail, social media, virtual collaboration tools) and meetings and calls during non-traditional working hours.
• Exceptional self-awareness and ability to understand their own cultural self (norms, values, beliefs, and unconscious biases) and how this plays into wider intersectional identities, socio-political history, and realities.
• Ability to re-prioritise and respond to changing conditions and opportunities while maintaining momentum on various projects.
• Commitment to personal learning and development, openness to feedback, and ability to give feedback with generosity and humility.
• Ability to think creatively about solutions to problems and have the courage to drive them through, internally and externally.

To apply for the job please send the following to recruitment@edgbaston.com by 5pm on Thursday 12^th May 2022:

• A  short explanation of why you have the energy, vision and experience to take on this challenge (up to 350 words).
• A current CV.
• Contact details (email address, postal address and telephone number).