THE WELSH JUDO ASSOCIATION

Head of Development

Salary Circa £24,000 Full Time

The Welsh Judo Association (WJA) is seeking a high calibre candidate for appointment to the
position of Head of Development.

The WJA is the lead body in Wales for the sport of Judo, and together with the other home
countries operates at National level as part of the GB set up which is run by the British Judo
Association (BJA), and through this National Body is affiliated to the B.O.A the International and
European Judo Associations.

Over the last three years the WJA has successfully integrated into the GB performance pathway,
and elite players from Wales now have a clear route to international representation at GB level,
and sports funding to assist them in this process.

The WJA’s currently has around 2300 licence holders, of which 1800 are junior members. One of
the WJA’s aim and ambition is to strengthen our core membership and coaching structure,
enabling us to embed increased grading and competitive elements into our current structure. The
association is now keen to develop its core activities and progress its membership services
across the range of activities it supplies to its members, including coaching, technical
examinations and grass roots development. We are looking to expand on the interaction we
have with our existing and new members to ensure pro-active communication links are utilised
effectively.

The Head of Development will be responsible to the WJA Board of Directors, and its sub-
committees. Their primary role will be the development of membership services and strategic
planning to support this process.

The association will shortly be appointing a part time Office Manager to deal with the
administration of the WJA office at the Welsh Institute of Sport. The Head of Development will be
expected to utilise the office facilities to support the drive to improve and expand on these
membership services

Over the last three years sports coaching in the UK have seen a radical development with the
introduction of the UKCC coaching awards. The WJA has a paid Coaching Coordinator and
Coaching Officers to oversee the transition of existing and new coaches into the UKCC scheme.
The Head of Development will be responsible for managing this process, and other coaching
initiatives, to ensure that the investment made by the WJA in this area delivers a robust and
sustainable coaching platform for our members, in particular and the development of Welsh judo
in general.

Welsh judo, like many other sports faces increasing competition from private entrepreneurs and
like-minded activities such as Ju-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts. The Association is keen to develop
a strategy that will position the Judo at the centre of a progressive sports development
programme, and an inclusion for all approach to dealing with these challenges. Such initiatives as
strong links to educational establishments and initiatives like the 5x60 scheme in Welsh schools
are examples of the type of progressive development programmes the WJA would charge the
Head of Development with initiating.
 THE WELSH JUDO ASSOCIATION

Such programmes will be at the centre of increasing membership, and promoting a strong
volunteer base, both of which are essential to a successful development structure for Welsh judo.
The Head of Development will be expected to revalidate the framework of the Association to
produce a strong partnership between the Association and its member clubs, in order to increase
individual membership and volunteer levels in order to underpin the grass roots development of
the Association.

It is envisaged that implementation of the above development programmes will lead to increase in
the association’s core funding streams, and the Head of Development should ensure the
Association is in a position be able to capitalise on the increased revenue opportunities which
should arise as a result of a robust and strong development strategy

With a stable governance structure and the Association is well placed to move forward its
development strategy, and in partnership with the Sports Council for Wales, develop Welsh judo
as a major force in British and international sport.

The successful candidate will have excellent commercial and communication skills, and be willing
to work flexible hours and carry out much of their own administration for the post. He or she will
either be educated to degree level or have experience of achievement at a similar level.

In summary the successful candidate should be able to demonstrate the ability to drive the Welsh
judo Association forward and spearhead the Association’s need to develop its operational
strategy, improving membership services and revenues by raising the profile of Judo throughout
Wales and the UK.

The Welsh Judo Association welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

This post is partly funded by the Sports Council for Wales

The closing date for applications is Monday 27th July 2009

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 4th August 2009 at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia
Gardens, Cardiff, CF11 9SW
 THE WELSH JUDO ASSOCIATION

Job Description
Personal statement:

The successful candidate will have a strong background in a sports development discipline,
excellent commercial and communication skills, and be willing to work flexible hours and carry out
much of their own administration for the post. He or she will either be educated to degree level or
have experience of achievement in a similar environment.

This is a professional role and will require a candidate with a detailed understanding of sports
development in Wales, and how these link in to the UK structure, their funding with regard to both
professional and commercial development.

General purpose of the post:

The board of the Welsh Judo Association have devised and submitted a four year development
plan (2009-2013) and are now looking for a highly motivated individual To develop an operational
strategy for it’s implementation, with the major aim on improving on existing membership
services by innovations in the fields of coaching, participation and staff development, with
improving links to educational bodies seen as a high priority for the association if we are to
deliver on our targets for increased membership, professional development of staff, coaches and
volunteers whilst raise profile of Judo throughout Wales and the UK.

The successful candidate will be able to:

1. Effectively lead in the delivery of the WJA’s Development Plan and manage both paid staff
and volunteers in order to see the effective delivery of our Key Interventions.

2. Liaise with the Member Clubs, Sports Council for Wales, British Judo Association,
Educational and other outside bodies, on joint initiatives to underpin the Development of
Welsh Judo.

3. Report to, and advise the board of Directors on all development issues and oversee the
delivery of board policies.

General Responsibilities

• The day-to-day responsibility for all personnel and volunteers working on development
issues.
• To develop strategic alliances in order to support development in all areas of the
associations day to day business and services.
• To improve the infrastructure between the day-to-day operations of the Association and its
development staff in order to satisfy the needs of the association’s members, clubs and
coaches.
• Help maximise the use of the Welsh National Dojo and its value to the Association. To help
increase usage through new development programmes and initiatives.
• To attend Committee and Board meetings as requested by the relevant Directors and be
responsible for co-ordinating reports to and from such meetings.
• Any other duties within the objectives of the post as directed by the Board of Directors.
 THE WELSH JUDO ASSOCIATION

Staff management

• The day-to day management of all professional and development staff and monitoring of their
key interventions, programmes and targets.
• To advise the Board on the training needs of the staff.
• To assist the office manager in keeping of personnel records for employees as directed by the
Board
• To supervise and assist the Office Manager in seeing that all HR systems are in place.
• To produce reports on targets, development staff and volunteers in line with agreed reporting
procedures.

Strategic alliances

• To liaise with the Judo and other relevant sporting, public and commercial bodies which would
benefit the development and expansion of the association.
• To liaise with educational and other local authority networks to promote development of the
sport.
• To produce and submit the Annual Development Support application to the Sports Council for
Wales, and seek and develop secondary sources of funding available for the development of the
sport, staff and clubs.

Communication and Monitoring

• To advise the Board of Directors in the production, monitoring and maintenance of the
Association’s Strategic Development Plan.
• To monitor the maintenance of records and documentation relating to these areas of work.
• To advise the Directors in maintaining a system of self-assurance.
• To supervise the introduction of modern office technology and information management
systems that supports the Development of the Association.
• To co-ordinate and maintain business continuity and development strategies and systems that
support the development plans of the association.

Financial management

• To ensure the effective management of Development Commission finances in consultation with

the Chair of the Finance Committee.
• To set up, maintain and monitor an annual budget for all development staff in conjunction with
the association’s financial procedures.
• To maintain accurate financial reports, management accounts, and financial records.

Special considerations

• Hours of work will be flexible and will depend on the need to accommodate fluctuating
workloads.
• The duties of the post may include attendance at meetings and events in evenings or at
weekends