Accountabilities:

• Full profit & loss responsibility for the England Rugby Licensing & Retail programs ensuring sustainable long-term profitable growth. 
• Manage and develop a team of retail and licensing experts.
• Develop and deliver the England Rugby Consumer Product Strategy.
• Own & develop effective commercial relationships with senior stakeholders at England Rugby’s Licensees, Retail and Commercial Partners. 
• Work with Finance to provide accurate budget forecasts and business planning.

• Strategic development and management of the RFU’s entire retail operation to meet revenue and profit targets.
• Oversee the Official England Rugby Retailer partnership (Fanatics)
• Oversee the management of the englandrugbystore.com ecommerce site. 
• Ensure the effective delivery of all England Rugby retail contracts.
• Work with the Retail Manager to oversee all match day retail operations including the match day programme and Ref Link partners. 
• Work closely with the Marketing area to ensure synergies across retail and digital.

• Senior management of all major RFU Licensing relationships including Charles Tyrwhitt, Gilbert and Umbro.
• Act as the central liaison point for the Official Kit approvals and launches, and ensure they are managed in a timely and effective manner with all relevant stakeholders appropriately managed.
• Ensuring the England Rugby brand is appropriately used and tightly managed amongst Official Licensees and that the product is of appropriate quality.

• 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 the RFU core values and BACK culture.
• Undertake such 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.

Person Specification

• Highly credible experience working in a retail environment with an excellent understanding of brand licensing and e-commerce.
• Experience in managing large and complex retail and licensing partnerships.
• Ability to lead and develop a small internal team and oversee a larger outsourced workforce.
• Strong commercial acumen.
• Proven track record of sourcing new business and closing deals.
• Significant digital and CRM marketing experience.
• Strong financial literacy and highly analytical.
• Effective written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ambition to develop and lead a world-class team.
• Entrepreneurial outlook.
• Sports and/or event retail experience preferred but not essential.

Additional Information:

• All role holders must maintain an appropriate standard of confidentiality.  Any disclosures of confidential information (including personal information kept on computer or other media) made unlawfully outside the proper course of duty will be treated as a serious disciplinary offence.
• The role description, person specification, job level and job title may be subject to change at the discretion of the RFU and under business developments. Any changes will be communicated to the role holder as appropriate.
• 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 here
• Please submit an anonymised CV as part of your application. No cover letter is required.