About Auckland Rugby
Auckland Rugby is the largest Regional Sports Organisation in NZ. We are committed to creating a better Auckland, built by rugby. The Auckland Rugby Way is focused on achieving within four key areas:
Innovate and grow the community game
Win and be better supported in high performance
Be more inclusive and grow the strongest rugby whanau
Ensure we are around another 100+ years
How we operate to drive achievement across the key focus areas is important and our behaviour is guided by a set of values connected to the four elements within the Auckland Rugby crest:
Strive to advance
Put in the hard mahi
Work as a team
Lead by example
This is an exciting opportunity to play a central role in delivering quality community rugby competitions across Auckland.
About the role
Reporting to the Head of Operations & Facilities, the Competitions Manager leads the end-to-end operational delivery, integrity and continuous improvement of Auckland Rugby’s community rugby competitions. You will have one direct report, the Operations Administrator, who provides administrative support across competition, council and judicial processes.
You will oversee competition structures, calendars, draws, scheduling, registrations, eligibility, results and compliance across junior, senior club and secondary school rugby, including tournaments and festivals. With more than 22,000 participants, over 50 competitions and approximately 5,000 community rugby games each season, this is a busy and influential role requiring strong operational leadership, sound judgement and exceptional attention to detail.
You will work closely with clubs, schools, sub-unions, referees, governing committees, NZ Rugby, Auckland Council and internal Auckland Rugby teams to ensure competitions are delivered accurately, consistently and with a strong focus on the participant experience.
The role will include, but is not limited to:
Competition planning and delivery: Lead the planning, scheduling and publication of competition formats, calendars, draws, fixtures and finals across junior, senior club and school rugby.
Registrations and eligibility: Oversee team entries, registrations, player transfers, clearances, declarations and eligibility processes, ensuring records are accurate and complete.
Results and data integrity: Capture, verify and publish results while maintaining reliable competition information across Rugby Xplorer, NZ Rugby systems and internal databases.
Compliance and technical administration: Apply competition rules and compliance requirements consistently and support disciplinary, appeals and judicial administration processes.
Competition improvement: Analyse competition data, monitor competitive balance and participant impacts, and recommend practical improvements.
Stakeholder relationships: Build strong working relationships and provide timely, clear communication to clubs, schools, referees, committees, Auckland Council and other key partners.
Operational governance: Provide reporting and insights, support the development of competition rules and operational guidelines, and ensure alignment with Auckland Rugby’s governance frameworks.
Council and facilities support: Help ensure council requirements relating to field use, facilities and operational compliance are met.
The Benefits
All the tools required to get the job done including a laptop and phone as well as tickets to matches, plenty of on-site car parking, access to our Employee Assistance Programme and being based at Eden Park, the home of NZ's best sporting venue.
Skills and experience
Auckland Rugby welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We know that great minds don’t think alike, and it takes all kinds of minds to make rugby a great sport experience.
Ideally, we are looking for someone with:
A tertiary qualification, preferably in Sport Management, Sport Development, Operations, Logistics or a related field
Three to five years’ experience in competition management, sports operations or a similar environment
Experience using competition management systems, particularly Rugby Xplorer or NZ Rugby databases
A strong understanding of rugby competition structures, rules and operational requirements
Experience managing registrations, eligibility and compliance processes
Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Proven relationship and stakeholder management capability
High attention to detail and a strong commitment to data accuracy and integrity
The ability to interpret and consistently apply rules, policies and compliance frameworks
A practical, calm and solutions-focused approach when working under pressure
Experience within amateur or community rugby, which would be advantageous
If you are ready to roll your sleeves up, put in the hard mahi and help deliver outstanding rugby competitions across Auckland, we would love to hear from you.