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Home · COMMUNITY RUGBY MANAGER

FULL JOB DESCRIPTION

Role Purpose

The Community Rugby Manager – Coaching, Teenage & Senior Rugby Lead is responsible for driving participation, capability, and quality experiences across community rugby in the region. This role leads the delivery of national coaching, refereeing, teenage and senior rugby development programmes, ensuring alignment with NZR frameworks and local needs. The position plays a critical part in strengthening club health, volunteer capability, and the long‑term sustainability of rugby across the West Coast.

Key Responsibilities

1. Coaching Development & Capability

  • Coordinate and deliver coaching workshops, practical sessions, and on‑the‑ground support tailored to local club and school needs.

  • Ensure all RugbySmart trainers are fully accredited and compliant with national standards.

  • Achieve 100% compliance for registered teams having at least one RugbySmart or Small Blacks accredited coach.

  • Provide structured development pathways for aspirational coaches, supporting qualification attainment and ongoing learning.

  • Lead targeted initiatives to grow, develop, and retain female coaches, including over‑indexed investment where required.

  • Deliver national coaching resources, programmes, and capability tools across clubs and schools.


2. Teenage & Senior Rugby Development

  • Deliver national teenage rugby development resources and programmes. 

  • Support grades and competitions aligned with national plans, including DSLVs such as the Small Blacks Development Model.

  • Deliver Tackle Clinics (Year 3) and Scrum Factory (Year 7) annually, ensuring access for new players.

  • Partner with secondary schools to maximise teenage player participation and retention.

  • Support transition pathways from junior to secondary school, and secondary school to senior club rugby.

  • Validate identity of all coaches, managers, and referees for Police Vetting.

3. Child & Player Safety

  • Appoint and support a Safe Kids Advisor (SKA), ensuring attendance at national workshops and delivery of local Safe Kids training.

  • Ensure 100% of junior teams have at least one coach/manager who has completed Safeguarding 101.

  • Maintain and review child safeguarding policies every three years.

  • Ensure safeguarding information is accessible online and embedded in club education.


4. Competition Support & Game Promotion

  • Support delivery of the national game promotion plan with aligned messaging and shared themes.

  • Activate national and local recruitment, development, and awareness campaigns.

  • Dedicate resources to content creation, storytelling, and promotion of community rugby.

  • Ensure balanced and equitable promotion of women’s and girls’ rugby.

  • Generate authentic stories from clubs, competitions, and communities to elevate positive perceptions of the game.

6. Club Health & Capability

  • Work with NZR to implement national club health and capability initiatives informed by the Future of Clubs Review.

  • Embed key messages from NZR’s Top Five Club Health Tips and Women in Clubs Toolkit into local education plans.

  • Support club participation in the Sport NZ Voice of the Participant Survey.

  • Provide guidance to strengthen governance, volunteer attraction, administration systems, and inclusive environments.

  • Share good practice examples and club success stories to support national storytelling.

  • Support clubs to become welcoming, inclusive, and effective learning spaces for players, coaches, and referees.

7. Administration, Compliance & Rugby Systems Management

  • Lead and maintain high‑quality administration across all community rugby programmes, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with NZR requirements.

  • Manage and optimise use of rugby systems including Rugby Xplorer (RX), LMS, vetting portals, referee appointment systems, and competition management tools.

  • Ensure all coach, referee, manager, and volunteer registrations are completed correctly and validated within RX.

  • Support clubs and schools with troubleshooting, permissions, duplicate accounts, verification issues, and system navigation.

  • Maintain accurate records for accreditation, safeguarding, workshops, clinics, and development programmes.

  • Produce timely reports, participation data, development tracking, and compliance summaries for WCRU, NZR, and local stakeholders.





8. Hands‑On Community Support – Coaches, Managers & Referees

  • Provide practical, on‑the‑ground support to coaches, team managers, referees, and club volunteers by actively assisting with training delivery, accreditation processes, rugby systems, game‑day operations, and problem‑solving.

  • Work directly alongside volunteers helping run sessions, supporting accreditation, guiding them through RX and LMS tasks, assisting with match‑day organisation, and providing real-time solutions.

  • Be visible and present across clubs and schools, offering practical help rather than just advice, ensuring volunteers feel supported, valued, and confident in their roles.

  • Strengthen community capability by “rolling up your sleeves” and helping deliver rugby experiences, not just overseeing them.



Key Relationships

  • NZ Rugby (Coach Development, Referee Development, Community Rugby Teams)

  • Local Referee Associations

  • Secondary Schools and Junior Rugby Providers

  • Club Committees, Coaches, Managers, Volunteers

  • Regional Sport Organisations and Community Partners

  • WCRU Staff, Board, and Operational Leads

Skills & Attributes

  • Strong leadership and relationship management skills.

  • Hands‑on delivery mindset willing to get involved and support volunteers directly.

  • Strong administrative capability and confidence using rugby systems (RX, LMS, vetting portals).

  • High organisational capability and attention to compliance.

  • Commitment to safe, inclusive, community‑driven rugby environments.

  • Ability to inspire volunteers and build sustainable pathways


Any questions or queries please contact Josh on [email protected]

Closes 20th November