Community Game Communications Lead - England Rugby
New Yesterday
**£75,000 • England Rugby • Twickenham**With the Women's Rugby World Cup taking place here in England this year, it's an incredibly exciting time to join the RFU and working at the RFU means being part of the ‘bigger picture’ at England Rugby: to be rooted in our purpose, which is to enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union & develop the sport for future generations. If our purpose resonates with you, and you recognise the value that sport can bring to people’s lives, we’d love to work with you. An opportunity has arisen for a Community Game Communications Lead to join the Communications team on a permanent basis.**Job Title :** Community Game Communications Lead**Department :** Communications**Reports to :** Executive Director, Corporate Affairs**Direct report(s) :** Senior Communications Manager – Community & W&G Communications Manager**Salary Banding :** £75,000 per annum**Job Level : T**ranslate**Location :** This role is contractually based at Allianz Stadium, offering some flexibility to work from home**Employment Type :** Permanent**Working Hours :** This is a full-time role, covering 35 hours per week**Application Information:*** Please submit an anonymised CV (i.e. please exclude personal details).* The closing date for applications is 09th October at 05:00 PM.* The RFU reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications.* Applications may be considered whilst this vacancy is advertised.Please note; we are currently experiencing an issue with applications using **Live**, **MSN**, **Hotmail** and **Outlook** accounts. Please apply using a different email address if you typically use one of these domains as we cannot guarantee that you will receive communications from us if you use these.**The Role:**This is an exciting time to join the RFU communications team, which is seeking to become more visible, more transparent and engage more widely and innovatively with its large range of stakeholders.We are looking for a strategic leader to drive engagement and communications with the community and grassroots game. This role is central to strengthening our relationship with the people and clubs who form the foundation of rugby in England — from volunteers and players to coaches and club administrators.We want to get better at listening, communicating, and connecting with our grassroots stakeholders in more meaningful and inclusive ways. As the landscape of community sport evolves, it’s vital we keep the grassroots game informed, involved, and inspired. This means two-way communication that is clear, timely, and representative — and that celebrates the vital role community rugby plays in sustaining the health, values, and future of our game.We're looking for someone who can lead this work with empathy, credibility, and clarity — someone who understands the power of storytelling, the importance of consultation, and the unique spirit of rugby at the community level.You will lead a small team with expertise in communications and content development and work across the organisation to deliver your goals.**Some key responsibilities include:*** Develop and deliver a national community engagement strategy aligned with the RFU’s strategic goals, ensuring strong relationships with grassroots clubs, volunteers, players, and regional bodies.* Lead communications for the community game, including creating campaigns, messaging, and content that resonates with diverse stakeholders and promotes inclusivity, growth, and participation.* Act a key liaison with the grassroots rugby community, gathering feedback, listening to concerns, and ensuring community voices inform policy and decision-making.* Work across relevant RFU teams to oversee multi-channel communication plans (digital, social, print, and in-person) that promote grassroots initiatives, share best practices, and celebrate the community game.* Collaborate with internal departments (e.g., Rugby Development, Competitions, Safeguarding) to ensure consistent and effective engagement across all levels of the game.* Help to coordinate national events, roadshows, and forums to connect with clubs, CBs (Constituent Bodies), and volunteers, and to support consultation and information-sharing.* Manage crisis and issue communications for the community game, working closely with the RFU’s media and public affairs teams.* Monitor and report on engagement effectiveness, providing insights and recommendations to improve community relationships and communication outcomes.* Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion across the grassroots game, ensuring communication and engagement strategies reflect the RFU’s values and reach underrepresented groups.* Support the development of volunteer recognition and retention strategies, highlighting the vital role volunteers play in sustaining the grassroots game.* Actively collaborate with colleagues to contribute to the development and delivery of the current strategic, business and operational plans.* Act as an ambassador for, and promote the best interests of the RFU, including the promotion of our culture and core values – This Rose Means Everyone: Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other.* Undertake other duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the post and the needs of the organisation.**Qualifications, Skills & Experience:***The skills and attributes outlined in this description are not exhaustive and we welcome candidates who can bring different relevant experiences to the role.**Essential:** Proven experience in developing and delivering communications strategies across multiple channels.* Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages to different audiences, including volunteers, clubs, and regional stakeholders.* Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.* Experience managing or working in cross-functional teams, with the ability to influence without direct authority.* Proven ability to lead consultations, town halls, or forums, and act as a credible voice for an organisation.* Strong grasp of digital communications, including managing websites, social media platforms, newsletters, and engagement analytics.* Familiarity with media relations and crisis communications in a public-facing or community-based setting.* Committed to embodying the ethos our culture by using our three core values – Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other – to guide your day-to-day decisions, actions and interactions.* Committed to actively contributing and building an inclusive culture in your role and day to day behaviours.* Willingness to travel nationally and work occasional evenings/weekends to attend events or club forums.**Additional Information:*** We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential. If there is anything we could do to support you through your application or to provide the best environment for your interviews, including assistance or adjustment, please reach out to recruitment@rfu.com.* During your application, we will ask questions about your identity. This information is considered highly confidential and will not be seen by hiring managers. You can find out more about why we ask these questions .
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