The most powerful jobs in Welsh rugby have been advertised – what they’re looking for and what they pay

The Welsh Rugby Union has begun advertising for the biggest jobs in the national game.

It comes days after the member clubs voted in favour of governance change to modernise the board, following a series of damaging allegations of sexism, misogyny, homophobia and racism within the governing body.

At last Sunday’s EGM, a huge majority of 97.22% voted to approve the WRU’s proposals to increase the number of skilled independent people on the board and slash the number of elected members from clubs. An independent chair and a desire for at least five of the 12 WRU board members to be women were also part of the proposals, which have been backed.

And now the WRU has posted vacancies for the independent chair and independent non-executive director (INEDs) positions. The position of chief executive officer (CEO) has also been advertised following the resignation of Steve Phillips in January.

Since then, performance director Nigel Walker has served as an interim CEO. An advert for a six-month interim performance director had previously been placed but has since closed.

Current chair Ieuan Evans, who was elected rather than appointed, will be replaced.

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In addition to these roles, the WRU are looking for a non-executive director to promote the advancement of Women’s rugby in Wales, while they also advertised for a finance manager earlier this week.

But what do these jobs, some of the most important in Welsh rugby, actually ask for and how much would they pay?

The chair

Starting with the independent chair, the WRU’s job listing states the purpose of the role is to “lead an inclusive, cohesive, and effective Board that supports and helps shape the strategic agenda, provides both support and challenge for the WRU Executive, and supports the WRU in